Onion Nursery Preparation Steps

As many people delve into farming as a business to earn a living, more and more of them are becoming interested in onion farming which quite lucrative. And this interest is good if Kenya is to get anything near Tanzania, our neighbors in terms of onion production. Apart from the government’s role which is crucial in getting us there, folks like us already doing it have to share our knowledge with others. Document what we’re doing as much as possible so that there’s enough information out there for everyone.

To plant onions, a farmer buys quality seeds from a reputable farm or agrovet. But we don’t sow them directly into the field instead you’re required to prepare a nursery where the seeds can be nurtured into healthy and vigorous seedlings that are later transferred into a well prepared farm.

So today I’ll take you throw the steps one needs to follow in preparation the nursery from digging the soils to erecting a shade when the seeds have germinated. But this is only for those farmers who are interested in learning and preparing their own seedlings because I know some prefer to purchase seedlings already prepared somewhere else and ready for planting.

Bed Preparation

1. Start by picking a site for the beds. Ensure it’s a place that has good soils with no stones and the soils are well draining. It has to be free of flooding as well. The place also has to be sheltered from strong winds and protected from animals and thieves.
2. Next step is to dig up the soil at least two weeks before sowing the seeds. Dig deep to give the roots plenty of room to develop fully. Beat up the crumbs to have a fine tilth. Leave it for now and give it at least a week to rot and for the nematodes and other unwanted organisms already in the soil to die.
3. Next step is to turn up the soil and mix it with well prepared manure to give the seeds enough nutrients to set them off. Raise the bed well above the ground to prevent runoff water after rain to get to the seedlings and keep the soil from getting waterlogged. Also before sowing the seeds you can water the bed for a couple of days to soften the soils and introduce moisture.
4. Now it’s time for sowing your quality onion seeds. Use a stick or any tool that can dig shallow trenches 15 cms apart. After that start sowing your seeds 4-8 cms apart. But on seed spacing just make sure they’re not too congested. Lightly cover the seeds.
5. After planting your seeds. Mulch the bed with dry grass and then water thrice a day depending on the weather conditions of your place until they sprout. In cold areas you can even cover the bed with a polythene cover for warmth that will fasten the germination but it’s very important to remember to remove the cover as soon as the seeds germinate to prevent it from burning the delicate shoots.
6. Once the seeds are germinated remove the mulch and erect a shade over the bed. Continue watering the nursery.

On our next post will talk about the management of the onion nursery from the moment the seeds have germinated to the day of transplanting. And kindly leave your feedback. You can leave your comment here or reach me on Twitter: Money in Agribusiness @lazarus_marson.