STEP BY STEP SOWING ONIONS

STEP 1: For good germination, use either a John Innes compost or mix or half and half John Innes and a decent quality multipurpose. Over- ll the tray with compost, strike it o level with the top of the tray and then use a presser board to gently rm the compost down approximately 10mm (½in) from the top of the tray. What we want is a level, even, lightly rmed surface.

STEP 3: Covering is just as important and whatever you use it needs to be an even thickness. If using compost use a ne sieve and cover with approximately 5mm (¼in) of compost. Alternatively, use vermiculite which is very easy to spread over the seeds. It’s very good at maintaining moisture around the seeds while they are germinating and the seedlings can push through without any problems.

STEP 2: Even sowing, not too thickly is very important to get an even batch of quality seedlings that will all grow at the same rate. Sow the seeds straight from the packet, sowing evenly across the whole surface. Onion seeds are black and angular and di cult to see on the compost, but if you get down low and look across the compost you can see them.