Seed-Starting Mastery #9, Onions, Leeks, Bunching Onions, Chives & Garlic Chive
- Jodi McKee
- Jan 19
- 4 min read
The Tiny, Light‑Addicted, Soul‑Crushing Alliums That Will Test Everything You’ve Learned
You have now arrived at the second‑to‑last circle of seed‑starting hell.
These are the crops that make even seasoned gardeners mutter, “I’ll just buy onion sets this year,” then quietly feel shame for the rest of the season.
Onions and their cousins aren’t difficult because they’re fragile. They’re difficult because they break almost every rule you’ve learned so far:
Seeds are microscopic and coated in a protective jacket.
They need light to germinate (bury them = instant failure)
Germination can take 10–21 days (sometimes 30)
Seed viability falls off a cliff after 12–18 months
They want cool temperatures but hate wet feet
They require 12–16 weeks indoors before transplant
If brassicas taught you humility, alliums teach surrender, patience, and precision.
Why Alliums Make You Question Your Life Choices
Trait | What It Actually Means |
Tiny, light‑requiring seeds | Surface‑sown only — cover = 0% germination |
Extremely short seed life | 1‑year‑old onion seed often <50% viable |
Very slow early growth | Look like grass for 8–10 weeks |
Cool temperature preference | Too warm indoors = bolting later |
12–16 weeks indoors | Tied with brassicas for longest indoor stay |
Hate wet and dry | The ultimate Goldilocks crop |
Definitions (Read This, It Will Save You Months of Frustration)
Alliums – The plant family that includes onions, leeks, garlic, chives, scallions, and shallots.
Long‑Day Onions – Require 14–16 hours of daylight to form bulbs. Best north of ~38° latitude.
Short‑Day Onions – Bulb at 10–12 hours of daylight. Best for southern gardens.
Intermediate‑Day (Day‑Neutral) Onions – Bulb at 12–14 hours. Most flexible option.
Bulb Onions – Grown for large storage or sweet bulbs.
Bunching Onions (Scallions) – Never form bulbs; harvested for green stalks.
Sets – Small immature onion bulbs grown the previous year. Convenient, but often bolt.
Bolting – Flowering prematurely due to stress (usually heat or oversized transplants).
Photoperiod – The length of daylight that triggers bulbing.
Overwintering – Surviving winter in the ground to regrow in spring (leeks, some bunching onions).
The Two Methods That Actually Work (Pick One and Commit)
Method A – Coffee‑Filter Baggie (Highest Success Rate)
This is my personal religion.
Buy fresh seed (this year’s date code only).
Pre‑soak seeds 6–8 hours in lukewarm water.
Dampen (not soak) a coffee filter.
Sprinkle seeds in a single layer.
Fold gently and slide into a zip‑lock bag.
Puff a little air inside and seal loosely.
Place at 68–75°F (router, fridge top, or heat mat).
Check daily.
Onions: root tip in 5–12 days
Leeks: 10–18 days
Chives: 12–21 days
As soon as the root reaches ⅛–¼ inch, transfer to soil, root down, seed up — never bury.
Method B – Surface‑Sow in Trays (Classic but Requires Obsession)
Fill 128‑ or 200‑cell trays with sterile mix.
Bottom‑water thoroughly.
Sprinkle seeds thickly (5–10 per cell for onions/leeks).
Do not cover — just press gently.
Mist lightly so seeds stick.
Dome on, lights 16–18 hrs/day, 65–70°F.
Mist 2–3× daily until sprouted.
Remove dome at 50% germination.
Trim tops to 3 inches regularly.
My “Actually Worth the Pain” Variety List
Bulb Onions
Copra – Storage king, keeps 10 months
Redwing – Best red storage onion
Patterson – Perfect spheres, great keeper
Ailsa Craig – Giant sweet exhibition onion
Walla Walla – Legendary sweet onion from seed
Leeks
King Richard – Early, long white shanks
Lexton – Uniform and disease‑resistant
Bandit – Cold‑hardy overwintering type
Bunching / Scallions
Evergreen Hardy White – Perennial, never bulbs
Tokyo Long White – Classic Japanese scallion
Guardsman – Fast and bolt‑resistant
Chives & Garlic Chives
Common Chives – ‘Staro’ or ‘Dolores’
Garlic Chives – ‘Nira’ (flat leaves, white flowers)
Cooking & Kitchen Use Tips
Sweet onions are best fresh, not stored
Storage onions improve after curing
Leeks: white = mild, green = stock flavor
Scallions tolerate heat better than bulb onions
Chive flowers are edible and mildly oniony
Garlic chives keep their flavor when cooked (unlike common chives)
Pro Tips That Turn Grass into Gold
Buy new seed every year
Bottom‑water only after week 4
Pot up once at 8–10 weeks
Transplant at pencil thickness
Mulch heavily outdoors
Troubleshooting Chart
Problem | Cause | Fix |
No germination | Old seed or buried | Fresh seed, surface sow |
Mold in baggie | Too wet | Less moisture, more air |
Seedlings rot | Damping‑off | Cooler temps, airflow |
Skinny stems | Low light | Lights 2 inches away |
Bolting | Heat or stress | Keep cool, transplant early |
Tiny bulbs | Wrong day length | Match variety to latitude |
The Bigger Skills You Just Mastered
You now know how to:
Germinate light‑requiring seeds
Grow seedlings for four full months
Match crops to latitude
Accept delayed gratification
Next week in Post #10, we reach the final boss: celery and celeriac, the only vegetable that can make onions look fast and easy.
But first, go order fresh onion seed TODAY and start your baggies this weekend. In five long months, you’ll be pulling perfect, sweet onions out of the ground and wondering why anyone ever buys them from the store.
Send me a photo when your first tiny white roots appear in the baggie. I’ll be here celebrating with you.
Happy growing! 🧅✨
-Jodi@HealWise
Try my ebook, Harvest & Herb, to grow your own medicinal herbs.
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