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Growing onions from sets will give you a head start compared to growing from seed. Growing from sets also still gives you the opportunity to grown your own homegrown onions if you missed the sowing times for seeds.

Watch our handy video to show you how to plant onion sets, by Peter Miller.

Handy Tips:

• Onion sets should be stored in a seed tray in a cool, dry place if you cannot plant them straight away.

• Choose a spot in your garden or allotment that has firm but well drained soil, and is positioned in a sunny spot. Onion sets don't do very well if the ground is too wet. If your area is prone to becoming waterlogged, growing in a raise bed may be a better option.

• Plant in rows with a 10cm spacing between each onion set. If sowing multiple rows, leave a 30cm space between each row. 

• The recommended planting dates for autumn onion sets are 15th September - 15th October.  They stay in the ground overwinter, and will be ready to harvest early to mid summer. They will be ready to harvest before spring planted onions.