I'm 75 years old & I live in western Pennsylvania. I have been growing yellow onions only from sets most of my life. (I lived in W.Va. for 20 years also). I get 2 to 3 pounds of sets every year and start planting towards the end of March as soon as the soil is workable. I plant about two rows about 3 feet long about three weeks between plantings. I eat green onions so much that I have to force myself to eat very little by the middle of August so I can get large onions in the fall. I let whatever is left continue to grow until the weather forces picking & drying before storage. I will get on average at least 3 pounds of nice round cooking onions that will last me until sometime in January. I do love onions. I also grow tomatoes, green beans, and corn in an area 20 feet by 16 feet, but for me, the onions have been the easiest to grow (with no hard wet soil). I also put up, on average, 25 pints of tomato sauce that will last me until the next year's harvest. Get this... I started my first compost bin last year (2020). I need to work on that more. LOL Two years ago I started using Neptunes to help with the soil/plants. I started mulching three years ago... What a big help for reducing weeds! My biggest problem is with deer & rabbits so I have to fence it all except for the onions. They don't like onions. :) I hope I can do gardening for a few more years because I deal with chronic back pain & nerve pain. I don't garden to save money. I do it for the fresh flavor. Well... I like to play in the dirt. :) I also can NOT eat those pink baseballs the stores have that they claim to be tomatoes.

Wow you are SO RIGHT about nurseries putting out stuff you can actually grow! Even with seeds here in FL. I crack up when even going into Home Depo or Lowes. They have the same plants I would get in Michigan. Which do not grow here. Being they just came from a nursery from somewhere grown in a tunnel no doubt. They look fresh in store. But buy take em home and plant em, fry baby. I always wondered who does the ordering. As the plants should be bought for the actual “growing zone”. Alot if wasted plants and $$$.

Great idea planting lettuce with the onions. I've never done that. I'll def give it a go.

I also discovered that feeding them with a heavy nitrogen fertilizer before they start to bulb is better for them because the more leaves you have, the more layers will be in the bulb once it starts to bulb 🤷

You have such a calming voice that I fell asleep watching the video, now I have to go back and watch again, lol. I e tried to grow onions before and got nothing, so I was interested, but... I will stay awake, I will stay awake....

I tried twice to grow onions from seed but failed so I didn’t try for a few years. Then this year I tried again starting seeds earlier inside and transplanted outside and I got huge onions. I grow all my own plants either starting them inside or sowing straight in the ground and now I realize here in NH I have to start onion seeds in Feb or early March. I was very pleased with my onions this year. I grow long day onions.

I am a Florida transplant from WVa and I have learned so much from your channel. Thank you. What you just said about onions just changed my world. I can grow green onions with no issue, but I have been trying the WRONG variety of onions! Now I know I have to stick to short day onions. Do you have a favorite variety of red? The one thing that breaks my heart in all this, I am a huge fan of Shallots and evidently they are all long day. If anyone knows of a day neutral or short day variety, hook a girl up! Thanks Brian! 🥰

Does growing the onion/scallions from the left overs from cooking count? 🤣🤣🤣 Those are the only ones I've grown. I was intimidated because I knew nothing about onions. Thank you Brian for sharing what you know. 😊👍❤

I have a couple of 3 inch PVC couplings that I use to mark round 3 inch diameter rings in the soil, then plant onions in the center of each circle. I have found I can get maximum amount of onions in a space while giving then just enough room to grow

I live in a tropical island, I've planted onions alot in the past, I'll usually plant the one that is already growing from the bulb. It would grow for about 2 - 4 weeks and then die unfortunately. It turns out that I was planting them in the wrong soil and never fertilized them. the nursery where I live usually has seedlings for $2.85 - $3.00. ❤THANK YOU SO MUCH for The Helpful video! Now I know how to properly take care of them :)💖

This will be my first time growing onions. I live in Zone 7a. Got some good tips from you, Thanks so much!

I am transfixed watching the fog rolling into to mountains in the background!!

I've never had success growing onions ever! I didn't know about the day category, I'll have to check my seed packs. Thanks so much Brian. I'm looking forward to seeing the lettuce growing in the onion containers! 😊

Awesome shirt. I’m an 80’s baby and the oldies are goodies. My kids are amazed we had video games that were so old looking 😆

Fabulous video! You just solved every onion problem I’ve had over the last 5 years in ten minutes ;)

Well two strikes against me in growing onions. 1 I used sets and 2 I had long day when I should have short days. My onions failed 2 years in a row and was not going to bother this year until I so this video. Once again, a huge thanks to Brian and sharing his knowledge!

