How to plant onions

Ridgerunner

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Much like Seed I use a straight line maker to mark a straight line.
Straight Line.JPG


I do all the weed control, tilling, amending, and hopefully wind up with an area with few living weeds and grass and with the soil relatively easy to work. Then I use a hoe to mark that line on the ground. Using one of my most dangerous tools, my judgment instead of a measuring device, I push the bulbs into the soft ground with my fingers, root side down and growing side up. I use bulbs that have not yet sprouted or maybe just barely showing some green. The tops of the bulbs are buried, but just barely. Barely buried bulbs. Say that real fast three times. (I know @baymule . That, That, That. I just said "that" three times. Thought I'd save you the trouble of pointing that out. :p Love ya too girl!)

I try to put them in two rows about 4" apart and 4" apart in each of those rows. My goal is to sort of stagger them, the onions in the row on the left about halfway between the onions in the row on the right. It's worthwhile having a goal but not necessarily a disaster if you don't always achieve it. If some wind up close together, those get renamed to "Green Onions."

Onions.JPG
 

Gardening with Rabbits

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I just push mine in as well. My fingers protect the onion and move the soil for it. Straight rows? Since I plant in beds I don't worry about getting neat rows. I don't have to walk along them to weed.

Like DigitS, I work best with a stool. Sit, reach, plant or sit, reach, weed, or sit, reach, harvest. It's all the same to me. Prolonged bending makes me dizzy, causes my wires to zap my diaphram, and eventually hurts my back. Sitting solves everything.

I will try the sitting. I am on my knees and when I get up, I am limping, not really my knees, I think hips and my back used to be my problem, but I think I just got used to that and now have gone to new things like aching all over. :old
 

Gardening with Rabbits

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Much like Seed I use a straight line maker to mark a straight line.
View attachment 2330

I do all the weed control, tilling, amending, and hopefully wind up with an area with few living weeds and grass and with the soil relatively easy to work. Then I use a hoe to mark that line on the ground. Using one of my most dangerous tools, my judgment instead of a measuring device, I push the bulbs into the soft ground with my fingers, root side down and growing side up. I use bulbs that have not yet sprouted or maybe just barely showing some green. The tops of the bulbs are buried, but just barely. Barely buried bulbs. Say that real fast three times. (I know @baymule . That, That, That. I just said "that" three times. Thought I'd save you the trouble of pointing that out. :p Love ya too girl!)

I try to put them in two rows about 4" apart and 4" apart in each of those rows. My goal is to sort of stagger them, the onions in the row on the left about halfway between the onions in the row on the right. It's worthwhile having a goal but not necessarily a disaster if you don't always achieve it. If some wind up close together, those get renamed to "Green Onions."

View attachment 2331

I am going to use the string today. I can tell by all the pictures and explaining that i do not have a disaster and I was starting to wonder when I saw holes being made perfect with a dibble stick.
 

digitS'

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Wow, that is beautiful! Are those ROCKS? I was going to complain about my rocks falling in with the roots, but I will be quiet now. LOL

The notion of gardening prospects takes on a whole different meaning when looking at that bed, doesn't it @Gardening with Rabbits ? That ground could be mined for gravel!

Probably easier to see how planting those would be tuff on the digitS'.

Bamm-Bamm Rubble
DSC00536.JPG
 
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Gardening with Rabbits

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My Daddy taught me to poke holes with a hoe handle. It works for all kinds of seeds, should work for onions too.

@Ridgerunner you are so funny! :lol:

I took a hoe and measured with it. It is 6 inches, so I kind of looked where 5 inches would be, and I had a metal pole in the other hand and put the hole. I had it marked out, but when I went to put the onions in, it really was not wide enough to make it easier than what I was doing. I would have to stop and make the hole wider to get the roots
The notion of gardening prospects takes on a whole different meaning when looking at that bed, doesn't it @Gardening with Rabbits ? That ground could be mined for gravel!

Probably easier to see how planting those would be tuff on the digitS'.

Bamm-Bamm Rubble
DSC00536.JPG

I would never have believed onions would grow there, but they sure did!
 

Gardening with Rabbits

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My Daddy taught me to poke holes with a hoe handle. It works for all kinds of seeds, should work for onions too.

@Ridgerunner you are so funny! :lol:

I took a hoe and measured with it. It is 6 inches, so I kind of looked where 5 inches would be, and I had a metal pole in the other hand and put the hole. I had it marked out, but when I went to put the onions in, it really was not wide enough to make it easier than what I was doing. I would have to stop and make the hole wider to get the roots
The notion of gardening prospects takes on a whole different meaning when looking at that bed, doesn't it @Gardening with Rabbits ? That ground could be mined for gravel!

Probably easier to see how planting those would be tuff on the digitS'.

Bamm-Bamm Rubble
DSC00536.JPG

I would never have believed onions would grow there, but they sure did!
 
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