Onions and Garlic

Onions and garlic both originate from Southern Russia and Iran and have been cultivated for centuries all around the world. The ancient Egyptians even thought they were sacred and pictures of both plants have been found in their ancient art.

Onions Beginning to Flower (and go to Seed)

Onions and Garlic are well suited to growing in cool climates, and, if grown correctly, and if you choose the right varieties, can be stored for many months.

The best time to plant these vegetables is after the Winter Solstice (shortest day of the year), which is in December (around the 23rd) in the northern hemisphere and June (around the 23rd) in the southern hemisphere. Although in cold climates such as those in Northern Europe onions are often grown "over winter" - basically they are planted in autumn and harvested in mid-summer, just so they can get a bit more growth on the plants before the days lengthen and the bulbs form.

In sub-tropical climates days might not be long enough in summer for many varieties of onion to form bulbs, so seed is best obtained from local growers - as it is for all plants - though , of course, there is always room for experimentation. If you don't succeed the first time, try, try again.

Onions and garlic grow best in an open sunny position in well-drained sandy and limy soils, and most sources suggest that fresh manure should not be used on the growing plants probably because this would encourage the bulbs to rot. In a rotation they are probably best grown after a "heavy feeder" like tomatoes, corn, or zucchini, which is good since all these plants, in cooler climates at least, will have finished being productive by the middle of winter. They should not be planted before or after legumes such as beans and peas. A good sample of a rotation might be beans and peas, tomatoes then garlic + onions, then salad or leafy vegetables, then back to beans and peas. Be aware thought that they take a while to mature and they may not be ready to harvest until well into summer, or even autumn in cooler climates.

Having said that though, they are really worth growing, especially garlic, which takes up very little space. In a small backyard last year I was easily able to grow enough garlic for personal use (almost every day) for 6-7 months, and the garlic was of a much stronger flavour and kept better than any I have ever bought.

Garlic is always propagated by planting the individuals bulbs, each bulb then grows and forms a clump of between ten and twenty more bulbs which can be harvested after the green tops (which shoot from the bulb) have dried off and gone brown. You can try just planting garlic you have bought from the shop, choosing the most healthy, and preferably organic, ones you can find. If it sprouts a shoot in your cupboard you might as well just place it in the ground with the pointy side up and wait a few months. The donÕt need much attention, just make sure the weeds donÕt smother them, plant each bulb about 5 to 10 centimetres away from each other for a thick matt of small garlic, or plant slightly further apart for larger bulbs (though you will need good soil to grow large ones, and you should fertilise at least twice in their growing season (with mild liquid fertilisers).

Onions are planted from seed and can either be sown straight into the ground or sown in trays then planted out after a few weeks when the green tops are about 10 cm tall. If transplanting you must remember to only just cover their roots with soil, as the bulbs grows on top of the soil. It might be easier just to plant them in clumps of 5 or 6 about 20 cm apart, but try and make sure that weeds are kept to a minimum because they tend to grow slower than many grasses and other weeds and you can easily loose them amongst the mess. Planting in straight rows will help as you will be able to hoe either side of them every now and again to give them a good start.

Onions can be slightly trickier than garlic so it is best to ask for advice from a more experienced gardeners before planting your first crop.

Spring Onions