I grew sets last year and they were great! Like everything homegrown so much better than bought veg! I found sets very easy to grow, I’m growing them again this year but also trying onions from seed ! I have my sets planted already I think you can never grow too many onions! ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️

As a kid, my Father always bought sets. Yellow Ebenezer i believe. We always had a fair crop good keeper tho we had no cellar and the barn was unheated in Fallon Nevada often -5°F. You can grow your own sets from seed if planted thickly then thin by lifting after they die down before ground freezes. I buy lots of plants and divide when setting out tho they need shading for 2-3 weeks, heavy at first. When they start to grow shading relaxed then removed.

I plant onion sets every year with real good production.

Such good info! I never knew there were 3 different zones for onions-you are educating me. Thanks

Thanks I did learn something. I am in NC so I will be growing a Granex variety. I am going to plant them in containers. I will hope for the best

Thanks for the video. Wish I’d had this a couple of weeks ago. I’m new to gardening and got a tray of 6 plugs. Did not realize they needed to be separated. So will be replanting them properly after it stops raining. Good thing I’ve got several empty containers. 😁

I live in Texas and grow short day or day neutral onions. I'm growing in wicking tubs and they look great so far. I started from seeds. Those bulbs sold at box stores most often don't say day length on the packages. For a day neutral variety, I really like Candy onions. Big long keeping bulbs.

I have been successful and they don't fuss either. Plant, give fertilizer, water and give good sunlight. I have moved them around in my garden to finally locate the best place for them. 😇 I hope you are enjoying your new home.

I just planted onion sets they have come up just fine I will keep you posted on how well they produce. my mom used to have great success with onion sets, so we shall see. I am in southeastern Arizona.

I appreciate your videos SO MUCH! Thank you for all the valuable information you share! ❤️🌱❤️🌱❤️🌱❤️🌱❤️🌱❤️🌱❤️🌱

I love how thorough you are thank you for that. Your videos are so super helpful. You make it look so easy, I’m realizing now like you said the zones are a huge deal. This year I’m prepared, especially for spring! I am so determined to Master the crops I want after the wrongs of last year. It’s a challenge and I love it! Thanks again for the insight !

CHIA SẺ hay quá ạ

Sets actually always work best for me, really weird because I always here with most people they don't work but they seem to work for me.

Aha, that’s the answer to why my onions looked like your failures. NOW I KNOW! Thanks so much!

This video was packed full of valuable information! Thanks!

I've switched to growing primarily shallots from direct seeding in large pots (10+ gallon), but still need onions. I prefer the flavor of shallots - especially 1st year shallots from seed versus 2nd year shallots from sets. I dehydrate about 50% of the shallots. Growing in large pots has been the easiest way to manage weeds for me. Last night I made refried beans from Cranberry beans, lard, the equivalent of 1 small onion (but used 25% dehydrated shallots and the rest was dehydrated onions), and 2 dried Indian PC-1 peppers (seed no longer imported into US), plus adding salt at the end. As for my Indian PC-1, I grow some every few years and will only plant that variety to keep from cross-pollinating as much as possible.

I'm in Maryland and I planted sets last fall and I now (April) have a few dozen healthy onions that I hope to harvest in a couple months.

I Live in Las Cruces, NM, and have found that coconut coir works the best as mulch.

great growing tips!!Thankyou..I just picked my 1st ever semi successful onions...Next time I will follow your advice, so hopefully they will be fully successful..😁 great video..

I have grown from sets for a couple years with success. I tried onion starts last year and didn't do as well, but not sure if I grew the wright type for the Bay Area, zone 9b. I have also tried growing from seed with little luck, be after looking to see what type they were, most were long day. I do have green onions growing all over my yard as companions and got seeds from them this year! I have one location in the backyard that the onions grow really good in and the other are usually grown around my other plants. I'm going to try growing in my front yard since the deer don't eat them.

Thank you Brian! I now know why I haven’t been able to grow onions😀

I had given up growing onions from sets because I had better luck from transplants. A few years ago I saw some huge onions in a client's garden and asked how he grew them so big. They were yellow onions grown from sets. He said the secret was to plant them as shallow as possible with everything but the roots above ground. I tried it the next year with Stuttgarter sets and had my best results ever. Now I grow Stuttgarter as my main crop storage onions, a few Walla Walla's from seed for summer sweet onions and some unknown bunching onions that came from a mislabeled seed pack 15 years ago. I thought I was planting Walla Walla but they never formed bulbs so I left them to overwinter. The next year they divided into many more than I originally planted. I've been dividing and replanting them since then. 45° north latitude, zone 4a.

