onion family

Onions

Allium cepa · Easy

A space-efficient staple grown most simply from sets, with autumn and spring planting options.

Sow

Sow seed indoors from January or direct in spring.

Plant suitable sets in autumn or from mid-March to mid-April.

Early summer to early autumn, depending on planting time.

Practical growing notes

Reliable, useful in the kitchen and stores well after drying.

White rot persists in soil; use heat-treated sets where bolting is a concern.

Keep the bed moving

A quick cool-season leaf crop for spring and autumn, with repeat pickings from small sowings.

A compact peppery leaf crop that can be harvested repeatedly and grows well in containers.

A succession-friendly salad crop, especially useful as loose-leaf or cut-and-come-again types.

A fast oriental green that performs best in cool, moist spring or late-summer conditions.