One of the easiest veggies to grow indoors this spring is onions because you can do them in a pot, container, or even a water bottle. With this in mind, here is a quick guide on how to grow onions indoors.
Choose Your Onion Type
Since onions are hardy, growing them inside isn’t too challenging, but first, you need to pick out which type you want to grow. Scallions, also known as green onions, tend to be popular, but bulb onions are another choice. You will need some extra space for bulb onions because they are larger, but you can still grow them in a container.
However, it would help to consider how much light your onions will receive before choosing which one you want to grow. Bulb onions are long-day, which means that they need 14 to 16 hours of sunlight to form. Green onions are short-day because they only need 12 to 14 hours of sunlight.
Obtain the Right Gear
You will need a container, soil, water, onion seeds (or an onion set), and a source of external light to supplement your plants. Your container should be somewhere between 6-10 inches deep for the roots to thrive. The deeper your container, the more space your roots have to grow, ensuring that the bulbs will flourish.
Onions can grow in most soils rich in nutrients, so all you need is a potting mix for the soil. Nonetheless, too much acidity will hurt your onions, so you should use limestone to lower your acidity if the pH level is lower than 6.5.
Give Your Onions Enough Light
Once you get your growing operation set up, make sure to give your onions enough light for them to grow properly. Onions follow certain light cycles, meaning they will bulb at specific times of the day. For this reason, your windowsill might not give your onions the light they need to grow, which is why you should supplement your plants with artificial light.
You won’t want to leave your lights on at all times because onions also need to spend time in the dark, but hanging a light nearby will allow you greater versatility in your growing. Your tops will be ready within a month, and you can expect a whole onion within 90 to 120 days. Stocking up on some
mesh onion bags is a smart idea to prepare for the harvest.
Overall, onions are a delicious and healthy vegetable, which is why growing them is so much fun. After reading through this quick guide on how to grow onions indoors, you should be ready to take on this challenge.
