This Transplanting Method for Onions Is a GAME CHANGER
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- I won't say it is life changing, but it is just about it. This method of starting onion seeds is insane. Definitely game changer! We multi sow our seeds to grow more in less space, and when dividing them out to plant. We are so excited to get growing, we hope you are growing big too!
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Thank you all so much for watching and Grow BIG!
I have been multi sowing onions for a few years. A trick I found online (cant remember where) is to get a bucket of water. Pop out the onions in the pot, and put the soil and roots in the water. Swish it around and the soil dissolves into the water. This makes it much easier to separate the onions, the roots easily untangle.
Thanks, such a great idea 😊
Yes with many seedlings
Yes, that’s what I do 👍
I do this for all sorts of root bound plants, wherever it's fruit and veg or carnivorous
I do this for all sorts of root bound plants, wherever it's fruit and veg or carnivorous
That's how I've done onions my whole life, my Grandma did it this way too... that's nearly 100 yrs of experience.
I tuck my alliums in with all my other plants. They don’t take up much room and any insect prevention is a great bonus!
I was hoping to do this--literally planning to use my onion seedlings as a living planting grid. Have you experienced any issues interplanting your onions? I was surprised to hear MIgardener say at the start of this vid that onions are hard to interplant around and I can't afford to lose many plants. Thank you in advance!!
I've read that I shouldn't plant onions/alliums near peas or beans, so those are the only areas I planned to avoid.
@@ofrecentvintage I haven’t had much problems but I usually use my onions for green onions, so I’ve never gotten huge bulbs.
@@Gardeningchristine That makes sense. Thanks so much for your response!
One video on thr channel millennial gardener he interplants onions with peppers and tomatoes.
But I’ve grown beets super thick just beets and had a great crop. I think just growing onions thick is fine too. You’ll have a lot of maybe medium sized onions and maybe not huge ones but it’s like maybe that’s what ya want. Tbr one video he used a drip system so consistent watering helps he said.
But ya thick onion beds I think is fine. I have a long 60 foot by 4 foot bed. Maybe instead of just onions I’ll do a row of onion and another row of pepper. But I can’t do tomatoes unless if I vertically grow tomatoes cause my tomatoes grow so much they take over the entire bed
if you are growing these to eat as green onions (the pencil thick ones you buy in a bunch at the grocery) you do it a little different. Separate them as Luke did and trim the roots with scissors to about 3/4 inch long. Plant them about three inches deep instead of just at ground level as Luke did. When they are as thick as your little finger you harvest them as green onions and they have the nice tasty white part about three inches long instead of just an inch long like normal planted onions.
This is a game changer! I have a newborn and have basically 5 minutes to start seeds while he’s napping. This will help so much!
I’m in my mid sixties and I love the fact that I learn so much from someone not even half my age! Thank you for always sharing your knowledge, experience and tricks of the trade.
And I am 76YO and I agree😎
Good stuff! Have you tried multiplanting those onions? I've been binge watching Charles Dowding's channel, and he always keeps 3-4 onions in each hole, or even more if he's going for spring onions. Same spacings, but he gets 3-4 medium sized onions compared to one large one, meaning a bigger yield overall. I'm giving it a try this time, and so far they look pretty happy growing together!
I did the same thing this year; experimented with 1 on up to 4.
i think im definitely going to try this with my succession yellow onions and my red ones especially since we dont eat alot of red onions i dont need super large ones
I tried multiplanting leeks, inspired by the great Charles Dowding. They did not like it.
@@ienekevanhouten4559Wow that's surprising! I have multisown leeks outside right now, and they were very happy. I've harvested few pounds already, and have probably 20 or 30 leeks still out there. They survived the ice storm that blew over us a few weeks ago, which got down to 12°F, and you wouldn't even tell it got that cold by looking at them. I do have a pretty thick layer of wood chip around them, which may help explain why they stayed happy.
One thing I learned recently is that they will actually produce scapes like garlic. I saw one out there a week or so ago, and it surprised me a bit! I have heard that leeks can multiply too, so I might hang onto one per clump and see if they'll do that.
Absolutely multi-onions per spot if growing green onion...been doing it for years.
I always saw onion for sale like this but never understood how that worked. I’ve just recently started watching your videos in the last 3-5 months and saw your previous onion videos. I’ve loved planting onions and leeks this spring. Thank you
Omg i had this big tray that would take up a whole grow light, was gonna put 3 or 4 seeds in each 3 inch cell lol! This is so helpful thanks!!
I grew and planted my onions this way. This method was the best! Saved space in growing, so I grew more! Thank you for teaching us different methods!
