Onions: From Seed to Harvest - A Season's Journey

 After twenty-odd years of growing onions from sets, this year marked my second attempt at raising them from seed. It's been quite the learning curve, and I'll admit there were moments when I wondered if I'd bitten off more than I could chew. But here we are, almost at harvest time, and I'm pleased to report that patience and persistence have paid off.

Why Try Seeds After All These Years?

Growing onions from sets has served me well over the decades. They're reliable, straightforward, and give you a decent crop with minimal fuss. But there's something appealing about starting from the very beginning - watching those first delicate green shoots emerge from soil, knowing you've nurtured them from nothing more than a tiny black seed.

This year, I decided to hedge my bets. Alongside my usual approach, I sowed Stuttgart Giant seeds while also planting Red Baron sets. The Stuttgart Giant variety caught my eye for its reputation as a reliable keeper and good size, perfect for Sara's bottling and our winter stores.

Early Season Concerns

March brought its usual mix of hope and worry. While my Red Baron sets were settling in nicely, looking plump and promising, the Stuttgart Giant seeds were telling quite a different story. The seedlings were painfully small and seemed to be lagging weeks behind where I felt they should be. Compared to the robust sets, these thread-thin seedlings looked almost fragile.

Hospital treatments meant I was later than usual getting everything properly established outside. In previous years, I'd have had my onions well settled by this point, but sometimes life has other plans. The delay had me particularly concerned about the seed-grown plants, as they already seemed to be struggling to keep pace.

The Challenge of Dry Weather

May and June brought an extended dry spell that tested both varieties. The lack of regular rainfall meant constant vigilance with the watering can, and growth slowed to what felt like a crawl. Onions need consistent moisture, especially during their early development, and watching the soil crack around my precious plants was genuinely worrying.

The sets, with their established root systems and stored energy, weathered this period better. They continued their steady progress, bulbing up nicely and maintaining healthy green tops. The seed-grown Stuttgart Giants, however, seemed to almost pause their development. Their thin leaves looked stressed, and I began to wonder if this second year of seed growing would end in disappointment.

Patience Rewarded

But onions, like many vegetables, have taught me that patience is often rewarded in the garden. As we moved into July, something remarkable began happening. The Stuttgart Giant seeds, which had looked so unpromising earlier in the season, started to find their stride. Regular watering and the warmer weather seemed to unlock their potential, and suddenly they were putting on growth at an impressive rate.

What's fascinating is watching how the two different approaches have played out. The Red Baron sets gave me early confidence - they bulked up quickly and have maintained steady growth throughout the season. They're now showing the characteristic red-purple outer skins that make them so attractive, and many are already at a good size for harvesting.

The Stuttgart Giants from seed have been the surprise success story. Despite their slow start, they're now catching up remarkably well. The bulbs are swelling nicely, and while they may not quite match the sets for size, they're developing into proper onions that will serve us well through the winter months.

What I've Learned About Growing from Seed

This second year of seed growing has taught me several valuable lessons. First, don't panic if seed-grown onions look small and weak in their early stages. They need time to establish proper root systems before they can put energy into bulb development. What looks like slow progress above ground often masks significant root development below.

Second, consistent watering is absolutely crucial for seed-grown onions. Sets have stored energy to draw upon during dry spells, but seedlings rely entirely on what they can take up from the soil. During those dry weeks in May and June, I found myself out with the watering can every evening, giving each plant a thorough drink.

Third, starting seeds indoors earlier in the season would have helped enormously. Next year, I plan to sow in February rather than waiting until March, giving the plants a longer growing season to develop properly.

The Varieties Compared

The Red Baron sets have been everything I expected - reliable, consistent, and producing good-sized bulbs with that distinctive red coloring that Sara particularly values for her preserving. They store reasonably well, though not as long as the traditional keeping varieties.

Stuttgart Giant seeds have impressed me with their recovery from that poor early showing. The bulbs are developing into proper storage onions with good, firm flesh and papery outer skins. These should keep well into next spring if stored properly, making them excellent value for the effort invested.

Preparing for Harvest

As we approach harvest time, both varieties are showing the signs I look for. The tops are beginning to yellow and bend over naturally, and when I carefully brush away soil from around the bulbs, I can see they've reached a good size. The necks are starting to feel firm, which tells me the bulbs are beginning to cure naturally in the ground.

Sara is already making preparations for dealing with the harvest. She's cleared space in the pantry for drying and storing, and we've discussed which onions will go for immediate use, which for long-term storage, and which might be worth bottling for convenience during the busy winter months.

Looking Ahead

This experience has convinced me that growing from seed, while requiring more patience and attention, is definitely worthwhile. The cost savings alone make it attractive - a packet of seeds costs less than a bag of sets and produces far more plants. But beyond economics, there's real satisfaction in nurturing plants from the very beginning.

Next year, I'll certainly grow from seed again, though I'll probably still plant some sets as insurance. The combination approach has worked well, giving me early bulbs from the sets while the seed-grown plants catch up for later harvest.

For any allotment gardener considering the switch from sets to seeds, my advice would be to try both approaches in your first year, as I did. Don't be discouraged if the seedlings look small and slow initially - they often surprise you with late-season growth spurts. Start earlier than you think necessary, keep them well-watered, and trust in the process.

After two years of seed growing, I'm looking forward to the harvest and to seeing how well these Stuttgart Giants store through the winter. Sara's already planning which dishes will benefit from our home-grown onions, and there's real satisfaction in knowing we've grown them from the very beginning. Sometimes the longer path proves to be the most rewarding one.