Wattle, if the seed is fresh onion germination is usually reliable. They do take a while especially if the nights are cold and the main problem is keeping the weeds down until the reach a reasonable size. They go through the 'hook' stage, then 'flag' stage and seem to linger there until the second leaf appears. Don't overwater the seedlings as they tend to rot off a bit. I am planning a varied planting of italian varieties as well as Californian Red, Creamgold aka Pukehoe (which keeps over a year!) and Ailsa Craig which doesn't keep that well but is juicy and crunchy as well as being a 'show-off' bulb - absolutely enormous (goes in after August in southern Australia because of the day length)

Hi Wattle. I'm not sure of your sowing technique but here is how my dad used to do them:

Prepare a small piece of ground and ensure it was worked well and deep. If there is any manure or green matter you want to make sure it is well decomposed. The top layer should be nice and crumbly. Level the area ensuring you make little "walls" around the piece you wish to use as a nursery. ie you want it level with the surrounding ground but walled in so water and soil doesn't run off. Then sprinkle your seed on the surface and cover with a light layer of soil or sand. He then covered this with hessian sheet (from and old pellet bag) and sprayed regularly to keep it moist. When the onions started to appear you gently peel the hessian off. From memory it took between 2-4 weeks.

We would then transplant them when they got to about the thickness of a pencil lead (about 2-3mm)and sometimes bigger, into nice straight rows.

He also sowed them by the moon. I think on the full moon in April or May. Believe it or not, when he sowed on the full moon, germination was a lot quicker.

Thanks for the help, sorry if I'm a little slow in responding. The days are a little shorter with the same amount to do.

I haven't had good success with onions either, but went ahead and planted some seeds for clumping onions I got from Eden Seeds. I made little trenches and direct sowed them there, covering with about 5mm of seed-raising mix. I noticed the pack said keep dark before germinating, so I cut some cardboard boxes, wet them, and gently covered them. I'll take a look in a week or so. Also planted carrots, kohl rabi, spinach, and have three beds to fill with something or other. Maybe peas or beans. Hope I get some onions for a change.

Shallots are very easy if onions are proving to be difficult! And, quick too!

Try sowing them in seed trays in seed raising mixture then transplant them out when they are a two leaf size. You will find germination much easier.

I know homegrown produce tastes better, but do homegrown onions taste that much better than bought ones? Would the degree of difference be comparible to that between homegrown and bought tomatoes? And while weÂre on the subject, do homegrown potatoes taste better than supermarket ones? Onions and spuds are pretty cheap staples and I do wonder if they are worth the soil in my limited growing space. Thanks for the germination tips and advice above. -:grub.

Good point Grub. We stopped growing onions a few years ago because it was just not worth it. Dad still likes to grow some spuds and just recently got a couple of kilos of Dutch Cream. I'm also getting some Kipflers and Nicola. If he could get them cheaply and locally he probably would just buy them rather than grow them. At $5+ per kilo for these "exotic" varieties, it is still worth growing our own. Ordinary spuds are about 50c/kg. Not worth all the effort and space. Garlic is another which is too cheap to grow.

Grub, the potatoes I managed to harvest were definitely better than store-bought ones.

No idea about onions, as it was quite a while ago I harvested and ate a home-grown onion. I've sown some Creamgold a few weeks ago, but they haven't come up yet.

You are right, Pepino. It's really only worth growing onions and potatoes that are difficult to get. If you can't get your favourite type of potato or onion, or it is far more expensive than the usual stuff - grow it yourself!

I only grow potatoes because occasionally I have some that start growing in my storage box - they get put in the ground and have to fend for themselves. Those that make it are really nice. :)

Must try growing some more 'exotic' ones, though.

Grub, it's not the taste so much as the chemicals that are used on onions. (I grew them commercially with my brother-in-law for a season) You have to use chems because of the very nature of the little seedlings. They would be swamped by weeds as they take some time to germinate and offer little competition when bigger.
My Ailsa Craig onions are certainly firmer and juicier than bought onions but don't keep. As time goes by onions deteriorate slowly so those late in the season aren't quite as good. Pukekhoe (Creamgold) are by far the best keepers. Harvest in Jan. still ok by the following Jan.

New Gippsland Seeds have onion sets, little onion bulbs which you plant & watch them grow rapidly into big onions!
This is the way I always grew onions in the UK, but there isn't much choice of variety.