Just when I am planting onion in my greenhouse. Now it will be in 3" pots ... GREAT! Thank you
I have been planting my onions and shallots like this for years. I like to start them from seeds because I can select the varieties I want to grow. I do also trim the roots at planting time. I trim the roots to about 2" in length. Makes it easier to get the roots in the ground without kinking them all up.
yep I trim those roots too, it doesn't seem to hurt them at all, in fact I believe it stimulates them to grow more roots!
Thank you for another outstanding video! We like to plant onions, carrots and potatoes together (carrots and onions between the potato trenches mixed together) they are good companions and are very tasty together in meals :) also like to put our starts in a small bucket in water makes it easier to detangle while planting 💚
So helpful! I am a visual learner and so appreciate you setting this up. I could not find this anywhere else 😅
You can absolutely use this method for tomatoes as well. Been doing it for years!
Although I don't plant tomatoes this way, Jess from Roots & Refuge shows planting tomatoes this way . She specifies though, that it's just how she prefers to plant her tomatoes. But, it can and has been done.
Absolutely, I usually shake some of the dirt off, play with the rootball, and continue until I can gently pull the plants apart.
What other seeds can we use this method for? I do onions and tomatoes like this, but are there others?
That board you are sitting on is a great idea above the raised bed!!! have you done a video of how you set that up???
I should of watch this yesterday. Oh well we will see if any make it. I sure hope so. Live my onions. Thank u
This was very helpful for me, as this is my first year growing onions, which ended up being an impulse decision because I saw onion sets at the store for $1!! I have since learned that onions do best when grown from seed, so that is my gardening lesson for this year. (I literally learn something new about gardening every year, and I've been gardening a long time! ) Next year I'll get starting tomorrow from seed, like I do with the rest of my garden.
Mary, a couple of notes. Make sure you get the proper onions for your region (long day, intermediate day, short day). If you start the seedlings under artificial light, make sure you do not give your particular onion types too many hours of light per day (or they will start bulbing prematurely). In zone 5, I start seedlings indoors in early January, about 50 seeds per 2 1/2" square pot with very fine seedling mix. I partially separate the clumps and transplant under a cold frame in late Feb/early March. I dig the clumps, cut the green tops to about 6 inches, fill a bucket/5-gallon pail with about 6 inches of water, grab the clumps by the green tops, put their roots in the water and swish around until they are clean, at that point the seedlings are easy to separate and re-transplant them into the garden in late March/early April. Good luck!
Are they frost resistant without heavy cover? I dont want to have to wait till after late frost to get them in the ground @@Mark-u5u6x
@@Mark-u5u6x 50 seeds per 2.5"!? I have 18 cell trays of 3" cells and did up to about 10-15 per cell thinking that would be too crowded. My space is so cluttered and I could have had room for so many other things had I known this! Some other commenters are saying that tomatoes can be started in this way too, and those are also taking up a bunch of my space
Tried this and can't believe how resilient those seedlings are. Seems to be working great.
I just want to say, Thank you, every time I want to know something about planting anything I can count on you to have a video on it!! I love you!!
Would love to see updates on your onion process in this bed overt this coming season.
Appreciate a short episode. As a former onion start planter, this year I started my own from seed and I hope to get them into the ground soon. Can’t wait to see what I end up with.
I use a similar method when I buy tomato plants that have more than one plant in the same pot. Playing with the dirt & shaking the plant is a great way to save the roots and not harming the plant. When you take your time it's really easy. Fortunately, I grew most of mine from seeds this year.
You never know what you are going to learn from a video - the board you are sitting on is new to me, and looks like a great idea - I need to build one of those.
I figured that out on my own. Good to see someone else doing it the same way. Reinforces my experience with it. Thanks, as always, MI Gardner.
Thanks Luke! I’ve been planting the bulbs on the surface 😂 this will probably give me a better crop. Probably!
We germinated our onions in the same way and they were very easy to separate and transplant into the garden. I learned it from watching one of your earlier videos. Thank you!
Love your informative videos! 2 questions: 1) would the separating technique work with beets? I've seen that they can be transplanted, unlike carrots. 2) doesn't pruning the onions leave a hollow stem open for insects and disease? I've never heard a good reason for pruning them before but yours makes a lot of sense. I'm in NC, zone 7b.
This was super helpful. This is my first time growing onions - I'm in a much warmer zone than you (8b), so mine are already in the dirt. I have noticed some of them flopping over. Gonna go out there right now and top prune. Excited to see what I eventually get!! Thanks for the great tips and content!!
I grew them like this from seedlings, and it worked great. Last year I couldn’t find any seedlings at the store so I’m going to be starting my own from seed. Fingers crossed!
