Onion sets

I know what onion sets are, but how does one acquire them? Are they immature onions from the season past?

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  • Propagate by seed - To grow your own onion sets, sow seeds thickly in a block in midsummer. About 2 months after planting, roll down the tops, forcing the plants to form small bulbs. (Those about the size of a dime work best.) After tops dry, clip them off, leaving about ½ inch of stem. Cure and store in a cool, dry place as you would onions for eating. Plant your sets the following spring.
  • You can build a 2 x 4 frame, any size you like, fill it with sand and then sow onion seeds in it. Let them grow to about 1 inch round then pluck them out and dry them. Ususally done in the fall for the next spring crop. I don't use sets. I have much better onions starting them really early in pots.
    • Thanks for that. I wondered because I planted one box of seed too late and they're just sitting there. Maybe they will be useful after all. Yes, I usually plant seed in the spring. These ones were for someone else and then they didn't want them. Heigh-ho!
  • hello Robyn, sets can be bought online from Koanga, Kings, Trademe or at your local nursery, gardening centre. They are immature onions but they are heat treated to stop them bolting. Perhaps our ooooby gardening guru Richard Watson could elaborate?
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