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Make plans now to join Melinda on her famous Garden Walks at Boerner Botanical Gardens in 2013! Download the schedule here.
Nationally renowned garden expert Melinda Myers helps everyday gardeners find success and ease in the garden through her Melinda’s Garden Moments radio segments. Melinda shares “must have” tips that hold the key to gardening success, learned through her more than 30 years of horticulture experience. Listeners from across the country find her gardener friendly, practical approach to gardening both refreshing and informative! On this page, Melinda shares some more extensive garden tips, which expand on the information provided in her one-minute radio segments.
New tips are added throughout each month, providing timely step-by-step tips on what you need to do next in your garden! Visit Melinda’s website www.melindamyers.com for more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and answers to your questions.
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Growing Onions from Seed
by Melinda Myers
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posted Jan 31 2013 4:40PM
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Give them a chill and stop the tears. Cooling your onions and cutting into the root end last reduces the tear inducing impact of the onions sulfuric compounds. And consider improving the flavor and fun by growing your own onions from seed.

Start by selecting onions suited to your location. Northern gardeners should grow long-day onions that start producing the bulbs during the longer, 14 hour days of midsummer. Sweet and mild onions develop their bulbs during short days and are best suited to southern gardens.
Jump start the growing season by starting your onions indoors about 10 weeks before the plants will be moved outside. Use a well drained sterile potting or seed starting mix.
Keep soil moist and grow seedlings in a sunny window or better yet under artificial lights. If the tops grow too tall and begin to flop, you can trim them with scissors.
Harden off the plants before moving them outdoors.
A bit more information: Onions are a good source of Vitamin C and fiber, as well as antioxidants that help prevent high blood pressure and some forms of cancer. Go lightly when peeling the onion as most of the nutritional and health benefits are contained in the outer scales.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com
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