Big onions

[so lucky]

The article from Bonnie, and the reference map that they direct you to, from Dixondale, is very helpful. I am in the intermediate, or day neutral zone. I plant Candy onions. So I can only blame my gardening ability for the puny onions I grow.

 

[catjac1975]

I planted Walla Walla, Yellow Sweet, Spanish Texas, and Candy plants that I bought form Steele plant company. I had a fantastic onion year. Probably my best with onions as big as store bought. I do not know anything about daylight length. I am going to try to start my own plants in the green house this year. I have tried a new product this year called Quantum. It is a biomechanical engineering product. My minute understanding of the product is that it enhances the microbes in the soil so that the nutrients become available to the plant. There are many other brands that offer the same thing. It was expensive but so far I think it is a good investment.

 

[catjac1975]

Weeding is critical for onions, at least in the early growing stages. I weed probably twice and mulch heavily. I have used corn gluten in the past, also, to hold down the weeds. I works fairly well. By the time it is in need of a 3rd weeding they are ready for harvest. I have never seen any pest on onions.

 

[digitS']

Something to remember about onions is they are not roots.

You can't see it in the picture in the first post but the roots are under the bulb, the stringy things, maybe they were cut off.

So, what is the bulb? You see leaves sticking out - it's the base of the leaves. Treat onions like grasses, maybe like a corn crop. They need lots of nitrogen for their green leaves.

Like a lawn grass, an onion seedling can be crowded ... by every weed around! The lawn grass ... ummm, onion ... will be lost in the weeds! Some folks think of the onion as the ultimate garden companion plant. That's because it doesn't inconvenience anything!

Steve