I grew up in a farming community, and very old farmer wives taught me to garden, decades ago. I was taught seeds and "sets". I was taught to plant sets practically on top of the ground. If they come loose that first week or two, tuck the couple that may be loose back in.. once they take hold leave them be. Huge onions. If you plant properly, no spooning...which I have never even heard of. I have also never heard of cutting the tops off. Strange idea, honestly, those greens feed the bulb, and the open tubes would let in rain/irrigation and rot it all out. Open them up to disease, and pests. I read hundreds of VERY old organic gardening magazines from the 70's on, read books, grew up in farming area, been in a LOT of old time gardens.... I just have never seen or heard of any of that. Onions are easy when plantedshallow in well maintained soil. None of that extra work needed. Sorry, I have to disagree with this video!

The four tips are: start with onion seeds not onion bulbs, topping your onions, removing the soil around your onions to allow the onion bulbs to expand, and keep your onions well fertilized and well watered. My additional tip is start with good onion seed. The better the seed the better the plant. Genetics matters!

Onion is a no maintenance plant. No need to spoon onion as long as you don’t plant them too deep. Make sure at least half the white part is above soil when transplanting. Trimming the tops reduces the plant’s ability to photosynthesize. Plus, as they’re bulbing, the onion is pulling resources from the green top. Plant onion, feed nitrogen before the bulbing phase then leave them alone.

A one or two inch wide paint brush works WONDERS for spooning! Just sweep the soil away. No spoons, no digging with your fingers, gentle on the plants, and FAST!

I plant onions from bulbs every year and have always had huge success. I live in a short-season area and generally plant around St. Patrick's day and start harvesting nice-sized onions mid to late summer.

I was told by a man one time that sold onion plants, to plant them in a ridge bury them a couple inches in and when they get established and growing good, just rake the dirt off to level and that's all you have to do. it may help you too. I thank you for the toppings info. Ill try that.

Please don’t apologize for the wind you can’t control it and you’re doing a great job. Have a beautiful day

I just wanted you to know I am really appreciating your garden attire the past couple of days. 😀

My grandfather did use a spoon to remove soil around the onion. He planted them in a high rows so than when it was time, he just moved the soil back down the hill. I miss him so, he taught me everything about growing food, repairing things and baseball! 🙂

Hi everyone there is a problem with cutting the tops off in the uk (south wales) the rain we have gets in the open tops and rots the onion from the inside!!My farther used to just bend them over and he always had great onions!!I tried what this nice lady said and lost most of mine i won't be doing that next year LOL (ps last year i had big one's)

Thank-you for the info. I've been a gardener for over 50 years, but never heard of the spoon method or the explanation of sets vs. starts. There's always something new to learn!

I have always struggled to grow onions and your tips made a huge difference. Thanks for all of your videos!

The trick for me with long day sets is not to bury the whole thing underground. Pick out the bags of them with most of the bulbs being less than 3/4" inch diameter. Stick just the bottom of the sets into the dirt just enough so they root, leaving at least the upper half of the sets above the soil. Water a bit and wait for them to get several inches tall and then apply your first application of nitrogen fertilizer like blood meal and repeat that every month... Water well. I've got Stuttgarter, Ebenezer, and a red variety (I can't recall the name at the moment) that have grown lots of big leaves and are beginning to bulb... No cutting of the tops, no spooning. Onion starts are sold with the tops cut off only because it makes it easier to pack bundles in the boxes for shipping.

Thank you for your videos. Your videos are so helpful and although I've been gardening for 50 plus years I have learn a lot from you. Your videos are so clear and enjoyable and I love sharing them.

I got 1 out of the 4 tips right. I can't wait to use all 4 of your tips this year! My onions willbe epic. Thank you.

This is another video I wish I had seen. We planted sets for the first time onion grower this spring. But we will enjoy both the green and bulb we get and learn for future.🙂 Thank you for showing your garden while you talk and then showing clearly what you are doing! Really enjoying your channel!

I grow my onions from seed, plant them when they’re about 4-6” tall, and then forget about them until I see bulbs, around July, harvesting them when as I need, and then picking the rest when they’ve fallen over. I plant them in clusters of 3-4 and they get large, no problem. I even allow the heavy mulch that’s in my garden to burry the base. Most times I don’t even notice the bulbs lol! Large onions, no work 👍

Onions were a new addition this year for me. I started with sets that were a gift. Had alot of green tops, but tiny onions. Looking forward to using all your great advice this coming year. Great video! Thank you!

As a new gardener, I simply want to thank you for all this wonderful, what I believe is very useful, information. Thanks again.