We used to grow from sets for green onions. Some small bulbs. We grew from plants for larger onions. Here recently haven’t had much luck with sets and I haven’t had any plants. I have plants in the mail. Probably try sets again. Was watching another channel and they said you should grow from seed and showed larger tray full of seedlings and said to plant them really thick. He probably had more than a thousand in your typical black plastic potting trays. His had the really small holes and he had a lot of them

So last year I tried to grow onions but must have gotten the wrong kind. Looks like I need intermediate onions! Mine were tiny bulbs. Learn something new every day! Thanks Brian!🧅

I never had any luck with onion sets either. Thanks Happy Holidays 👍

THANKS FOR THIS IT WAS VERY INF'ORMATIONAL BECAUSE I HAVE ONION SEEDS AND I GERMINATED THEM BUT THEN JUST ATE THE SEEDLINGS ON SALADS AND HOT DOGS. BUT NOW IM GOING TO TRY AGAIN

I have never had luck with onions. I did not know there were long and short day onions. That could have been my problem all along. Thanks for sharing that information.

I grow green onions year round in zone 7a. I’d love to grow another variety in the spring. Great tips.

Been looking for this info, so THANKS!

Next level video, great stuff as usual!

I've had great success with sets here in southeast Kansas. I plant them in rows, and also in and around my tomatoes, peppers, and leafy greens.

I needed more video ! I just started planting bunching onions .. didn’t separate them, planted in July so I guess I should pull them since I think I heard you say 30 days lol ! Oh boy I wonder how these will turn out 💚👩🏻‍🌾

Grew red yellow white onions 🌰 My sister and I shared a garden this year it was work but worth it and we also had fun Just using my last ones...should of Grew more. Everything from seed, Grew many different vegetables driving to the garden took time but energy was renewed as soon as we were in the garden 😀

I just couldn't get my seeds to germinate, so I finally gave in to transplants. Found some at Home Depot, hope they can grow. It's my first time I'm growing onions including garlic.

Hi love all your information,I grew onions for the first time this year( Ontario Canada) want to grow more next year

Thanks for this video! I grew the wrong onion seeds last year dang it! Lol. I did grow some from sets and they did well.

thank you Brian!!

Yes I have they grew great here in San Diego

I am starting my vegetable garden hopefully it co.es out great 👍

I tried Walla Walla and Red Nugent onions…both were unsuccessful…my red bunching onions did well though!…what I wouldn’t give to produce a bulbing onion?!?!…excited to see this video and hopefully turn my onion growing luck around!

I live in Rosarito so close to you , and I had beautiful onions last summer by using sets

I live in Baja and have never had luck growing onions. I get an abundance of green onions in the winter and spring, but no bulbs. I decided to try planting a cocktail like onion, which I love (crystal white wax) a week ago and they're just coming up. So glad u mentioned the difference between short and long versions...I looked at my seed packet, and it's a short version. I'll remember that when I order my next seeds.

Two years ago - on a whim, knowing ZIPPO-NADA - I planted onions. I had no idea if they were long day/short day - but it didn't matter because I also planted them in shade. :) The greens were so leggy and kept falling over, not pretty at all. The bulbs did get to the size of ping-pong balls. But oy ... This vid was great and I may try again in 2022.

here in germany i never had luck with seeds, and transplants are unknown here. so every year in the fall, right before the first frost, so that they have time to build up roots, i plant sets, that are grown for wintergrowing, as well as garlic. in the spring there are specific sets for spring growing. and all i grow in containers because of the slugs. i protect the containers with straw and blanket cover. but every year i try to seed some onions. wish me luck for the following year. you can make the straw you got, a bit finer, if you go over it with a lawn mower.

For finer straw mulch, try to put a few handfuls in a metal trash can (or galvanized water tub...) And take a weed wacker to it....

Waiting for this! Thanks.

Really useful, thanks!

Kool. I like this POST! Watching you from The Ole Church 5 Acre Homestead 🎥🇨🇦🎥🇨🇦

2 years ago my onions were amazing! Last year, I had a problem with the quail using my onion rows as dirt baths. And because the quail were, the cats used it to roll in, too. Between the two varmints I only got 20 or so onions from 2 packages of seed. And all of my shallots were killed by them. It was a massacre 🤣

First year growing onions was a fail. However, when I learned which type grow best in my latitude, it was successful this past year.