I planted ours in march from dixon dale this year (since just moved and I didnt have time to seed). They come bare root and these things are almost tennis ball size now! We have about a month and a half left before harvest so im SUPER excited for these! I usually grow from seed myself and they end up rottening 🤷🏼♀️. I do the same thing you do, love it! Thanks Luke
I have never seen this before. I must have missed the 1st video. Going back to watch and trying this today! Thank you so much for your educational videos. I am so excited to receive my new blackberry bushes and seeds in the mail this week. I already have places ready for them. 😁
When you replant (transfer) onions, do you keep the tiny onion bulb above the soil or bury it under? It's only because when they were in the pots, the bulb was above the soil but I've buried the tiny bulb bit under the soil now I've moved them. Thanks for any help 😊
I trim the tops to 3 " 5 days before transplant, I trim the roots with sharp scissors to 3 " as well. It works well in northern Ontario. Zone 4A. Happy gardening.
Why the roots?
@@bluewolf4915the roots get long and straggly and have used a lot of energy, trimming them encourages them to grow again thus reinvigorating the plant. another reason is that when planting in a hole trimming the roots ensures they reach the bottom of the hole, pointing downwards, and it makes the job quicker. leaving long straggly roots makes them tend to cling to the sides of the hole, even point upwards. same with the tip of the plant, trim of an inch, or two, and the plant will be encouraged to grow. leeks are planted the same way, trim roots, and tops, pop in a hole, water in BUT the hole is not filled back in
This method is so easy. I’ve had success with this method. Thanks Luke
I just went back and watched a video you made five years ago. I really love the intro with the guitar music and the multiple squares showing different images. I would encourage her to bring that back. It was great way to begin the episode.
I tried this method for the first time this year after hearing you talk about it. I just put mine out in the garden bed yesterday. Glad to say mine look almost the same size as yours so hopefully that means I’m doing something right.
Perfect timing.. I was planning on planting mine today and I definitely wasn't going to do it this way, but now I am! Thanks!
And I just realized that this wasn't perfect timing.. UA-cam just magically put this in front of me haha!
Thanks again Luke! Keep the videos coming PLEASE!
Luke, I used the winter sow method with 3 of your onions and had like SUPER DUPER success! Last year was great too but…USER ERROR… after I transplanted, I didn’t protect from my chickens so I’m covering them up this year WOOT WOOT! ❤ y’all, Kristy in Missouri zone 6b 😃🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
This is exactly how I grow my onions too 🧅 I learned it from you several years ago. 😃. Thanks for the refresher. ❌⭕️🙏🏽♥️
I planned to plant 360 onions this year, started them in individual trays. Started hardening off too soon, it was too cold. I don’t know how many I’ll harvest but some survived transplant. I will definitely be doing this next year
Dang, I planted my onions a few days ago and I lots tons of roots by separating them poorly (basically pulling from the top vs loosening at the base). I know I'm going to forget for next year, but I'll try to remember. Hopefully I get good sized onions though. Haven't had a whole lot of luck the past few years getting large onions.
I used this method this year, definitely saved a ton of space!
Onions are fun to grow. We grew some in really good composted soil a few years ago and the greens on them grew huge! We can't get onion bulbs to grow large.
This is a great video. Very informative, quick and useful. Never thought to plant so many seedlings of onions in a single cup.
I did this method for the first time this year. Luckily I remembered past videos lol can't wait! 💚
Thanks for sharing. Gonna try this method for sure. Love seeing and trying different methods.
Oh my gosh! This is So cool! 😎 Definately a game changer!
Thank you Luke!👍
Blessings always! 💜
Never thought of growing shallots.
You made it look so easy, now I have too!! Thanks 🙏🏻
Thanks for this one, Luke. I was trying to plant them individually. What a waste of time and space. This is a big one for me. Triple Trifecta Thank you.
Yes I learned.. prune when planting! Great tip!
Thanks. My first time buying onions in a pot like this, found your video, and followed it to plant them.
I get onion starts from a local greenhouse center. They advertise it at 12 starts for $1.99 but I usually get 30 to 50 in a pack. I separate them, but I don't make a hole. I put the roots where I want the onion to go and just push my finger on the roots into the soil down to the depth I want it and just tighten up the soil around it. It works great with damp soil too. Yes I also prune them before planting so they don't have to support a long leaf.
Thank you so much this Onion Transplanting video!!! I needed this!!!!!
Great video Luke! Thanks so much! Love that I can do this with leeks too!
I did my Australian Brown's this way this year. Started them in the greenhouse in late Feb. They've been out since the first week of April and are thriving. 👍
Q? Luke, how long do you grow in pot before transplanting?
Hi, I am impressed with the roots on your onions. I have been starting onions like you for the last couple of years and I never have nice roots like that. The roots tend to be fine and break. I have tried Ailsa Craig, Candy onions, sweet Spanish, Red wing and another red onion I can’t remember now and it is always the same. Any idea what I am doing wrong? Thanks Luke.
