Onions

I live in north central Arizona (zone 7) and wanted to try onions again. Does anybody have any recommendations on what to plant--sets, bunches, seeds? and what does best (most productive)?
Thanks,
Marc

Every time I look at onion sets in garden centers or wherever I see them for sale, they always look really dried out. I always plant onions that come in bunches. I'm not sure of the correct name but they are onions that have a few inches of green growing out of the top.

Just my opinion

Seeds seem to take forever. I did some for green oinions last year. I tried bulbs for red onions but they did not do much. The bunch of small plants I got from HD last year did great. They were Walla Walla and were pretty dry by the time I got them planted in march but grew huge. Loved them. They lasted us from june when they were harvested til just a couple of weeks ago. I have already planted a bunch of Walla Wallas again and a bunch of red onions. The Walla Wallas I planted at 9/square as they got huge. The reds I am trying at 16/square as I am going to run out of room.

corrermucho wrote:I live in north central Arizona (zone 7) and wanted to try onions again. Does anybody have any recommendations on what to plant--sets, bunches, seeds? and what does best (most productive)?
Thanks,
Marc

I use the onion sets I get from my local farm store or Amish nursery for my red onions. Sometimes they do look like dried up hulls, but if you feel them and they are firm when you sort of squeeze, they are probably ok. My white ones are the bunches (and I don't hardly make a dent in the bundle). Gonna try some different varieties, too. . . these are Georgia.

Mark& others

Here in the UK we can make our own onion sets by sowing the seeds in late May in a tray of 6 inches of dry sand and wetting it , then putting the tray on a north side of a wall giving the occasional light watering if need ( net thee tray to nkeep birds cats and other pests out ) , till october when the seeds will be onion set size.. Take out the sets , dry them off for a few days in sun if possible then dry store on a tray in a frost free place till planting next year. Snip off the dried stems when you check the sets over in early November.



You will get the odd onion bolting but most will make it to decent sized onions .. look out for overwintering onions sets as well if you can protect them from frosts greater than minus five centigrade .