Thank you so much, this was my first year doing a garden and I was so excited to grow onions..then I pick them and their sooo tiny!!! I can't wait to use these methods next year

You are correct, the people disagreeing must know something others don’t. Kinda like calling green onions scallions, two different things. We grow softball and larger onion, 15,000 each year, sets will never get this big, no matter the nutrients.

Just growing onions on a larger scale for the first time without much luck in the past. Thank you for sharing your advice 💜

This video has been more informative than any other video or articles I have read I've been gardening for 50 years and did not know this is why I didn't get my onions

Thanks. Today, I planted my ever first onions in my my garden. I learned a lot from your video. Watching you from Jos-Nigeria.

Seeds always yield great onions. Select the right variety for your zone. Plant your seed weed free. Watch the onion seed germinate and sprout. Grow them for 6 to 10 weeks. Pull the onions, and set them out in your garden according to your regional zone. Give them plenty of water, nitrogen, and PH optimization. Watch your sets grow into nice onion slicers. Harvest and enjoy.

After reading a Johnny's Seeds article on overwintering onions, I started some Bridger onion seed last summer and planted the seedlings in a 4 x 8 low tunnel raised bed in my zone 6 yard in late September. The low tunnel covering worked well through the winter months and the plants survived fine even though being nibbled by some vole activity. The real excitement though, is using your spooning advice and watching the onion bulbs develop to be mature onions by the end of May! Everyone else is "setting up their gardens" and I am looking at harvest ready onions! Pictures are available if interested.

Glad I watched this. New to growing onions. I won’t bother with the onion sets I just bought. Slips it is. Thank you for sharing how to top and spoon. Beautiful garden! 🌱

Thanks for the tips. I got my first onions last year from onion scraps I planted late spring or early summer. They were a golf ball size bunch but tasted nice. I was so proud. This year I planted whole onions that had sprouted in my kitchen in early April and today is May 1st so I'm looking forward to my harvest this year.

Thanks I have never heard about topping my onions I most of mine this year were just larger that a golf ball when the tops fell over. I will give it a try with the ones I plant this fall.

Thank you for the tips Rachel! I tried onions a couple years ago and I’m not surprised now why they did poorly. I’ll try your tips next time. Have a great harvest.

I'm growing a couple onions from some that had sprouted in the kitchen. They're not that big yet, but I'm enjoying learning more as I go along. Would love to try growing big onions

This year I picked up a bunch of Walla Walla sweet onion sets from my local nursery and planted them out. I have NEVER gotten such huge onions in my life. Most were a good 3-4" across but I had a few that grew to almost 6" in diameter. And these were from a bundled set...

I never saw an onion topped like that. My uncle grew onions bigger than any onion I ever saw. I was much younger and have no idea of the variety. But he never topped them like you did. Nice presentation. Everyone has their own way of doing things.

2:40 Starts 3:51 Trim leaves - topping 7:55 spooning 11:45 feed and water

I planned 80 onions recently..your topping advice will help me. Thank you!

I just found you and I am so happy as I took your advice with the onions I have. Thanks for sharing the tips! I had no idea and now I know, thanks a bunch!

I am trying to grow my own onions from seed, started them last oct-november and the sets are finally ready to be planted! Thank you for your helpful tips! I've never been successful at growing those "second year" onions. Keeping my fingers crossed! Happy gardening!

Rachel- You gave an excellent explanation for us beginner onion growers! In the past I lacked the confidence to tackle serious onion growing, other than chives. Now I will give it a go. Thanks so much! ~Diane

Getting ready to plant and really appreciate these growing tips!

Wow! My first year growing onions from sets watched many videos never heard this information thank you cant wait to try these points out.

Thank you so much for this informative video! Now I understand why I had ping pong sized onions and what I need to do next year! ❤️👍

I have grown from sets for years and have had great success with getting large bulbs, do some try to bolt, yes, but not a huge amount. I changed to planting from seeds the past three years as I wanted a variety that I couldn't get easily. As they are growing from seed in the trays I will cut them back if they start to flop over, but once they are in the ground I do not cut them again. I get huge onions. No spooning, lots of watering and compost tea feeding. Much less work!

We grow a lot of onions in Eastern Uganda and I would like to thank you lady for sharing your farming skills. Your articulate presentation is commendable.

Thank you. This is my third year trying to grow onions and have always ended up with small bulbs 🥺 found your video just in time

I have always had big onions using sets. It's the only way I've ever planted onions. I'm also going to try your way and see what happens!!

