How to grow onions from sprouted onions
When you store onions for a long time, they start to sprout. Many people ask me what they should do with sprouted onions. Is it better to throw them away? No, you should not throw them away. You can use them in a cooked meal or you can regrow onion bulbs from sprouted onions. I have been growing onions for more than ten years, and whenever I saw sprouted onions in my kitchen, I tried to plant them and grow new, fresh onion bulbs. So today I will show you how you can grow onions from sprouted onions instead of throwing them away.
1. How to Make Onions Sprout
How to make onions sprout might seem like a silly topic, but you can actually make onions sprout. And it’s not a hard job; instead, I would say it is the easiest job in the whole world. If you store the onions for a long time, you will see your onions start to sprout. If you wish to use a faster process, all you need to do is take a glass of water and put the onion bulb on top of the glass. One thing you must remember is that the bottom of the bulb must reach the water. In a few days, your onion bulb will start to grow small roots and make sprouts. You can use them for growing onion projects.
2. Perfect Time to Plant
For growing vegetables, the perfect time is essential. Without the perfect timing, you may not get a good yield of vegetables. For onions, the perfect time is also needed. Many people ask me what the perfect time to plant onions is. In my opinion, spring is the best time to plant onions, so late March or April are good times to plant onions. If you ask me when I plant my onions, I always plant them in late March. From my experience, I believe late March is the perfect time to plant onions.
3. Prepare Seedlings from Sprouted Onions
For growing onions in your garden, the first thing you need to do is prepare seedlings. You can grow onion seedlings from seeds or you can also grow your seedlings from sprouted onions. Onions like well-drained soil, so before making seedlings, you have to prepare the soil. After preparing the soil, all you need to do is make a hole in the middle of the container and bury the sprouted onions, making sure the sprout is facing upwards and is completely covered with soil. After planting them, if the soil is dry, you have to water it. Do not use too much water. Make sure the water does not stand still. The next step depends on the weather. If the weather is cool, keep them in full sun; if the weather is hot, keep the plants in a partially shaded area. After 25 days, you will see the seedlings are much bigger for transplantation. All you need to do is pop the plant out of the container using a garden shovel, and remember to be gentle in this process. After removing the plants from the soil, you have to separate them. For that, carefully separate plant shoots with the help of a knife and make sure each shoot has at least one root. Even if a shoot has no roots, you can still plant it, but it may slow down the growth of the seedlings. After separating them, the seedlings are ready for replantation.
4. Soil Preparation
Soil is the most important part of growing vegetables. If you do not prepare the perfect soil for vegetables, you may not have a good harvest. Onions grow well in moderately rich, well-drained soil. If you wish to grow onions in a container in your garden, you will need 50% garden soil, 30% compost, and 20% river sand. Many people ask why river sand is necessary. Well, if you mix sand with your soil, the sand will make the soil soft, and as a result, you will get bigger onion bulbs. After mixing the soil, you will need an 18-20 inch wide and 12-15 inch deep container for proper bulb formation. Now fill the container with the soil mix. The container should be ready for planting seedlings.
5. Planting Method
For growing onions, the planting method is very essential. For that, you need to dig a hole about 2 inches deep and space seedlings about 5 to 6 inches apart so that onion bulbs can grow properly. Small spacing can significantly reduce onion bulb size. In a 20-inch diameter container, you can easily plant 10 to 12 plants. Once seedlings are transplanted, water them gently.
6. Fertilizer
Fertilizer is a very important factor for growing onions. If you wish to have big onion bulbs, you must use organic fertilizer. Onions are heavy feeders; they need firm nourishment to grow properly and produce big bulbs. So you will have to use organic fertilizer such as vermicompost every 18 to 20 days. If you ask me, I use 4-5 handfuls of cattle manure every 18 to 20 days.
7. Taking care
Not only onions, but if you wish to grow any kind of vegetables, taking care is essential. You need to water the plants regularly; remember, too much water can also harm them, so make sure the soil drains well and the water does not stand still. You also have to place them in full sun so that they can get enough nutrients to grow big bulbs. You have to feed the plants with compost throughout the growing season for the best results. Onion flower buds can be a problem after a few weeks. If you see onion plants growing flower buds, you have to snip the flower buds to prevent onion bulbs from splitting into two. When the onions start to mature, you have to bend the top down so that the bulb can get enough sunlight to grow properly. You have to do it gently and bend the heads in different directions. When the bulbing process starts, do not use any kind of fertilizer or compost.
8. Harvest
Basically, onions need 90 to 100 days to mature from seedlings. So that means after 100 to 150 days, about 6 months later, you can harvest your onions. So how will you know that the onions in your garden are ready for harvest? When you see the main stalk getting weak and starting to flop over and the green tips starting to turn yellow or brown. Once the leaves start to become crumpled, you can pull out the onions, and you will have your harvest.
