Onion question

[aee96]

Are you supposed to remove the dirt around your onions to make them be bigger onions? One of my neighbors told me to spray away the dirt around the bulbs and it would make them grow bigger. I've never read this anywhere so I was wondering if any of you have heard of this?

Thanks,

aee96

 

[jlmann]

When they start to bulb I always pull the dirt from around them so that only the roots are still covered. This is how they get those giant onions you see at the supermarket. Of course, it depends a lot on the type of onions you are growing. I have had good luck doing this with Texas sweet , Walla walla and a few other types of onions that were very similar to Vidalia onions. As far as the sets that a lot of people plant for" green onions" I'm thinking they just don't get that big maybe baseball size compared to softball size with the texas sweets. Hope this helps.

 

[vfem]

Now I heard you need to loosen the soil around ALL root plants to let them get their full potential size?! I did it with my radishes, and I'm doing it with my carrots. I would assume the same for onions. (I'm starting mine from seed though.)

 

[jlmann]

A lot of it depends on soil type. Our soil has a high percentage of clay in it , so we have to stay on top of tilling or it just turns to concrete after some rain then a couple of days of sun. Really loamy soil (think compost) doesn't seem to restrict growth as much. vfem - you know it will be around 18 - 24 months before you get onions right? Edited to add : Onions take longer when you start from seed.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

OK, I was wondering . . . I never heard of such a thing, but our soil is sooooo sandy. That makes sense.

Also the only way you can grow respectable onions in Western Washington is if you start them in fall and grow them into the following summer (~300 days).

 

[digitS']

Keep in mind that a bulb onion is the base of the leaves. The roots are those white stringy things that are down below the bulb. No, I didn't know anything about loosening soil to allow them to grow big but there are other good reasons for keeping the soil surface loose.
Certainly, I don't have clay soil - gravel with a little soil mixed in would be more like it .

I have grown onions like DrakeMaiden and direct-seeded in the garden one growing season and harvested in the next - Walla Wallas. However, this has only worked well in about 1 years out of 3. Our sub-zero Winters and cold Springs prompts the plants to bolt to seed rather than continuing to grow and forming bulbs.

These days, I start seed in the greenhouse and transplant into the garden. And, I order plants from Texas. Either way, I get nice onions in late Summer. Seed to harvest is about 5 months.
Today, I planted my shallots :tools!

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

Now I heard you need to loosen the soil around ALL root plants to let them get their full potential size?! I did it with my radishes, and I'm doing it with my carrots. I would assume the same for onions. (I'm starting mine from seed though.)

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I've heard to be very careful around carrots. The root forms the carrot and if you disturb the root when the carrot is young, you can get a very twisted, misshapen carrot.

 

[vfem]

I'm really not sure?! I had read it on a site while reading about my radish (white radish and not the red) it suggest scraping the surface of the soil to keep it loose for all root veggies. My carrots are still small and I haven't done it yet... I was planning on doing it when I starting seeing the tops developing like I did with my radishes. They ended up pretty huge and slightly above the surface so I could so them.

As for the onions, I read they needed them earlier then I got them. We have a fairly long growing season, and a mild winter. Who knows, maybe I'll get to harvest them before next spring. I do have covered built for my beds so I can grow in winter now. If they don't work out I'm planning on doing sets next year instead. Gotta learn somehow!?

 

[jlmann]

With the onions , most store bought sets are onions planted from seed- then allowed to go dorment for either a real or "artificial" winter. You plant the sets or in some cases what look like small green onions and they produce during the current season. If you plant them from seed it takes 2 seasons or 1 1/2 if you force them. Your seeds will be fine. You can either leave them in the ground this coming fall or dig them after they die back, let them dry, plant them next spring.

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The onions closest to the camera were planted late last september.

 

[vfem]

Those look great... I will be patient with mine as I know they can store well when they actually are done growing. I got these in a seed trade in like Feb or early Mar. Sets were too expensive when I saw them available. I heard they went through a dormant state during the hot months though?!