Six inches of fresh snow last week. It does not feel like seed-starting season.
That’s the mind-trick.
Snow has a way of slowing everything down. It makes the season feel distant, like there’s still plenty of time to get organized before anything really begins. But then a stretch of warmer days shows up and that snow disappears faster than you expect. Suddenly the ground is bare, the season is real, and you’re behind before you’ve filled a single tray.
Alliums are the crop that feel this shift the most.
Onions, shallots, leeks, chives — they all need a long runway. They don’t germinate quickly, and they don’t grow quickly. Every day they spend under lights before transplant matters, because in The North, there are only so many growing days available, and these crops need as many of them as they can get.
Honestly, I haven’t started mine yet either.
And this is where it gets us. Suddenly it looks like spring outside, and there’s nothing in the seed tray. The calendar matters more than how the season feels.
I struggle with this in early March. Late May looks so far away, and it’s easy to think there’s still time. But the calendar doesn’t stretch just because we want it to. What actually helps is setting aside a day to get everything ready (soil, trays, seeds) so when that date comes up, you’re not starting from scratch. You’re just starting seeds.
Plant allium seeds shallow, about a quarter inch deep, no more. Keep them warm while they germinate (it can take ten days or longer), then give them the strongest light you have. Don’t overwater. A light mist until they sprout is enough, then switch to watering from below.
They’ll get long. A little floppy. That’s normal.
When they do, trim them back to about 3–4 inches. It feels aggressive the first time, but it isn’t. You’re not hurting the plant; you’re shifting its energy. Less top growth, more root development. And that root system is what carries an allium through transplant and into the part of the season where it needs to perform.
If you start this weekend, you still have time. I’m making time this weekend to finish setting up my grow system and gathering supplies, with alliums at the top of the ‘to plant’ list.
Seven weeks under lights can make the difference between a crop that finishes and one that runs out of heat before it gets there.
And even when timing isn’t perfect, these plants have more flexibility than we give them credit for. A small onion is still worth growing. The tops can be used like chives. There’s no wasted effort here, just different outcomes depending on the season you’re given.
So get your supplies together. Clear a space. Start what you can.
A tray of seeds in soil will always move you forward more than a packet in the drawer.
Rooted in The North,
Caroline
Founder, Taiga Farm & Seed
