Index

• Sowing Instructions
• Crop Maintenance
• How to Harvest
• Storage
• Pests & Diseases

Sowing Instructions

• Sowing Time: From March until early summer

• Stagger sowing times for a continual harvest
• Sow in rows every two weeks
• Sowing Location: Sow direct into rows
• Can be sown under cover from Early February using a garden cloche or green house
• Some varieties can be sown outdoors in autumn & over wintered using a garden cloche

• To sow: Make drills 1cm deep & space drills 15cm apart
• Sow seeds very thinly & thin out once seedlings are large enough to handle
• Spacing is important. Close spacing for smaller onions and wider spacing for larger onions

Crop Maintenance

• Dispose of all thinings to avoid attracting the onion fly
• Water if the soil is dry and cover with soil   
• Hoe regularly between the rows as weeds can grow quickly around onion plants

• A sunny, open site is ideal
• Soil should be light, and well drained while high in fertility, especailly nitrogen
• Prepare soil the previous season by working in some well rotted farm yard manure into your soil
• Remove any large and smaller stones, weeds and weed roots while preparing soil
• It is recommended that you perform a soil fertility test at least once
• Lime the soil if your soil is acidic, use carbonate of lime, and apply approx 150g per metre squared
• Keep the soil weed free
• Apply a general fertilizer such as grow more or poultry manure
• Apply approx 35g of fertilizer per metre squared and rake into surface soil
• If your soil is a heavy clay, it is recommended that you improve your soils drainage
• Alternatively place a small amount of horticultural grit beneath seeds prior to sowing

Harvesting your Spring Onion Crops

• Quick to mature, scallions can be ready for harvest three months after sowing
• Harvest when leaves are deep green and standing upright
• You can first harvest the leaves by removing with a scissors. Remove only one leaf per plant at a time and the bulb will continue grow
• You can later harvest the entire plant by lifting the bulbs using a garden fork
• Be careful when lifting as pulling one bulb will generally bring the surrounding bulbs with it
• Spring onions can be eating directly after harvest

How to Store Spring Onions & Scallions

• Consume any damaged bulbs first
• Short term storage in the fridge
• Can be stored for up to 7 months in a cool dry place
• You can also tie up your bulbs using their own stems or some cord

Pests & Diseases

• Bird attack is most likely the biggest threat to spring onions
• Netting should be used to protect against birds that pull up roots
• Other pests and diseases include: Onion fly, root fly, bolting and downy mildew
• Plant spring onions near carrots to repel the carrot fly
• Plant spring onions near tomatoes