How to Store Onion Seeds

Onion seeds are usually easy to grow or collect. However, remember that onions are biennial plants, which means they only produce seeds every two years. By growing and storing the seeds, you can develop a healthy seed supply for direct planting, growing sprouts, or preparing for next year's harvest. growing sprouts.

Grow onions for two years. After the flowers bloom, the seed heads will form at the end of the second summer.

• You should plant more if you want to harvest onions for consumption in the first season.

Wait for the seed heads to dry. The flowers will fade, and the seeds will naturally fall off.

Remove the seeds from the husk and other parts that make up the seed head. Many seeds will naturally fall off. Alternatively, you can place them in a bag and strike them gently against a hard surface. If you have a large number of seeds, use the wind to separate them from the stem and other debris. You can toss them in a large bowl or sift them from one basket to another in a light breeze. The wind will blow away lighter parts such as the husk, seed head, and stems, while the heavier seeds will fall back down.

• If a small amount of seed heads or stems remain with the seeds, it’s fine (unless you're planting them for sprouting). These parts will eventually decompose when planted in the ground.

Store seeds in a cool, dry location. Label the year you stored the seeds, or plant them as soon as the weather is temperate. Most seeds will sprout if planted within a year of storage. This remains acceptable for planting even in the second year.

• Onions are a biennial plant. If you're growing them for consumption, you can harvest them in the same year you plant them. To collect seeds, you’ll need to wait until the second year. If you'd like to both eat and gather seeds, plant more onions for a two-year cycle (harvest onions first, then gather seeds).
• Onions will cross-pollinate when grown near other types of onions. If this happens, you might not get the exact variety you intended. If you're only sprouting them, harvesting leaves, or mixing different onion types, it won't matter much. But if you want to preserve the specific variety of onion from last year, follow the steps to prevent cross-pollination, or buy seeds from the same source.

• Garden shears, pruning scissors, or similar tools
• Seed-catching basket
• Seed storage bags