Growing onions: Part 5

Before direct-sowing your onions, prepare the seedbed with care. This will pay handsome dividends when the time comes for planting, germination and harvesting, says Bill Kerr.

- Bill Kerr

With labour has become more expensive and regulated in recent years, there is a now greater emphasis on the direct-seeding of onions. The high plant population of onions requires much labour for transplanting. The actual cost also depends on the circumstances.

In some cases, the farming enterprise may have spare labour at transplanting time, which gives the farmer meaningful work for his/her workers. However, some farmers may not have enough workers, due to other farming activities that do not require as much labour, and this can be problematic at transplanting time.

Direct seeding has its advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps the main disadvantage is that the entire land is a seedbed and needs the same attention to obtain good germination as a seedbed would. Soil preparation, planting depth and irrigation require great care.