Some onion sets

An area of ground about 1 metre square (3ft square)

Some fertiliser ( Growmore or pelleted chicken manure)

Start this project in March.

Start by digging over the ground with a garden fork, removing any weeds and big stones. Use a rake to level it off and break up any big bits of soil. Sprinkle 3 or 4 handfuls of your fertiliser evenly over the ground and gently rake the ground again.

Using a stick or a hand trowel, make some furrows in the ground 15cm (6 inches) apart and about 2cm (1 inch) deep.

The onion sets are like little baby onions.

Place the onion sets in the furrow 15 cm (6 inches) apart and bring the soil back around them so that the tops are just level with the soil. Use a watering can to water them.

Some times the birds may pull some of the onion sets out of the ground. If this happens just push the onions back in and cover them over with a bit of soil. You can make a bird scarer or scarecrow to keep the birds away if they keep pulling your onions up. The instructions to make these are in the 'Other things to do' pages.

Once your onions begin to grow they will need to be watered at least once a week and as much as every day if the weather is very hot.

Your onions will take a long time to grow and it will be the end of August or September before they are ready for picking. You can tell when they are ready as the leaves will start to go a yellow colour and they will fall over onto the ground. When this happens, dig your onions up, dust off some of the soil and put them in a dry, sunny place for a few days to dry off.

Then all you have to do is cut off the dead leaves and your onions are ready for eating.