I know this video is 7 months old , but this is amazing advice. I'm going to do exactly what you advised for my 2021 garden.

Coming back to refresh my memory from last year!

Thank you!! Growing onions for the first time in my life. After planting them in April, I didn't know what else to do with them. Today I trimmed them back and "spooned" them. Fingers crossed!

Thank you for the onion tips. I just bought a dehydrator so I am looking for ideas on what to dehydrate. I am definitely going to try onion powder. Also I am a new subscriber to your channel and I enjoyed this video so much that I can’t wait to go back and watch all your other videos. Thank you for sharing your gardening knowledge with us

She is right for her situation, it may not apply to your growing conditions. I have the same problem with sets as she does. Starts grow much bigger onions for us. But this is not true for everyone.

Planting onions for the first time this year. Thanks for the awesome tips!

This will be my first time growing onions. This was extremely helpful! Thank you

That’s so neat how you’ve planted them in bunches to save room instead of a long line. Can you show us what the starts look like when you buy them? Is that more expensive or easier than starting by seed?

In farming any crops the whole top flopping over is called lodging (like a place to sleep). It can be an issue for farmers under certain conditions or with specific cultivars but I have never seen any topping prior to the harvest season, the bigger the leaf the more energy it holds for the bulb scale(ring). You may have onions with weak necks due to nutrient imbalance or be in an area with strong winds(Put up a wind fence several feet from the beds, slats slow the wind, solid will make the wind tumble.)

Thank you for this video. I’m growing onions for the first time. I started with Texas Super Sweet slips. After watching your video I decided I would go out and spoon my onions. My first thought, when I went out the garden was, maybe I should not have planted so many, (I have about 25 onions growing in the garden). But once I got started I found it very meditative and before I knew it I was done, and little onion “bulbs” were sitting on top of the soil. Your video is going to lead me to a productive onion crop.

Thanks so much for the tips - completely cleared things up for me had never heard of topping the green ♥️ best video ever

Nice video. Not sure if you mentioned in another video about long day onion plants for North, short day for South and intermediate for either. Nice to know about topping greens cause that will prevent them from maturing too soon as mine usually do. I would just take my sharp hand operated hedge shears and top them. Thank you.

I have found starting onions from seed, in late February, to be relatively easy. And should be less expensive than buying starts.

I have found that using some of the packaged raised bed soil is light and fluffy like potting soil and it is much easier to keep my onions “uncovered”. I will be sharing this to my friends.

I really appreciate when you state/show how you utilize your garden harvest. Thank you.

I think that we need to be aware that everyone's soil will differ. I've had to add sand to our soil for the carrots, garlic, and onions so they can even grow. When you're dealing with clay or gumbo in your area, an extra step like blending your soil with sand, or coconut coir or other things makes all the difference. No tip is going to help until your dirt is right, in my opinion.

I start my onions from seeds in the my greenhouse and leave them until ready to harvest. I use pelleted seeds so they are easy to space. I do 1000 every year. I do not cut the tops out of my onions. I do not spoon the onions. I put about 1 inch of mushroom compost on my no dig bed in the fall. I sow the seeds in late January or early February. I always get nice big onions. Nice big onions with not much labor. I do make sure they get plenty of water !!!

Thanks for this, just brought in a bunch of small onions and had no clue why.

Cool beans loved your tips and I love ypur garden. Mulch is the way to go!. We moved off grid and have a very short growing season. I started just a few onions for the first time this year. I had started out with sets and then, I too learned more about the set being second year onuons. I used up the bag of sets by planting them around the gardens as a bug repellent. Works especialy good around all barisca family of plants. Chopping up the green tops and tossing them onto other plants stopd the bug damage. I then started our storage onions from seeds and planted into our cold frames. Im going to go out and apply your tips. I'll need to harvest some as spring onions since I have 3-4. onions per hole I planted. I did that on purpose to see if I could increase my harvest. Soon we should be enjoying spring onions. I'm learing what I can and can't grow at 3,700 ft in the mountains. We eat mostly cool season crops year round so I'm not terribly upset I can't grow melons, cucumbers and winter squashes. Tomatoes and bell peppers are in our high tunnels now. Last year we had a huge amount of green tomatoes and then it froze. We didn't have protection at the time and lost them all. The pack- rats chopped down our bush beans and bell peppers when they were full of peppers and beans.. rhis year we made several changes to extend our season and predator proof our gardens. Happy gardening

I'm in WA. Maybe your way is how onions are grown in the north-central area? We buy the sets (bulbs) every spring and get huge onions that fall. We have never topped them nor done the spooning thing. We actually pile more dirt on top of ours as they grow. We only plant white onions. I've also recently heard that you apparently can't store white onions. I have stored mine every winter in my root cellar. I've never had a problem with storing them. Very interesting to me how other people do gardening.

