Dobies have lots of onion sets avaiable.
An onion set is really a small onion bulb.
You can grow onions from seed but most people start with sets as it’s a head start!
One of the most important things with onions is to keep the patch well weeded. You can hoe the ground if you have planted the onions far enough apart in even lines. You’ll appreciate the accuracy needed once you come to hoe! Get a piece of wood cut to the right length for distance and put in a string line to keep them in a neat row.
You plant them with the pointy end up and just showing through. You can cover the area to stop birds pulling them out until they’re rooted. Use mesh or net. The tiny bit of stem showing will look very interesting to birds that like worms which tempts them into pulling them up!
Plant normally in March or April. But read the instructions that come with the onion sets.
If your onions start to develope a flower stem then cut this out immediately as it saps the strength of the plant and means it doesn’t put it’s energy into growing the bulb!
The week before you grow after you’ve weeded and raked the bed you should apply some fish, blood & bone or Growmore fertiliser to the patch. Rake in.
You can use the onions straight from the garden – or if you want to store them you need to let the stems fall over on their own and then it’s time to lift them up and ideally let them sit in the sun outside for a few days to dry off. If the weather turns wet though you’re best drying them in a shed or in the greenhouse. Brush the mud and broken leaves off and then cut the long stems off. You can learn to tie them up into strings if you get the chance too and then this makes storing them easy. Otherwise store in a flat box and keep an eye on them!
Easy to grow and idea for beginners. Success rate guaranteed by starting with a set not a seed. Apart from the birds at the beginning being a nuisance (Just replant any that get pulled up) and they should do well.
Some people use the same bed again and again for onions. It’s up to you whether you do. Crop rotation says you really shouldn’t though.

Autumn Planting Onion, Shallot and Garlic Collection £9.99
It’s the perfect time to plant over-wintering onions & shallots and garlic to harvest next summer. This collection gives you 200g of Dobies Autumn Champion Onion Sets, 400g of Shallot Griselle and 2 bulbs of Garlic Illico, saving you £2.16 PLUS we’ll give you 200g of Onion Senshyu Yellow – an extremely popular Japanese over-wintering onion that produces a heavy crop of excellent bulbs – worth £2.45 FREE.Autumn Champion is a fine onion, mildish in flavour and a little more robust than others due to its slightly higher dry matter content.Griselle has a reputation as being the finest tasting of all shallots and we’re sure that its robust spicy taste will not disappoint.Illico is a very early-maturing hardneck garlic, producing bulbs that are mainly white with some pale purple colouring.This offer will set your taste buds tingling! Full growing instructions included. October

Garlic, Onion and Shallot Collection 200g Onion Sets, 400g Shallots, 2 Garlic Bulbs – SAVE £2.50! £9.95
SAVE £2.50 on this Collection comprising of:Onion Senshyu Yellow – An extremely popular Japanese over-wintering variety, reliably producing a heavy crop of semi-globe-shaped, straw-coloured bulbs of excellent quality, which should be ready to harvest in early July. 200g pack.Shallot Griselle – In its native France Griselle is considered the finest tasting of all and we’re sure that its robust spicy taste will not disappoint. Best planted in the autumn, it multiplies well to give a good crop of longish grey skinned bulbs in June, a week or so before spring planted kinds. Use straight from the garden or dried for storage. Strong skins and solid flesh ensure bulbs keep in good condition well into winter. 400g pack.Garlic Solent White – A popular selection that is well adapted to the British climate and gives a good crop of large bulbs with plump tasty cloves. Expect to start harvesting in July from a November planting. (Softneck type). 2 Bulbs (12-14 cloves per bulb). Full growing instructions included. October

Onion Radar & Shallot Griselle Twin Pack 200g pack of Onion Sets & 400g pack of Shallots – SAVE £1.00! £7.20
SAVE £1.00 on this Twin Pack (200g pack of Onion sets & 400g pack of Shallot sets): Onion Radar – A very popular over-wintered onion which gives superb pale to mid brown skinned onions from mid-July. The round bulbs have firm flesh with a delicious mild taste and will keep well until autumn. Green bulbs can be pulled from the garden from late May; Shallot Griselle – In its native France Griselle has a reputation as being the finest tasting of all and we’re sure that its robust spicy taste will not disappoint. The variety is best planted in the autumn (from October to mid December) and multiplies well to give a good crop of long, grey-skinned bulbs in June, a week or so before spring planted kinds. These can be used green straight from the garden or dried for storage. The strong skins and solid flesh help the bulbs to keep in good condition well into winter. Full growing instructions included. 200g of onion sets (approximately 50 sets) will plant a row of about 5m (16′), and 400g of shallots (approximately 15-20 bulbs – size varies) a row of about 3m (10′). Mid September/October Health Benefits: One of civilisations oldest medicines. Anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, antiseptic. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Growing Hint: When leaves turn yellow next summer, partially ease the bulbs out of the soil with a fork – this speeds the ripening process before havesting.

