One of the things that gives me a garden high is experiments. And experiments that actually work, that change the way I garden, are the most rewarding. Most of them are flops, many of them are started and forgotten.
This is the first year I’ve tried starting onions from seed under lights. Two varieties: Australian Brown and Yellow of Parma. The little guys were easy to grow and did great until I put them out.
Then a cool snap and drenching rains, and the seedling seemed to stagnate. They looked like they were heading downhill, and I lost faith.
But they steadily improved over the growing season, and yesterday I harvested a wonderful batch of storage onions. These were uniformly bigger and healthier than the Copras I’d grown from bulbs for years. Made my day.
vegetablurb 
Well done – they look great. I had the same thing this year and I thought they would never grow but they pulled through and are OK now. Sets are easier and less hassle and tend to give a slightly earlier crop here. It is time to sow overwintered onions here but I don’t think they would grow there with your severe winter and heavy snow cover. They crop a month earlier than spring sowings but are not always good for your nerves!
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Thanks! I’ve never tried overwintered onions, but they sound interesting. Like you mentioned this might not be the place to try them, but I may investigate. I’m glad your crop is doing well.
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Intriguing! I had a quick look and only found one supplier in the States – of ‘Senshyu Yellow Globe’ and they did not even mention that it can be autumn sown. It is widely available here as seed and as autumn-planted sets.
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Hmm. Doesn’t sound hopeful. Thanks for the heads-up though.
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Wow!! Those are awesome! I will have to try this!
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Hey Dan .. wow, how good do these look! Go on, pat yourself on the back. Well done 😀
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Haha, thanks Julie! I had some major doubts for a while, and we’ll see how they store. But it’s a good feeling after the low potato yield.
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Well done. I’ve only just discovered the joys of growing from sets – but maybe I’ll try seeds too
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Well I’ve only planted from seed once, but I like what I see 🙂
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Wow that’s definitely very impressive. I’ve tried onions several times and failed each time!
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