Big onions

[Smart Red]

Smiles Jr, I believe those huge onions are the Vidalia onions although many onions do grow larger with proper growing conditions.

 

[Lavender2]

I was just reading about the Vidalia dilemma, interesting ... MNN

 

[digitS']

Don't grow Vidalia, @Smiles Jr. At least, I think you must be too far north for that one ... my garden is and the Vidalia onions where not any bigger than my thumb. That was about 25years ago when I was confused about onion and daylength.

Walla Walla a good keeper? Maybe the 2 month limit is in error. Here I thought my basement was a good onion environment keeping Walla Walla until December ...

None of my onions are supposed to be good keepers but I can get Ovation to last the best. I grow it from seed sown in flats in the greenhouse. I didn't realize Ovation was considered a sweet onion but it rates high enough on the brix scale to be classified as one. It's had repeat performances in my garden.

Steve

 

[Smiles Jr.]

OK folks, now you did it! What's all this talk about day length? I thought all of us had pretty much the same daylight hours in the same seasons. Where can I go to learn more about this stuff?

 

[lesa]

I have been very successful keeping my onions for the entire winter, and well into summer- just in the crisper drawers of my fridge. I lay them in, with layers of paper towels- to keep the moisture absorbed. Very pleased with this method. Way better than the basement. My onions varied from tiny to nice sized this year. No rhyme or reason to it, that I could tell. I prefer raised beds for sure, but that wasn't an option this year.

 

[digitS']

I can't think (this early in the morning , of a quick comparison but here is where you can look up most everyone's sunrise to sunset, @Smiles Jr.

Hours of sunlight in various locations (LINK)

My sunshine: 3:50 to 19:50, 16 hours
Indianapolis: 5:17 to 20:16, 15 hours
Charleston, SC: 5:12 to 19:31, 14.3 hours
San Francisco: 4:48 to 19:35, 14.5 hours
Orlando: 5:28 to 19:26, 14 hours

What happens with those Georgia/Texas onions is they hit their bulbing daylength too early in the growing season and away they go ... little guys. I guess the long-day types never get to the right length of day, down South.

Steve

 

[PhilaGardener]

@Smiles Jr. , here is a nice (slightly older, but who isn't) bulletin from OSU to complement @digitS' info, so you don't get left in the dark!
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/onion-bulb-formation-strongly-linked-day-length

 

[digitS']

Growing onion sets ..? I will have to think on that - how might I grow sets. Sets for the north?

Anyway, "overwintering" isn't reliable here for Walla Walla, despite being only a few score miles north of that valley. Subzero weather just seems to click the flowering switch on them.

In all honesty, except for scallions, I don't care a whole lot for onions from sets. That super storage quality they have must mean that they are a long way from sugary sweet. Now, sweet onions harvested as scallions are delicious!

Steve

 

[buckabucka]

We had our biggest onions ever this year. We used more fertilizer, had good rain in the spring, and gave them space, or maybe it was luck! We don't use sets here.

In regards to day length, we are rapidly approaching the equinox when everyone will have 12 hours of daylight, but otherwise, there is a large variation. DH explained it this way: At the equator, day-length is 12 hours and stays that way year-round. At the North Pole, day-length varies from 0 to 24 hours.

Those are the two extremes, but you can see how all the variations in between would affect your growing. My sister in Alaska can't grow tomatoes (without a hoop house) because it is too cold. But her brassicas are massive, because the days are so long.

 

[Lavender2]

If you're not confused enough yet, @Smiles Jr. , ... here's another bit of onion info ..
http://bonnieplants.com/library/which-onion-is-right-for-you/

Extension sites are great info for your particular area, when to plant, local pests and problems, etc., although often I notice they are not updated. Recommended varieties are sometimes no longer available or there are newer varieties that may be better to try.

And then often, the best tips come from other gardeners right here on TEG!