Edit - I forgot to ask how many weeks ahead you started your onions before transplant.
i winter sowed mine in a gallon jug back at the start of February and i just planted mine out into a bed about 2 weeks ago and my roots were sturdier like his in the video. (i could have planted sooner i just honestly didnt have time)
I bought a little pot of green onions and wondered how I was going to plant it. You are a life saver!
Thanks for the tip on trimming the tops so they don’t touch the ground. Game changer! Thank you, thank you.
I learnt something new today on how to plant onions.
Cant wait to start! Thank u.
I saw you do a video like this a few years ago. I immediately put this to practice. For the last 3 years, this is how I've done it!!! One year I did 600 onions this way!
Perfectly timed video! Thanks!
Perfect timing. I need to plant mine today!
This is much easier than how I haven't been doing it! Thank you!
Timing couldn't have been more perfect. 😊 I have a pot of sweet onions to plant tomorrow 😊
I do 25-30 seeds in the cut off bottom of a gallon milk jug. To separate I soak in water and then shake like a gold panner. I dig a trench and lay them in and backfill.
you just changed my life my second year growing a large family garden for homesteading where we can and first year growing onions! my grow room is full of single sells and i know know better thank you!!
This is perfect. I grew leeks from seed this year for the first time and I felt like I was wasting a lot of soil because of how their roots are long and wiry. I felt like there had to be a better way and you just showed me.
Wonderful method thanks a lot. When should I transplant my onion seedlings
Absolutely so easy to grow, en masse. FYI: I trim them to about 4-5” before I plant them so I can use the trimmings in my omelettes etc. I got a lovely handful of stems for a variety of uses in the kitchen. Sweet, but stronger flavour than chives.
I learned something new today! I'm going out to prune the tops. Thank you!
You can take 6-8 onions and plant them in the same hole. As they grow together you can harvest some as spring onions. Leave 3-4 to bulb up together. Great way to save on space with onions.
Wow! Thank you so much! This was SUPER helpful! (I wish I had known before I planted seeds this year! But- néxt year! ❤
As usual perfect timing for this vide. Thank you
I was actually thinking of planting some this year, maybe not a 4 x 8 space , but maybe a 4 x4 space as a test. I'm guessing they need full sun ? Thank you for the info .
I love this! I started doing this after onion videos.
Oh my gosh ! !!! Thank you so very much !! Wow ! I leaned a whole bunch!!
So I wanted to share that I actually sort of do this with tomatoes and even peppers... Not nearly as many as the onions, but I usually do four to six six tomato seeds and then once they get their second leaves I gently pull them apart and give them their own pots. It usually makes me have way too many tomato plants but then I have a lot to share!
What a great method! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this excellent instruction. I am excited to follow up on this. Great video!
Thanks Luke😊🌱
Very nice! Thanks Luke!
Great information as usual. I have been struggling with them! Thank you 😊
I do this with all my garden plants. Works well with tomatoes and peppers. I do it every year.
i winter sowed my onions in a gallon jug and thats exactly how i un-tangled them as well just shook all the dirt off and than separated them
I did just that! Ha…I didn’t do it bc I knew it was a right way, I just did it. I planted yello and red onions this year and I’m excited to see the outcome. Great video Luke..🤗😀
I have done this with lettuce and it works.
I Will be giving this a try this year.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for this video!! Perfect timing too! This is my first year with my own actual garden. I started onions from seed for the first time this year based off of your videos, and I’m getting ready to plant my onion starts out this week and I was wondering how on earth I was going to untangle the roots without completely obliterating them 😅 I grew them in the bottoms of gallon containers. Next year I plant to grow them in smaller, deeper pots, and not sow as thickly as I did. And I will press more soil on the top of the seeds after planting, I think I got them a little too shallow this time. Also mine got leggy at first because I didn’t realize that they sprouted… definitely will keep a closer eye next year!
you could winter sow them in the gallon jugs outside i did that with my yellow and red onion seeds at the start of February in PA, i just finally got mine out about 2 weeks ago because i didnt have time to plant out sooner but i dont feel mine got leggy out all doing the winter sow method for them, i actually gave them a haircut about a week before transplanting them just because my tops had gotten a bit long in the jug from being delayed on going into the ground
Thanks so much for the onion tips!!!
I have learned so
Much by wall your videos. Wish I would have found this channel a long time ago
Love your channel. Been following you for years. Just want to say, you CAN do this with tomatoes. I’ve done it for years.
Love this idea!!!
I’ve tried every way possible to plant onions including what you’re demonstrating. THE BEST way for me is to use soil blocks and plant two onion seeds in one. Then just plop the soil blocks in the garden beds once they’ve sprouted.
Good stuff. Did the same with leeks. Did I rip some roots off? Yes. But they grew very well.
Good to know!
Thank you it was a very good video. I will be trying these methods this year.❤