How to Grow Onion Sets - simple instructions

Onions are a staple in almost all vegetable gardens. One of the easiest way to plant onions is to use sets (teeny tiny onion bulbs you buy in the nursery). They are about the size of a marble. Plant them two inches in the ground when the temperature is about fifty degrees F. Choose a location that gets about seven hours of light every day. The bulbs can be planted about four inches apart. 

Onions need to grow in firm soil. Tamp them down after planting. Mend the soil with: zinc, boron and nitrogen. 

Onions are easily damaged by garden tools. You should mulch after the leaves start growing, or weed them by hand. 

Burpee Sowing Calender

Burpee is a seed supply company that offers a great online feature - a growing calender. Just plug in your zip code, and poof, they will show you when to sow seeds indoors and when to sow them outdoors. I plugged in my zip code and came up with the following growing calender.

First Week of April Planting

Here is my planting today.

First Real Day Working in the Garden

Today I planted Sweet Corn (3 rows), and garlic chives along the little thatch fence. The 10x10 square was a lot of work. I am open to suggestions and advice from any person who has managed a garden this size.

Here is what we have planted so far:

✿First Day in the Kent Community Garden ✿

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures available, but yesterday was our first day in the Kent Community Garden.  I did put together a quick Photoshop image of what I completed yesterday in the garden.

My plot was marked and tilled, had a few weeds growing, but other than that looks okay. I put out some of my seedlings so that they can get better sunlight. While my two little boys played in the dirt ( which they enjoyed greatly), I tilled the boarders of the plot.

I planted bunching onions (scallions) along the south west boarder of the garden. I prefer using onions as my garden borders because they function as a natural pest control. Their pungent odor detracts certain unwanted critters. Gardeners advise planting carrots next to onions.Onions protect broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, strawberries, and potatoes. One of my little seed boxes contain Brussels sprouts. Like cabbage, Brussels sprouts in the genus Brassica and benefit from being planted near onions.

I am still working out my garden plan for this site. Stay tuned!

XXX OOO

Naomi