Onion experts...

[baymule]

I planted Stuttgarter onion seeds last fall. I now have very little tiny onions. Now I figured out that they are long day and in my climate, I really should have planted short day. By the time they get the long days they need, it will be boiling hot and they will more than likely go dormant. :/

Onion expert I just might be........ and ex is a has-been and a spert is a drip.

 

[digitS']

As far a I'm concerned, Bay',

you should just use them for what sets are best suited for: early scallions.

There is seed out there for a great many choices and limiting oneself to only sets is, well . . . limiting. You even proved that you can grow sets from seed!

Steve

 

[baymule]

Thanks for the encouragement Steve. It is all a work in progress, no matter what I may think I know, every day I learn something new. Even my goof-ups are beneficial as I learn what does and does not work. I am leaning more and more to trying to grow as much as possible from seed and I will find the "right" onion for me!

 

[MontyJ]

I grow onions from plants, like others here. What I have found to help in heavier soils like mine is brushing. What I do is plant the onions and wait until they form bulbs. As the bulbs grow, I gently brush away the soil to expose about half of the bulb. As the bulb gets bigger, I brush more and more dirt away. By the time the onions are ready, they are basically sitting on top of the soil. In heavier clay soils like mine, that suffer compaction, I think it really helps form bigger bulbs. Lots of water helps too.

 

[journey11]

I'd never heard that tip before...I'll have to try that.

 

[bj taylor]

i really like the idea of "brushing" i grow in raised beds, but i still think that might assist in larger bulbs forming. maybe i'll do some that way & some not.

 

[lesa]

Interesting, Monty. That is what happens naturally when I plant onions. You have found a way to mimic mother nature!

 

[April Manier]

We did an acre of onions last year.

You start them from seed now in open flats (no cells). You cover them and they come up easily. ONce the stems are about 3 inches tall feed them some fish poop. You will want to feed them about every 10 days. The stems will get quite large and need to eventually get trimmed, or they flop and make it so the light doesn't get to the others. I trim them to about 5 inches tall. It's like giving them a hair cut. If growth is good they will need a second hair cut before they go out. You put them out in June here. The bigger the bulb the better. Onions really want to have a lot of time and sun to mature, We had a disaster last year when fungus jumped the road and arrested the growth. It was painful to see an acre fizzle on us.

Be careful not to break the necks on them when putting them out. Heavily fertilze the soil with compost before you put them out. We do them 4 rows, in 60 in wide beds, 6 inches apart. We fertilize 3 times over the growing season. Onions like water. Don't let them dry until right before you plan to harvest or the skins will spit.

You cannot imagine planting an acre of onions. It is emmense. So many little starts! I never want to do it again!!!! This year it's just me and my onions for the root cellar- a mere 600 as opposed to the 12000 we did last year.

OH! And what I discovered last year was a variety called Trekker, by Johnny's Seeds. It grows round. Most onions are oblong until they start maturing. What makes Trekker a star in my book is the ability to harden these off at any stage of growing and still be able to store them. They are by far the most superior storage onion I have yet found.

 

[journey11]

Wow, a whole acre! April, I'd say that definitely makes you an expert!

 

[897tgigvib]

That's a lot of great info and experience April!