Help me with onions

[Southern Gardener]

So I went to Home Depot last night and on impulse I bought a bunch of green onions not knowing anything about planting or growing them. They've already sprouted - a lot - can I still plant them? My gardening guide says to plant them December - January though. I'm confused. . .

 

[Greensage45]

Hi,

You're in the deep south, you can plant and still have time for a crop.

The trick is how you want the onions to behave. If you plant them deeper in the soil you will get fine green onions for use in potato salads and other recipes. If you want to produce a big fat bulb, then plant them up closer to the surface, so as the bulb is just barely under the soil line.

These should grow nicely and not flower since it is no longer hot out. Once the onion goes to flower and then is harvested, it loses the ability to hold firm and soon turns to mush as it ripens. So if you can harvest before bloomsets, then they should last through the winter months.

Ron

I bet you will have some in your Thanksgiving meal this year, that gives you nearly 50 days of growth. Not too bad! :tools

 

[Southern Gardener]

Thanks for the reply Ron.

 

[HiDelight]

I was skeptical forever about growing onions (they really are cheap here in season at the farmers market) and all I can say now is I am glad I am doing it ...really worth the effort ..I can not give you southern advice I just think you will be so happy when you taste your home growns good luck with them and please keep us posted

mine take two years from seed here to mature so I may try starts next year ..I was given a huge bag of seed from a friend in Oregon and they are fantastic tasting but who knew that it would take two years to get an onion from a seed????

is it like that everywhere ?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I remember hearing that when I first started gardening, HiDelight, but I then found out you can plant them in the middle of summer and get good onions by the next summer.

 

[Greensage45]

HiHi,

They do seed onions right out front of my house and in less than one season they are grown. Sometimes they do let them carry over a bit into bloom and still get them to the market, but I am shocked how fast they grow.

My own onions did not fair so well. My landlord says that this part of his land carries some root virus that knocks them out, but that doesn't explain the field crops out front.

I will try again this Fall.

Ron

 

[journey11]

Now I must plant onions next year.

I gave it a half-hearted try a few years ago and had no success. I always grow garlic, scallions and multiplier onions every year with no trouble. I never knew the depth mattered so much on regular onions. That's where I went wrong! We cook and eat LOTS of onion, so I'm going to have to try again.
:tools

 

[simple life]

How did your mulitplier onions do?
I just ordered them for the first time and am wondering how much room I should give them.
Those onions are fairly small right?
They shipped my order today for the multipliers, shallots and garlic from one company and I got my garlic order from Johnny's Seeds today.
I didn't realize it took two years to grow onions from seed either and I thought mine just did lousy and pulled the plants out.
The whole short day,long day and day neutral thing confuses me.

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

You know, I never knew that even home grown onions taste better. This year I grew Texas 1015 and they are SO dang good all thick and sweet/juicy piled with a fat Brandywine slice. Man, it just doesn't get any better!

I started some onion seeds about a month ago. They are still straggling along but still just look like little sprigs of grass. I wish they would DO something....lol!

How did your mulitplier onions do?
I just ordered them for the first time and am wondering how much room I should give them.
Those onions are fairly small right?

I have some multipliers and yes, they are about the same size as green onions. Cool thing is once mine made babies the tops fell over, and died. Well, I had so much going on I never got to pulling them up so now they have resprouted again as well as their babies. I have them mainly as an ornamental but if I can get a big enough bed of them going then perhaps they will take over for my onion needs.

 

[digitS']

long-day for the North, short-day for the South

Long-day onions require long hours of daylight to prompt them to form bulbs. Short-day onions don't require so many hours of daylight.

I have grown Granex onions (the type grown in Vidalia Georgia) in my far north garden. They were fine but made bulbs when they were quite small. The few hours that they required came too early here near 49 North.

Growing long-day onions in the South may not work well since the day-length may not be adequate to prompt bulb formation.

I used to plant Walla Walla onion seed in the garden in late August. However, 2 years out of 3 ( ) nearly all the plants would bolt to seed in the spring. I believe that the severity of the winter caused this. One year out of 3, they would behave themselves and form a bulb in July.

I gave up direct-seeding in August and just start the plants indoors in late winter. Then I transplant to the open garden in April. I think sowing seed outdoors in August should work fine for folks that don't have to contend with sub-zero winter weather.

Steve