Onions are members of the allium family and are used in a variety of dishes. Growing onions is really easy, there are basically two ways to do this from seeds, or sets that are tiny little onions bulbs. I grow my onions from sets as I find this easier plus they are supposed to be more resistant to disease than seeds though they are a little more expensive than a packet of onion seeds.

Onions like to grow in soil that is well drained, I sow my onion sets directly into the ground around March-April, depending on the weather, to do this I dib a little hole big enough for the bulb and put the bulb large end down, I space them about 5 inches part, water well and wait. I keep the onion bed relatively weed free and water if we have a dry spell, but generally I find that they grow quite happily without much intervention, the onions are ready for picking when they are visible above the ground and look about the size of a golf-tennis ball, this depends upon the variety and I find that the smaller onions are stronger in tastes. They can be used straight from picking or can be dried, simply by leaving them in the sun, and left for a good few weeks in the larder cupboard.

If your onions start to flower, it is best to cut off the flower as all the energy will go into producing the flower rather than the onion. I have so far not had any issues with any sort of pest or disease on my onions but you can have problems sometimes with birds pecking at the bulbs. Onions can also rust and get mildew, the base of the onions can get what is known as white fungus and this will kill it. There may be more issues, but I have not encountered any.

Onions have a number of culinary uses and are very good at forming the base of a meal be it in a curry or a soup. They can be fried, baked, grilled, griddled, boiled, pickled, eaten raw and dehydrated and generally cooked any which way you like. I would recommend having a go at growing your own.

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