puny onions

[setter4]

I dug my onions on Saturday and was very disappointed. I only got about 5 lbs of onions and the biggest ones are only about 2 inches across. Most are smaller. I don't really know what kind they were, just whatever the local hardware store had sets of. lol
I'd like to actually order something that will give me a nice sweet onion that's big enough to actually use for next spring.
What would anyone suggest for central Pa.?

 

[VT Chicklit]

setter4, I can feel for you . I had the same problem this year. Last years onion crop was great. I planted about 20 onion sets and I think everyone took. They also got to a good size. This year, I planted more onions as well as shallots. I just dug mine and only got about 15 onions which were 2" or less and no shallots at all. I dont know if the weather had anything to do with it (it we rainy at first, then dry inAugust/September) or if there is another reason . I will be watching this thread with alot of interest to see what everyone has to say.

 

[me&thegals]

Onions need lots of fertility and water. I also learned this year that the earlier they are planted, the better and bigger. One guy at my farmer's market gets his in in April with the potatoes. I used to mulch mine for weeds but also learned that the more sun they get, the better. Good luck next year!

 

[bigredfeather]

I had the best luck ever with my onions this year. Two years ago I tried bulbs. The onions were flat and small. Last year I bought sets from a local greenhouse. They didn't look very good when I got them. They were somewhat brown and had very few roots. Most of them never made it. This year I ordered seeds. I bought a variety called Candy from Jung Seeds. I started the seeds indoors in early March under lights. I filled a propagation tray w/ no holes with germanating mix soil and sowed the seeds in soil. I transplanted the onions to the garden in late April. The onions were about 3" tall. I pulled them right out of the tray and planted up to the green. I was amazed at how long the roots were. Some of them had to be 3-4" long. I ended up with four rows about 15' long each, planting sets about 6" apart. I gave them a good dose of organic fertilizer twice. Once in mid May, and again in mid June. By the end of June, they were almost three feet tall. The bigger the green, the bigger the onion. I kept them well weeded. Onions do not like competition. I dug my onions in Early August. About half were close to the size of softballs, the rest were smaller. None were smaller than a baseball. I weighed them before drying and it totalled almost 100 lbs. I never thought I would get that many onions from $2.15 worth of seeds. I hung them in the barn to dry for 3 wks. They are still keeping, and I think they will last us for a few more months (we use an onion a day).

Goodluck next year!

 

[setter4]

Thanks Biggreenthumb! i will make a note of the onion variety.
Where are you located? Are you in the north east?
I just wondered if this variety will do well for me here in Pa.

 

[setter4]

setter4, I can feel for you . I had the same problem this year. Last years onion crop was great. I planted about 20 onion sets and I think everyone took. They also got to a good size. This year, I planted more onions as well as shallots. I just dug mine and only got about 15 onions which were 2" or less and no shallots at all. I dont know if the weather had anything to do with it (it we rainy at first, then dry inAugust/September) or if there is another reason . I will be watching this thread with alot of interest to see what everyone has to say.

Misery loves company! lol
maybe we can compare HUGE onions next year. lol

 

[bigredfeather]

I live in central Ohio. I would think our weather would be similar.

 

[vfem]

I ALWAYS suggest Vidalia onions! Large and sweet.... I even have dressing recipes for them because they are so nice and no weird bitterness. I'm not sure how they would do in your zone though?

 

[silkiechicken]

My guess it might be the soil and weather. From my understanding, they like the heat. I don't even try here.

 

[bigredfeather]

If you go to Jung seed and read the description for the Candy onions, they claim these onion seeds are to reach the same size no matter the soil type. My ground isn't really that great. I do believe it has a lot to do with how much water they get. I watered them when I thought they needed it. Probabaly no more than 3 times. Fertilizer is very important. They need a lot of nitrogen to get big greens early in the growing season. They grew a lot when the weather was cooler. I think the combination of all these things gave me the results that I had this year.