2026 Onion Plant Preorders: Shipping Around November 18

Nov 14, 2025by Juanita Schulze

Onion plant preorders are open for the 2026 season at David's Garden Seeds®! If you want to start your onion patch with young plants instead of sowing seed, now is the time to choose a variety and plan your planting space.

We’ll begin with short-day and intermediate-day onion plants. Around the first of the year, we plan to add long-day onions, shallots and leeks. Long-day onions, leeks and shallots, generally aren’t suited to short-day growing regions.

Shipping is expected to begin around November 18, 2026. This is an estimated shipping start, not a guaranteed arrival date. Match your order to your local planting season and check the individual listing for current details.

Browse the Plant Sets collection and preorder your onion plants.

What Comes in an Onion Plant Package?

Our current onion plant packages contain 50 young onion plants for planting. These are transplants, not seed packets, harvested onions or small dormant bulb sets. Starting with young plants lets you skip the seed-starting stage, but the plants still need time and care in the garden to grow into mature onions.

The plants are grown within 90 miles of our store for freshness. Prepare your planting area before they arrive so you can plant promptly, following the care instructions supplied with your order.

Choose from Our Current Onion Preorders

The Plant Sets collection currently includes these six onion varieties:

Texas 1015Y: A short-day choice for gardeners looking for mild, sweet yellow onions.
Yellow Granex: A short-day hybrid with sweet flavor and semi-flat yellow bulbs.
Red Creole: A short-day onion with red-purple coloring and a more pungent flavor.
Spanish Yellow: Our listed short-day variety with yellow bulbs and mild flavor.
Candy: An intermediate-day hybrid with sweet yellow bulbs.
Red Candy Apple: An intermediate-day hybrid with sweet flavor and deep-red, flat-globe bulbs.

Selection may change as the season progresses. Visit the Plant Sets collection for current availability, package details and ordering information.

Match Onion Day Length to Your Region

Choosing the right onion involves more than color. Short-day and intermediate-day onions respond differently to daylight as they begin forming bulbs. Select a variety suited to your region and planting schedule.

Short-day onions are commonly grown in suitable Southern climates. Candy and Red Candy Apple are intermediate-day types, not long-day onions. Do not assume that every variety in the collection fits every location.

Our November shipping estimate is not a universal planting date. Check local Extension recommendations before ordering, especially if your garden will be frozen or your appropriate planting window is months away.

Get Your Planting Bed Ready

Choose a sunny location with loose, fertile, well-drained soil. Prepare the bed in advance and use a soil test to guide fertilizer and pH adjustments. Onions have shallow roots, so give them a bed where weeds can be managed without deep cultivation.

For mature bulbs, spacing of about 4 to 6 inches between plants is a useful starting point, with enough room between rows for tending. Follow the variety's instructions and avoid crowding plants when your goal is full-size onions.

Plant Young Transplants, Not Bulb Sets

When your plants arrive, inspect them and follow the included handling directions. Plant promptly when local conditions are suitable. Do not seal them in a wet bag or leave them sitting in standing water.

Set the roots into the soil with the growing point above ground. Keep the plants upright, firm the soil gently and water them in. Do not bury the base deeply or pile soil over developing bulbs as they grow.

Maintain even moisture without waterlogging the roots. Weed gently and fertilize according to soil needs and label directions rather than adding extra fertilizer indiscriminately.

What to Expect as Your Onions Grow

Young plants establish roots and leaves before developing mature bulbs under suitable day-length and growing conditions. Final size, flavor and harvest timing vary with the variety, planting date, climate and care.

Starting with transplants does not guarantee freedom from pests, disease or bolting. Check plants regularly, manage moisture and choose a variety that fits your location.

As onions mature, tops generally begin to fall and dry naturally. Follow the variety's harvest guidance, then cure sound bulbs in a protected, dry location with good airflow. Storage potential differs among varieties, so plan to use shorter-keeping sweet onions before longer-storing types.

2026 Preorder Questions

When will these orders ship?

Shipping is expected to begin around November 18, 2026. That is an estimate for shipping, not a promise that your plants will arrive on that date.

How many plants are included?

The current onion preorder packages contain 50 young plants each. Check the individual listing before ordering.

Are these seeds or small onion bulbs?

Neither. These listings are for young onion transplants with roots and green tops. The Plant Sets collection name does not mean every item is a dormant bulb set.