If you like big bulbs and cannot lie, this gardener has an onion-growing technique for you. The seasoned home gardener recently shared her tips for bigger onion bulbs on TikTok — and the hack will give you the most payoff for your home gardening efforts.
The scoop
The bottom line: more sunlight equals bigger bulbs.
As Hygge Haven (@hygge.haven) explained, to grow a proper bulb, the base of the onion near the root must be exposed to sunlight.
@hygge.haven This is how to grow grocery store sized onions! Sunlight=bigger bulbs! make sure to uncover your bulbs which will signal to the onion to start putting its energy into bulb building instead of the green foliage. 💚 tag a gardener who needs to know this! and make sure to follow for more garden tips! #GardenTips #GrowYourOwnFood #OnionHarvest #GardeningHack #HomesteadGarden #BeginnerGardener ♬ original sound - Hygge Haven
The gardener advised using a couple of inches of leaf mulch for protection when planting the veggies. As the onion matures and nears harvest, this mulch should be cleared away so the bulb can develop properly.
"The sunlight will then trigger a response from the onion to bulk up on the button and stop wasting so much energy on the top," the gardener advised in the video.
The gardener added that the roots should be the only part remaining underground as the bulbs grow larger.
"By the time I harvest these, they will just look like onions sitting on top of the ground," the gardener said, noting that this approach can result in "grocery-store-sized onions."
Onions are photoperiodic plants, meaning they respond to the length of daylight hours, which signals when they start to form bulbs. That's why planting them at the right depth — with the tops just above the soil — helps support proper bulb development. It ensures the bulb has room to expand while the long, green tops capture sunlight for energy.
How it's helping
Growing your own food is a great way to minimize waste and reduce your environmental footprint. When you grow your own food, you cut down on the demand for mass-produced crops — and Big Ag has a massive impact on the planet.
Our World in Data estimates that food production accounts for 26% of global planet-warming pollution. Not only that, but about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture. And that's not to mention Big Ag's heavy reliance on pesticides and fertilizers. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. agriculture sector applies about half a million tons of pesticides, 12 million tons of nitrogen, and 4 million tons of phosphorus fertilizer to crops annually.
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Less than 30 minutes 🌵 While home gardening can help you sidestep many of these environmental impacts, it can help save you money, too. A $70 investment in home gardening can yield up to $600 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables annually. Plus, they'll taste even better knowing you grew them yourself without any concerning chemicals.
Gardening at home can also help reduce food waste. Globally, about one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted before it can be eaten. When you put time and care into growing your own veggies, you're far less likely to let them go to waste. After all, every onion feels like a little victory you don't want to toss out.
Beyond environmental and financial benefits, home gardening also offers health benefits. According to the Mayo Clinic, gardening is a great form of exercise, can help ease stress, and often leads to healthier eating habits.
What everyone's saying
In response to the video, fellow gardeners shared their gratitude — and some funny stories — after learning the simple tip for growing bigger onions.
"Oh wow, thank you," one commenter wrote. "Last year's onions were so small because I didn't know."
"When I tell you all 40 onions were like chives," another commenter added of their previous harvest. "I was devastated. It was so long, then I got little sticks. No bulbs! Thank you so much for your help!"
"I found this out by accident last year with the neighbor's cat digging in my garden and gave me bigger onion bulbs," a third commenter wrote.
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