Just came back to tell you how invaluable this video is! I've never been able to grow onions for all the reasons you stated so I logged onto Dixondale Farms and was amazed by his tutorials. I bought their sets and a bag of his special fertilizer this March, planted them 1st of April (North Carolina) and they are looking good! 7 leaves, tall and strong.....I'm so excited!! Thanks for your good work and it's nice to view without annoying background music, kid distractions and bouncy/spinning camera action :)

Thank you for the video. I found it extremely easy to understand and very educational! Keep up the good job and happy gardening!

Fantastic to know these tips. I have been growing great green tops but not much in the way of bulbs. Until now.

Yo can also make a pesto or sofrito by blending them with olive oil in the blender and use it in toasts or as a marinade or for cooking soups or stews.

Great tips. This is my first year trying onions. I planted sets so I'll try the rest of your tips. Fingers crossed. Thanks for sharing :-)

We did sets last year, and as you said, nothing larger than a golf ball. This year, we are growing from seed. 600, to be precise. I'm not looking forward to doing the spooning for all of them, but I have heard from a few friends, and now your video that it helps. Here's hoping we get what we want out of our onions.

So generous to give your time to teach us things!!!!!!

Been growing stuttgarter onion sets for years and have never had trouble growing a full size onion

I recently learned garlic leaves(per plant)indicate the number of cloves in your bulb. Very similar to an Onion bulbs layering indication by leaves. My two most important flavor plants! :)

Just turned 50, not a clue about growing, However cost of living here in the UK has pointed me this way, thank you for the video .

Thanks for the tips. I wondered why I never got onions of any size while growing the bagged sets

I appreciate that cutting tip because I find that the stems are cracking off whenever I weed near them, etc.

Chopped green onion leaf mixed in scrambled eggs.

Very useful information. I tried a few years ago from seed, and they never got larger than marbles, so I never tried again, but your video was quite helpful. I may try again next year.

Thank you! I was just talking to my grandmother yesterday about the first time we tried to grow onions from sets and they turned out so small. I am going to order starts from the Dixon place you mentioned!

Onions are about to learn the harsh reality of growing in my garden, you get the time you get 😄

I rubbed my eye whilst watching and thought oh no onion in my eye lol

Wow, all the times I've grown sets & ended up with scallions thinking my onion growing skills were the reason😲 thanks so much for these tips, this year there will be large onions😊👍 🧅🧅🧅

So happy I found your channel! I’m new to onion gardening and so appreciate your advice and tips! I’m looking forward to binge watching your previous videos😉🌱 Many thanks from Tonganoxie, Kansas💚

In my experience and lots of others as well, ( loads of KZfaq videos will bear this out) onion sets do grow large onions and also they do like to be grouped together in 4s or 5s. So I was really surprised to hear you say they don’t grow big at all.!

Put in 300 sets , got about 275 onions , not green onions but real 3 inch onions which last into next april or may.

I've never tried the topping onions but it makes sense. Just finished clipping all the scape from my garlic. I see your garlic is doing well.

This is the first video I watched. I've been hooked ever since. ❤

Great I’ll be enjoying a bunch of green onions this year. SMH. Starts it is from now on. Thanks!

I grow my own starts from seed.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us!

I’m trying onion seeds for the first time this year, started them 2 weeks ago (zone 8), we will see how they turn out. I like the seeds better so far for the variety and cost.

Great information! Thank you!! And I LOOOOVE your romper/jumpsuit!! Can you tell me where you purchased it? I would love to get one! 😍

Thanks for sharing these good "how to grow onion tips." Much appreciated. Happy Gardening!

I've been planting onion sets since I was kid with mom, now 54 and have always had baseball to softball size onions, in northern illinois

My mom always grew the onions on very poor, clay and sand, low nitrogen soil, no fertilizer as a rule. No topping, no spooning. Just keeping the weeds away. Hardly any watering ever. And they were always nice size. Definitely no golf ball size. The onions somehow pushed themselves out from that heavy soil. They had a rough time but survived nicely the whole winter wtithout any rot.

At harvest time, onions should be sitting almost on the top of the ground. Also called ringing.

Dixondale is awesome! I grew onions for the first time last year and I was very pleased with my harvest!

So looking forward to the onion powder video! Thank you for helping 😊

Clif Notes: Topping, spooning, and fertilize from seed.