Starting your own onion transplants from seed is inexpensive and allows you the most control when it comes to picking varieties that are well suited for your garden and culinary needs. In this episode guest expert Colin McCrate and I discuss how and when to start your onions from seed, our favorite onion varieties, and factors to consider when planting your baby onions out in the garden. 

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SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we discuss:

• How and when to start your onions from seed

• Materials you'll need for successful seed starting

• Nursery care

• Transplanting onions into the garden

Important Take-aways:

• Onions form bulbs in response to the number of hours of daylight the plant recieves. When selecting your onion varieties, remember that the further north you are, the more hours of daylight you have during the summer and you'll want to choose an onions accordingly.

• Our favorite onion varieties include:

  • Yellow storage: Patterson, Highlander, Copra

  • Red storage: Red Zepplin, Ruby Ring

  • Yellow sweet: Alisa Craig

• For instructions on starting onions from seed, see the following archived blog post: STARTING ONIONS + LEEKS FROM SEED

Patterson storage onion in March (left) vs. a sweet onion that was missed and accidentally stored overwinter as well: 

Starting onions from seed and baby onions in the nursery:

Planting onions:

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More about this weeks guest expert:

Colin McCrate is the founder of the Seattle Urban Farm Co. He has been growing food organically for over 15 years and has designed and has managed projects ranging from multi-acre farms to small backyard gardens. The author of two books; Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard (Mountaineers Books, 2012) and The High-Yield Garden Planner (Storey Publishing, 2015); he believes that urban food production can help increase public awareness of environmental, health, and social issues.  

About the Host:

Hello, I’m Hilary Dahl. Outside of this podcast, my job is to help beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. I have the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. I also work in my own garden every day when I get home. This podcast is an opportunity to discuss seasonal garden topics and share the the joy of growing your own food.