Onions

[CrealCritter]

Seeds or transplants --->
https://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/garden-journal/growing-onions

Sets --->
https://www.almanac.com/plant/onions

The best results i've had here in southern IL (which is really close to short day & intermediate and long day lines) was by seed starting long day seeds indoors and transplanting out in the garden late winter / early spring (middle of February). I watched my yard closely. When I seen the wild onions first pop up that's when I transplanted my seedlings into the garden.

The worst results were by planting sets as soon as the appear at the farm store.

 

[Mini Horses]

Well I'm on that short/intermediate line....right there at the VA-NC border.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

When I seen the wild onions first pop up that's when I transplanted my seedlings into the garden.

That's a good idea! I've never had much luck with onions so I rarely bother except maybe for some green onions. I rarely get bulbs when I try to plant "real" onions.

 

[CrealCritter]

Oninions are tricky they are. Intermediates are not day lenth sensitive to bulb. Both long and short day type are, and will start to bulb when the day lenght is reached. They must be planted early I'm ordering my seeds this weekend to start inside the day they arrive. Onions are nitrogen hungry plants I mean hungry! Pull back the mulch and fertilizer every two weeks with a nice fat banding of amonia nitrate on both sides of the row, until they start to bulb. The more "leaves" you can get to grow the more rings in the bulb. The fatter and taller the leaf, the bigger the ring. Just remember that every leaf is a onion ring in the bulb. Ensure they have plenty of miosture during the leaf growing stage (1 inch a week - including rain). When the leaves fall over pull back all mulch from the bulbs and discontinue fertilizing.

Here is a link to a daylight graphing site where you can figure out when and how long your maximum day lenght is. The further north you go the longer day lenth there is and when it will occur, its just the opposite for the south. The further south the less peak daylight in the summer.

Carbondale is North of me but is the only closest city on the menu choices
https://ptaff.ca/soleil/?lang=en_CA

As you can see with 15 day lenght hours peak just to the north of me, i also consider myself on the line for long day & intermediate. But I grow long day types.

The best site I found on growing big onions is https://www.dixondalefarms.com check out the learn section.

 

[baymule]

I know onions will grow well here as evidenced by the Noonday Onions.

http://www.noondaysweetonions.com/

Noonday, Texas isn't far from us. I do well with onion sets for green onions, but rarely get a very big bulb. Never have got a nice big onion,

 

[CrealCritter]

I know onions will grow well here as evidenced by the Noonday Onions.

http://www.noondaysweetonions.com/

Noonday, Texas isn't far from us. I do well with onion sets for green onions, but rarely get a very big bulb. Never have got a nice big onion,

Hun being in texas you guys are most definitely in short day country. You could direct sow short-day seed now right out in the garden. As long as the temp does not drop below 20 degrees for an extended period of of time they shouldn't bolt on you during the summer. Onions really are a cold weather crop. When growing them think of them as a leaf crop.

Bulbing is triggered when the maximum daylight is reached and I guess when the onion senses the deceasd daylight from the max. So the longer you can grow them before the trigger the better sucesss you will have. Like I said they are heavy feeders fertilize every two weeks and don't let them dry out (1 inch of water, including rain) per week. Stop fertilizing when the leaves fall over at the neck of the bulb and pull back mulch. But don't stop with the water (still 1" per week). When the leaves completely dry out that's when you pull them.

You need to grow short day types.

A few good short day onions are:

• ‘Yellow Granex’ for sweet Vidalia-type onions.
• ‘Texas 1015-Y Supersweet’ or ‘Red Creole’ store well.
• ‘White Bermuda’ for a mild onion.

Have a read here ---> https://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/garden-journal/growing-onions

Please order some Texas 1015-Y Supersweet seeds soon and direct sow them into your garden and see if come around August if you don't have some like this

https://www.dixondalefarms.com/category/short_day_onions

Here's your seeds --->
https://sustainableseedco.com/products/texas-1015y-onion

 

[CrealCritter]

Temperature history by zip code. Have a look here to kind of guess when the last day your temp will hit 20 degrees. It's weather... So a guess a best but historically highes, lows and averages help you guess. 20 degrees is that "magic" temperature that triggers bolting in onion seedlings.

https://www.wunderground.com/history/

 

[tortoise]

My onion success has been hit or miss. The hardest part for me is weeding them! I knocked half my onions out of the soil while weeding this past season. The year before we LOST the onions in a weed patch.

I have perennial/bunching Red Welsh onions up near my house.

I would be interested in techniques for cultivating and dealing with weeds. Companion planting didn't work well for me because the onions preventing good weeding practice.

Up here in WI, stuttgarter is the yellow onion variety of choice. Well, it's the only yellow variety available in sets. I grew some from seed and had trouble with using pellets - the pellets fell apart and the soil eroded away from the onion roots which killed them. I have to start onion seed in January here!!

Last year I said I wasn't going to grow onions any more. But my big Baker Creek seed catalog is trying to influence me otherwise!

 

[CrealCritter]

My onion success has been hit or miss. The hardest part for me is weeding them! I knocked half my onions out of the soil while weeding this past season. The year before we LOST the onions in a weed patch.

I have perennial/bunching Red Welsh onions up near my house.

I would be interested in techniques for cultivating and dealing with weeds. Companion planting didn't work well for me because the onions preventing good weeding practice.

Up here in WI, stuttgarter is the yellow onion variety of choice. Well, it's the only yellow variety available in sets. I grew some from seed and had trouble with using pellets - the pellets fell apart and the soil eroded away from the onion roots which killed them. I have to start onion seed in January here!!

Last year I said I wasn't going to grow onions any more. But my big Baker Creek seed catalog is trying to influence me otherwise!

Have you tried corn gluten meal? Not only is it a nitrogen fertlizer it also prevents seeds from sprouting. If your weed seeds have already sprouted it won't kill the plant but it will prevent further seeds from sprouting.

Read more about corn gluten meal here ---> https://www.dixondalefarms.com/product/all-natural-weed-feed-12/growing_aids

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I love a good 1015!