Up in the north here we have what is called a "walking onion", although I think most call it a multiplier onion usually treat it like a green onion, but you can dig them and eat the bulbs. But basically grows bulbs at the top, which falls over in the fall, and those bulbs root and start new. We leave those out all winter, whether they are in the ground or in a container. Green onions usually bring them in for the winter and dry them out, and replant in the spring. Although not sure if we really need to. Over the winter I usually only cut the green off of any store bought green onion, put the white part in dirt and can usually get 2-3 more cuttings off of them before they seem not to produce anymore.

Guess I will have to try it again....thanks.

Thank you.

I have not grow onions in a very long while. With that said, I got some green onions today for cooking and I saved the scraps. I'm going to try growing those in pots inside. Later on I will grow in a grow bag on the patio from seeds started on toilet paper. I'll see what happens.

Oregon- long day. I always grow onions; they never get very big. Both from seed and sets. I keep trying. Same as Brussels sprouts; some day I'll have success. Maybe it's because I don't fertilize, except compost; I'll try that next time.

Such great information. Thank you for the video. :-)

Thanks!

Awesome thanks

I wish I had done onions this year. I did them last year and had a great harvest. Yes, I used starts.

nice to know about feeding until bulb. thanks

That looks like nice clean straw. One way to get shorter lengths is to cut the bale lengthwise. A sharp old fashioned hay knife would do a good job but so would an electric chain saw. Cut lengthwise between the wires or strings. When I used to dairy I used a wheeled straw chopper to blow chopped bedding into the cows stalls. They are pricey but worth it if you use a lot of mulch or bedding. Peace on you.

Another thing I do is prune tops back a couple times. It encourages more leaf growth and that increases bulb size. Those cuttings r edible too.

I have grown from sets for the 1st time and they did pretty well I think.

I found out u can grow most types here and they do great

Good video, thank you. I would have liked to see you watering the seedlings. Also, with the barrel not having drainage, I would be concerned about over watering. What do you recommend?

Now I get it, thank you

Great info... thx ... liked!

I always have good luck with onions, but I’m attempting to grow from seed this year! 😁

I grew Candy onions from seed in my in ground garden last fall and got to harvest them in spring and they were nice fist size and a few smaller ones. Really good flavor, I also have some Walla Walla onions and so far no bulbing, probably long day.. Next we planted the sets, red sold at Home Depot and they are coming up, hope that they will do better then the Walla Walla. Still hope for bulbs but we can eat them as large green onions if not

I live in Lander .WY…zone 4-5..I grow , …long day storage…type.. Copra if I can get it.. I start the seed indoors in FEBRUARY,! they sprout without heat in basement around 65 degrees..lights 14 hours..and plant out in late April..harvest in September! They keep 8 months..love it.

Jax fl😢 unsuccessfully growing onions. Give Bella a hug for me!

I tried growing from seed and I have a hard time transplanting them since I’m in zone 5b. Next year I’m going to try to plant in cardboard egg containers this way the hope is I can plant 6-18 without having to Stress the plants out and they won’t know they are being transplanted I did this with my sweet peas this year and they did wonderful

I put my bunching onions in with my lettuce this year. I have not tried growing bulb onions. Something to try next year.

I like using very dense plug trays for onions , you get much more control and better starts and at the end of the day you get 150+ onions per tray which for any home gardener is plenty I would say …

Hi Brian, Would love to see an update on your onions. I’m growing them for the first time this year and it’s hard to believe these skinny little things will grow into onion bulbs!

Lol that bee was a paid actor!

Thanks for the info on day length, good to know! I've been starting onions from seed but they never seem to get as big as the Dutch sets you buy in the mesh bags. I start the seeds in flats early, but is there a way to get better results? 🌄

I’ve never grown onions but am trying them this fall.

Took me at least 3 years to get a decent onions. Now I’m getting fair onions and still trying to get better. I’m now starting from seeds.

What about growing under grow lights? Would that matter?

Thank you for your videos! In the Houston Texas area, when is the best time to start onion seeds, Nov or January?

*NextLevelGardening* thank you for the tips. This is what I've been looking for in growing onions for my first time. So much easier than other videos I've seen. I also have a question. If I can find an email, I'll also email you the question. In growing onions this way, do you find them bolting before you can harvest them? I heard when using sets, that this can happen. So, I figured (hoped) growing from seeds will avoid that. In your experience, does bolting happen in the first year when growing from seedlings? I wouldn't think so. But like I mentioned, this will be my first time planting onions.

My onions looked just like that!!! I planted them early spring and they never took off at all. Mine were sets.

In a tropical country (Singapore), humid and hot, but rainy seasons (Nov-Dec), would growing tomatoes still make sense to start now? Absolute garden newbie here, and there’s no seasons (apart from hot and rainy) here. Would love to hear your input! New subscriber too, I love your very detailed explanations !!