I'm growing onions from seed and providing them with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. The onions are 'long day' varieties and I am concerned that if I provide them with 16-24 hours of light a day they might start to form bulbs instead of growing more green shoots. Can I safely provide more light to these long day varieties? Thanks Jon

The three major concerns might be seed age, potting mix issues and planting depth. Temperature should be kept on the cool side but I've had good germination at 80*(high end) with my onions. If onion seeds aren't stored frozen you might only expect 3-6 months shelflife. They are one of first seeds to loose ability to germinate with age. Why don't you use a reputable potting media to eliminate a host of potential problems. Your mix is likely to introduce fungal diseases that attack seedlings and it would appear to be on the acidic side based on ingredients. Since seeds are relatively small don't cover them with too much media (1/16- 1/8" is plenty). I press the dry media over my planted cells prior to soaking to get good seed-media contact. Air pockets allow seed to dry during germination. I would avoid pure vermiculite for that reason. Once you have the seeds planted and watered set the pots/trays into a kitchen garbage bag until they germinate. That keeps the media evenly moist throughout the process. Even after they are growing don't allow media to dry totally. Onions are not tolerant of excessive drying.

Geezer, You didn't do the search first. onions from seed Posted by KristenMarie Z4-5/New Mexico (My Page) on Sat, Apr 2, 05 at 9:08 I have some questions on onion growing. I've only grown them from plants (not sets, but the actual plant shipped by Territorial, pricey) so this year I'm growing from seed. I'm a bit late getting started, of course, and plan to seed them this week (some already were seeded a week ago). Questions: -How long from seed sown to planting in the field? -In the catalogues when it says "Days" for onions is that DAYS FROM TRANSPLANT like tomatoes (I'm pretty sure this is the case) or days from seed? - Has anyone had luck direct-seeding onions? Thanks, Kristen Follow-Up Postings: o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: garyt33 5/6 (My Page) on Sun, Apr 3, 05 at 7:05 Kristen, I tried it once and in my zone it didn't work. Because the seeds were planted very early they took about 3 weeks to even come up. By the end of the season they were about the size of sets. If you are going to try it I would suggest that you at least sprout the seed indoors to give yourself a little extra grow time. -Gary o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: ksrogers EasternMassZ6 (My Page) on Sun, Apr 3, 05 at 17:42 I trying shallots from seed here, and have planted several in small pots indoors. They will get replanted outdoors about mid April or May, depending on whether the temps hold above 32 degrees. Right now, for the next week, the temps here will hover in the mid 30's at night. My garlic chives will drop seeds nearby the main clump in late summer, and the next spring I see new shoots and plants by about mid June. Someone said that my shallot seeds will mature in about 100 days, so I figure if I start them now indoors now, they will be getting about a 100 days of summer growth, which is more than enough time to 'mature'. o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: davidbooth65 4b (My Page) on Tue, Apr 5, 05 at 20:25 Hi Kristin, I put some of my plants out today. Usually I wait until mid-April. I broadcast the seeds in trays, generally in the second week of February. It is a little too late now to get good sized onions from seed. I would suggest buying healthy plants this year if you want large onions. You may be able to get some decent medium sized onions if you start them now and grow them as fast as you can in fertile soil. Good luck to you. David o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: ksrogers EasternMassZ6 (My Page) on Tue, Apr 5, 05 at 21:29 MY shallot seeds have just started to show green shoots. They are in very small one inch pots, and will soon be set out in my greenhouse for a week or so, and then planted outside in a few weeks once they show a bit more leaf. o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: KristenMarie Z4-5/New Mexico (My Page) on Wed, Apr 6, 05 at 0:11 david, darn, I wish you had an e-mail so I could send some! So you say you broad cast over a flat... tell me more about this... how deep is the flat and what kind of soil? And what kind of flat? I have the black plastic ones without holes -- solid flats-- and it seems ot me I need some with drainage. I do have some of those also, but not many. And, they'll leak everywhere. Tell me more about how you do this? I know I'm really late! I'm fine with small bulbs this year! I just want to figure out how to do it right so I do it VERY well next year. :) Kristen o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: coho z8/9 N. Calif (My Page) on Wed, Apr 6, 05 at 2:00 Kirsten, Use the flats with the clear plastic covers and use bottom heat! Onions really like it. Here I can sow outside about Oct 1 and transplant about Nov 15. Harvest around 1st to 15th of June. I have started seed around 1st of feb in the covered flats and transplanted out about 15 March. That way I get medium onions, but the quality is best. Take the covers off as soon as they sprout and keep well lighted and ventelated. Watch out for damping off. Try the week tea spray to prevent. o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: Dill_Pickle_AR z6AR (My Page) on Sat, Nov 12, 05 at 23:11 In the past I have had a lot of problems with wire stem/damp off and wondered if the heated/covered tray with one inch or ferti-cubes would be a good thing? o RE: onions from seed * Posted by: eyolf Z3: Mn (My Page) on Sun, Nov 13, 05 at 0:30 I'm in the north, where long-day onions are needed, and may be different than the short-day types better suited to NM, but here goes... Direct-seeded onions will usually not do particularly well here, so I plant them inside in pots. I've learned that the onions need lots of root space...they won't do particularly well for more than about 2 weeks in a small pot or in a 10x20 flat. Give them barely enough water, and enrich the water you do give them to boost nutrient levels...miracle grow, or manure/compost/worm casting/etc. teas, as you prefer. I find that little onions about 6" tall and nearly 1/8" thick take off fastest. Smaller than that and they languish a lot longer.

The seeds you mentioned should all be fine. My poppies, rudbeckia and daisies along with larkspur have been self-seeding and coming up in winter to bloom early spring for years. Then batchelor's button and zinnia seeds come up and bloom later. You didn't say if you want to plant veggies but right now is time to put out cabbage plants and sow lettuce, radishes, beets, spinach. I like to wait until mid-april to put out tomatoes, broccoli and pepper plants and to sow corn, beans, squash. But if you are buying broc plants you should probably put them out now, but they aren't quite as cold hardy as cab. Happy gardening. Dorothy