Onion Set Stanfield (400g) 400g Pack £3.25
An improved Stuttgarter-type onion which is slow to bolt and produces bulbs with a slightly flattened shape and good skin quality. It has a mild, sweet taste, and is ideal for salads or cooking. (200g of sets [approximately 50 sets] will plant a row of approximately 5m [16′], 400g of sets will plant a row of approximately 10m [32′].) Unpack sets on arrival, and spread in a light cool position until planting time. Plant February-March, leaving tips of bulbs above the soil surface, allowing about 10cm (4″) between sets and about 30cm (12″) between rows. Size of sets 14/21mm. December/March Onion sets are a quicker and much easier way of producing onions than growing from seed. When leaves turn yellow in late summer, partially ease the bulbs out of the soil with a fork – this speeds the ripening process before harvesting later in September. HEALTH BENEFITS: One of civilisations oldest medicines. Anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, antiseptic. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Onion Sets – F1 Forum (400g Pack) 400g Pack £4.15
This superb onion is one of the earliest we have seen from a spring planting. The fat semi-globe shaped bulbs were ready to lift in early August almost a month before Sturon. Shows excellent vigour and uniformity, the bulbs will store in good condition until late autumn. (200g of sets [approximately 50 sets] will plant a row of approximately 5m [16′]. 400g of sets will plant a row of approximately 10m [32′].) Maturing time approximately 18-20 weeks from planting. Onion sets are small immature onion ‘bulbs’ in an arrested stage of growth. When planted in spring they begin to grow again and will become full size onions by late summer. They are rarely attacked by pests or diseases and thrive in ordinary conditions. Unpack sets on arrival and spread out in a light cool position until planting time. Choose a well-drained sunny position where the soil is reasonably good. Plant by setting the bulbs 10cm (4″) apart in rows 30cm (12″) apart during March and April so that only the tips of the small bulbs show above the soil surface. December/March Onion sets are a quicker and much easier way of producing Onions than growing from seed. When leaves turn yellow in late summer, partially ease the bulbs out of the soil with a fork – this speeds the ripening process before harvesting later in September. HEALTH BENEFITS: One of civilisations oldest medicines. Anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, antiseptic. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Onion Sets – F1 Hercules (400g Pack) 400g Pack £3.95
An exceptional early-to-mid-season variety, producing a good crop of round, yellow onions that can be stored for a long time. Hercules distinguishes itself by its high level of uniformity and sprouting tolerance. Plus it quickly establishes a root system and grows away speedily. (200g of sets [approximately 50 sets] will plant a row of approximately 5m [16′]. 400g of sets will plant a row of approximately 10m [32′].) Maturing time approximately 18-20 weeks from planting. Onion sets are small immature onion ‘bulbs’ in an arrested stage of growth. When planted in spring they begin to grow again and will become full size onions by late summer. They are rarely attacked by pests or diseases and thrive in ordinary conditions. Unpack sets on arrival and spread out in a light cool position until planting time. Choose a well-drained sunny position where the soil is reasonably good. Plant February-April, leaving tips of bulbs above the soil surface, allowing about 10cm (4″) between sets and about 30cm (12″) between rows. December/March Onion sets are a quicker and much easier way of producing onions than growing from seed. When leaves turn yellow in late summer, partially ease the bulbs out of the soil with a fork – this speeds the ripening process before harvesting later in September. HEALTH BENEFITS: One of civilisations oldest medicines. Anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, antiseptic. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Onion Sets F1 Centurion (400g) 400g Pack £3.95
