In a previous post, I wrote about How to Grow Sweet Peppers in a Container. This post is about how to grow onions in a container. A couple months ago, I hatched some red onions seeds in a tray, with the hopes that I would have a host of onions. Sad to say, only about three of the seeds that I planted actually grew. I suspect that the birds and insects ate all of the other seeds.
You can grow onions from a seed or a seedling. The seedling method seems a whole lot easier, but I have lots of onion seeds, so that’s what I used.
I hatched the seedlings in a tray. Trays are available at any local garden store, hardware store and some supermarkets. I filled the tray pocket halfway up with potting mix and wet it with some water in a spray bottle. In the early stages, I prefer to wet the seeds using a spray bottle because I have more control and the soil stays put.
I then put about ten seeds in the pocket and covered them with potting mix. I then wet the soil again using my spray bottle. I used to wet the seeds twice a day – on morning and evenings depending on the amount of rainfall. After a week to two weeks, the seeds should begin to sprout. I continued to water them until they got a bit taller.
When they are a decent height and seem to be outgrowing the tray pocket, the onions can be carefully transplanted to a pot or other suitable container. I then basically follow the instructions listed in my sweet peppers post.
What You Will Need
Here’s what I used to grow onions in a container:
A regular plant pot
Stones for the bottom of the pot
Soil – A mixture of potting soil and regular soil
Fertilizer
Water in a spray bottle
I placed the stones at the bottom of the pot and then added the soil which I wet intermittently whilst mixing. I dug some holes and put the onion seedlings. I then covered the roots and wet the soil and the the seedlings. Place the pot in an area where it can get a lot of sunlight. The onions should be ready to for harvest in about three to four months after the initial planting.
Seeing that I haven’t reached the harvesting stage just yet, I will follow the instructions listed on the National Gardening Association website.