A zone 8/9 onion growing thread

[zigs]

That's saddening to hear. IMO, many churches have lost their way and are contributors to the ongoing decline of society.

They certainly have around here, but if you say anything you get your bank account cancelled, then can't buy anything or get your salary or pension, so you end up on the street only to find there are no poor boxes anymore

 

[FromCali]

No, if I understand your question. Perhaps you could elaborate a bit, please.

Did you start indoor or directly out?

 

[Meadowlark]

Did you start indoor or directly out?

Direct seeded in garden. no transplant.

 

[Meadowlark]

Update post Polar Vortex after several days below freezing and lows of 15 deg. F.

Both the onions started from seed and those transplanted fared very well with minimal damage. The seeded row continues to far exceed the transplanted onions.

 

[YumYum]

Update post Polar Vortex after several days below freezing and lows of 15 deg. F.

Both the onions started from seed and those transplanted fared very well with minimal damage. The seeded row continues to far exceed the transplanted onions.

Keep the root of the onion from freezing and the onion will live on. When the ground and roots freeze it suffocates the onion to death.

 

[Meadowlark]

I've lost onions at 11 deg F and several cases where no loss at about 15 deg F. The magic number for loss may be somewhere between those although the amount of water is a big factor also.

 

[zigs]

Looking good Meadowlark

We've had a freeze for a week but warming up a bit now, will have a look at ours tomorrow. Not got anywhere near as much as you though.

 

[FromCali]

Update post Polar Vortex after several days below freezing and lows of 15 deg. F.

Both the onions started from seed and those transplanted fared very well with minimal damage. The seeded row continues to far exceed the transplanted onions.

View attachment 101428

Looks like it survived without mulch!

 

[Meadowlark]

One of the advantages (or disadvantages depending on how you look at it) of direct seeding onions is that you can get a lot of thinnings or green onions. This can be very valuable to extend your harvest and provide some tasty fresh onions...but can be viewed as too much work also. Personally, I think the green onions are worthy.

You can pull a bucket full and not even notice any missing.

Seeded onions on the right.

 

[Meadowlark]

We are continuing to thin out the onions in the direct seeded row...hundreds and hundreds of them. Notice how much larger they are now.

They have to be removed to enable the remaining ones to grow large bulbs. These thinnings are outstanding eating and have filled the harvest-to-harvest gap in large bulb onions such that we have a continuous supply of garden onions now year around.

 

[Meadowlark]

The harvest came early this year due to torrential rains...43 inches in 18 days. The seeded onions produced the most but this freak weather kind of rendered the test meaningless. Harvesting early, they were all smaller bulb size than normal and very likely will no store well due to all the moisture.

All that notwithstanding, it is still a great crop of onions, and we will really enjoy having them.

 

[FromCali]

We are continuing to thin out the onions in the direct seeded row...hundreds and hundreds of them. Notice how much larger they are now.

They have to be removed to enable the remaining ones to grow large bulbs. These thinnings are outstanding eating and have filled the harvest-to-harvest gap in large bulb onions such that we have a continuous supply of garden onions now year around.

View attachment 102561

How did you pull these out without disturbing nearby onions?

 

[Meadowlark]

How did you pull these out without disturbing nearby onions?

Thank you for the question.

It is actually pretty easy...just pull upward on the plant to be removed and if roots of remaining plants are disturbed just tamp them down.

 

[big rockpile]

For decades I've always grown my table onions from plants. Here in Texas we grow short day onions and of these the 1015 derived varieties have proven to be superior. The onion plants are started from seed by commercial growers in mid-October in the RIO Grand Valley of Texas and harvested for sale to customers all over in early November.

This year for a number of reasons, I've decided to grow some from seed myself to compare to the commercially grown plants. I planted some 1015 super sweet, Texas Grano, and vidalia onions from seed back in mid-Oct...shown below:

1015 super sweet

View attachment 100865



Texas Grano

View attachment 100866

Vidalia

View attachment 100867


Side by side with my seed started on the right vs the commercially grown transplants center:

View attachment 100869


The commercial transplants are pretty sad now but soon they will perk up and grow. I have to believe, however, the seeded onions will fare much better without being harvested, starved for soil nutrients and water, and transplanted. Bothe will be harvested next May and I'll update this thread for those interested.

Will this work for Long Day Varieties in Zone 6?

I bought some seed then read you are in Texas.

Got an area I just took Cabbage out of going to plant Okra and Beans when Beans are done plant Garlic and maybe Onion Seed.

big rockpile