This impressive strong growing hybrid variety produces a heavy crop which is early to mature, especially during our indifferent British summers. Theuniformly globe shaped bulbs keep very well and, because of this and their even skin colour make for excellent show bench subjects. Award of Garden Merit. Unpack sets on arrival, and spread in a light cool position until planting time. Plant February-March, leaving tips of bulbs above the soil surface, allowing about 10cm (4″) between sets and about 30cm (12″) between rows. Size of sets 14-21mm. (200g of sets [approximately 50 sets] will plant a row of approximately 5m [16′]. 400g of sets will plant a row of approximately 10m [32′].) December/March Onion sets are a quicker and much easier way of producing onions than growing from seed. When leaves turn yellow in late summer, partially ease the bulbs out of the soil with a fork – this speeds the ripening process before harvesting later in September. HEALTH BENEFITS: One of civilisations oldest medicines. Anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, antiseptic. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Onion Sets Sturon (400g) 400g Pack £3.50
A well known, flavoursome variety which produces round, straw-coloured, medium-sized onions just right for the kitchen. Being quite thin-necked they keep extremely well through the winter, remaining in good condition right through until February-March. Award of Garden Merit. Unpack sets on arrival, and spread in a light cool position until planting time. Plant February-March, leaving tips of bulbs above the soil surface, allowing about 10cm (4″) between sets and about 30cm (12″) between rows. Size of sets 14/21mm. (200g of sets [approximately 50 sets] will plant a row of approximately 5m [16′], 400g of sets will plant a row of approximately 10m [32′].) December/March Onion sets are a quicker and much easier way of producing onions than growing from seed. When leaves turn yellow in late summer, partially ease the bulbs out of the soil with a fork – this speeds the ripening process before harvesting later in September. HEALTH BENEFITS: One of civilisations oldest medicines. Anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, antiseptic. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Onion Sets twin pack – Dobies Autumn Champion & Senshyu Yellow Twin Pack (200g pack of each variety) – SAVE 60p! £4.30
SAVE 60p on this Twin Pack consisting of 200g pack each of:Dobies Autumn Champion (picture 1) – This superb variety matures from late July and stores well until the end of the year. Whilst mildish in flavour it’s a little more robust than others offered here due to its slightly higher dry matter content. A fine choice if you only have room for one autumn onion.Senshyu Yellow (picture 2) – An extremely popular Japanese over-wintering variety, reliably producing a heavy crop of semi-globe-shaped, straw-coloured bulbs of excellent quality, which should be ready to harvest in early July. Full growing instructions included. Choose a well-drained sunny position where the soil is reasonably good. Plant by setting the onion sets 10cm (4″) apart in rows 30cm (12″) apart from mid September to early November so that only the tips of the small bulbs show above the soil surface. 200g of onion sets – approximately 50 sets – will plant a row of about 5m (16′). Mid September/October Health Benefits: One of civilisations oldest medicines. Anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, antiseptic. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Growing Hint: When leaves turn yellow next summer, partially ease the bulbs out of the soil with a fork – this speeds the ripening process before havesting.Tip – If you have some sets left over once rows have been planted you can set them close together in a short row and pull as salad onions in spring.