HOME VEGETABLE GARDENING 
ONIONS— WHEN TO SOW SEEDS AND HOW 
A S EARLY in the spring as the soil can be properly 
W*- prepared (see page 103), dug and raked, make fur- 
rows about half inch deep (the rake handle will do) and 
place them twelve to eighteen inches apart. Where space 
permits, the wider distance is preferable, because it makes 
subsequent weeding and thinning out easier. 
Sow the seeds thinly, about three or four to e'very inch 
or, on an average, one ounce to every 250 feet of row. 
Cover about quarter to half inch deep. The seedlings 
will appear in from ten days to two weeks, when the first 
hoeing should be done. It is not practical to make re- 
peated sowings of onions for a continuous supply. 
While the well-established young onion plant is fairly 
able to take care of itself, the seedlings need all the 
care and attention the planter can afford to give. Prompt 
and repeated weeding is absolutely necessary. Frequent 
hoeing must keep the soil loose so that air can penetrate 
it and the bulbs can expand. 
106 
