Planting Red Onions
Onions come in all different shapes and sizes now with many different varieties to grow. The main variety of onions is white onion. One onion that is not so commonly grown or eaten is red onion. You can easily buy these from garden centers and the supermarket to grow though. Are the red onions easy to grow, however? Here we will find out about planting red onions and how to grow red onions in the UK and the rest of the world
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
What Is The Difference Between White And Red Onions?
When growing red and white onions there is no difference in the technique for growing red or white onions. The only difference is the taste of the red and white onions. White onions are sometimes milder than red onions. White and red onions come in different varieties like any fruit or vegetable. The variety you grow is often down to the growth themselves and the success they have from growing them.
Purchase Red Onions
When purchasing red onions to grow you are often best growing them from sets that you purchase. These are usually small little bulbs than the actual seeds. These will often have better results than growing the onions from seed. You can purchase red onion bulbs from the link below direct from Amazon.
When To Plant And Harvest Red Onions
Knowing the right time to sow, plant and harvest red onions is vital to getting great crops. Here we list the UK timings for doing these jobs for your red onions.
| Plant | October – November, and March to April |
| Harvest | June to September |
The dates listed for the red onions depend on the weather in the UK and the temperature.
How To Plant Red Onions
When growing red onions you need to find an area of soil that has plenty of sun and the soil is well-draining.
Before planting your red onion bulbs improve your soil by adding organic fertilizer to the soil. This will give the red onion bulbs a kickstart when growing.
Once you have prepared your onion bed and removed any weeds and stones from the soil you can now look at planting your onions. Plant your red onions around 2 inches deep. This is so that the roots are covered but the neck of the bulb is popping out of the soil. Plant your onions around 7-8 inches apart this is so they have room to grow and you can keep them weed-free. Onions do not like competing with weeds.
How To Look After Your Red Onions
Looking after your red onions is pretty easy and not a hard job. One of the key things is to keep them weeded. Do not use a hoe to weed around them as this can upset the plants, you are best using a hand tool to do this.
Red Onions have short roots on the plant so they require water often as the surface of the soil will dry out fast. Make sure you keep the onions watered but don’t flood them. Adding a layer of mulch around the top of the soil will help keep the soil moist but don’t cover the onions as they need sunlight to help them grow.
How To Harvest Red Onions
You will know when your red onions are ready to harvest as the leaves on the plant will start to turn yellow and they will flop over. Don’t water the onions when the tops start to flop over as this can cause the onions to go to seed.
When you are ready to harvest your red onions get a hand fork and carefully lift the onions being careful not to pierce or damage the onion. Lift the onion out and shake off any soil hanging on it.
You can now hang your onions or lay them somewhere dry and warm to cure them. After around 2 weeks the onions will be ready to use in your cooking. Now you know all about planting red onions.
Why not try growing garlic with our hints and tips here?