Onions are hardy plants with high yields and are an essential part of countless recipes. Because of this, they make for a great crop to grow in the garden. Therefore, it is important to know how many onions we can expect when planting them in the garden.
So how many onions can you expect from one onion bulb? Only onion can grow from 1 bulb. After all, the bulb you are planting is just developing into a larger onion. Therefore, you should plant 1 bulb for every onion you wish to harvest.
Although only one onion will come from one bulb, there are some other ways you can get multiple onions from one plant.
Green Onions
First, let’s talk about green onions. Green onions are the green stems that extend above the onion bulb. They are also known as scallions. If we are counting each stem as 1 scallion, you can expect anywhere from 3 to 10 scallions per onion bulb.
If you are trying to grow green onions from an onion bulb, keep in mind that they are harvested long before regular onions are. Green onions can be harvested when they are about 5 inches in height and at least 6 millimeters in diameter (The diameter of a pencil). Ideally, you just want to harvest them before the onion bulb begins to form.
There are also some variants of onion plants that are specifically grown for scallions. These are called Welsh Onions, but they are more commonly known as “Bunching Onions”. They are very easy to grow as they require only a small amount care and grow in almost any kind of soil. Therefore, they are great for beginner gardeners.
Flowering Onions
If left in the garden for a long enough time, onions will eventually develop a flower. Onion flowers feature a spherical shaped head made up of about a few hundred little blossoms. Depending on the variety of onion you planted, these flowers can come in pink, violet, and blue but most commonly, white.
To harvest the seeds from these flowers and plant more onions, it is essential that you harvest them at the right time. The seeds must be collected before the onion flower blooms. Once the flower blooms, it will release all of its seeds onto the ground.
Once you have some onion flowers that haven’t bloomed, simply harvest them by cutting them from the stem. After that, you want to want let the flower dry out. The flower should be bone dry but not shriveled. Once it is dried out you can harvest the onions by rubbing the flower in your hands. The flower will shed its seeds and you can save them for next growing season. Keep in mind that onion seeds have a shelf life of about 1 year.
Tips for Growing Larger Onions
Although you only get one onion from each bulb you plant, there are some ways to super-size those onions so you can get the most out of each plant. Growing large onions in the garden is a fairly easy process with these simple tips.
Onion Seeds vs. Onion Sets:
Onions are commonly planted in the garden by starting out with onion sets. While growing onions by sets is the more popular way to grow them, starting your onions by seed gives them a better chance of developing into large onions.
Onions are biannual plants. In the first year, they focus on developing its bulb (the onion) as well as a strong root system. In the second year, they focus more energy on developing the flower that will produce the onion seeds for next generation.
Therefore, when you plant onion sets, you are just growing onions that were grown last year and harvested early. Because of this, the onion sets you planted in your garden will be spending less energy on growing the onion bulb, and more energy on developing the flower.
Starting your onions by seed is similar to starting many other vegetables in your garden. However, one notable difference is that onion seeds are started well before most other vegetable seeds are.
Onion seeds should be started indoors 8-10 weeks prior to transplanting them to your outside garden. Sow seeds ¼ inch deep and keep them in a sunny area. Onion seeds will germinate within 4-10 days after sowing.
Selecting Larger Onion Varieties:
Not all onions are made equal. Some onion varieties naturally form larger onions bulbs and some; like the bunching onions discussed earlier, don’t even form bulbs at all. Therefore, it’s essential that you choose the right onion variety if you expect to grow bigger onions. Some large onion varieties include:
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