By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · 7 min read Short answer: onion seeds germinate slowly (7-14 days under ideal conditions, sometimes 21+ in cool soil) and poor germination is almost always down to old seed, soil that’s too cold or too wet, or planting too deep. Onion seed also loses viability fast —…
By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · 8 min read Short answer: plant onions 4-6 weeks before your last spring frost date in most of the US and Canada, or in fall (Sept-Nov) in mild-winter zones 7-10 for an overwintered crop. The exact window depends on your USDA hardiness zone and whether you’re growing…
By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · 9 min read Short answer: red onions are milder and best eaten raw or lightly cooked; yellow onions are the all-purpose cooking workhorse with the strongest flavor and longest storage life; white onions are sharp and crisp, common in Mexican and Southwestern cooking; and sweet onions (like…
By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · 8 min read Short answer: harvest onions when 50-80% of the tops have fallen over on their own, cure them somewhere warm, dry, and airy for 2-4 weeks until the necks are fully dry and papery, then store the cured bulbs somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Skipping…
By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · 8 min read Short answer: the onion pests and diseases that actually cause crop loss for home growers are thrips (tiny sap-sucking insects causing silvery streaks), onion maggots (larvae that tunnel into young bulbs, especially in cool wet spring soil), and the fungal diseases downy mildew, purple…
By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · 7 min read Short answer: yellow onion leaves are almost always one of four things: natural die-back as bulbs mature, nitrogen running low mid-season, overwatering/poor drainage, or a fungal disease like downy mildew or purple blotch. Tip yellowing that starts at the oldest (outer) leaves and moves…
Container Growing How to Grow Onions in Pots and Containers You can grow full bulb onions in containers if the pot is deep enough and gets full sun. Sources vary on exact sizing, but the safe range is a container at least 8 to 12 inches deep at minimum, and ideally 12 to 15 inches…
Troubleshooting Why Your Onions Aren’t Forming Bulbs (or Are Too Small) By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · Figures checked against university extension sources linked in the text Healthy green leaves with no bulb underneath, or bulbs stuck at 1 to 2 inches, almost always trace back to one of six causes: the wrong…
Troubleshooting Why Onions Bolt (and What to Do When It Happens) By Ada Jones · Updated October 2026 · Figures checked against university extension sources linked in the text Onion bolting — when a flower stalk shoots up instead of a bulb forming — is caused by cold, not day length. Onions need about five…
Zero-Soil Method How to Regrow Green Onions in a Glass of Water Keep the white base and roots of a green onion in a glass of water, tips above the waterline, and change the water every few days. New growth usually appears within a week, and you can expect about 2 to 4 good regrows…
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