Growing Onions

Hi all! Hope you southerners are enjoying some nice weather.

I've been busy getting seeds started in my house. I have a couple shelving units with some lights, altogether it works quite well. This is my first year growing onions from seed. Well last week our family headed north for a snowmobile vacation and when I returned... my onions were sprouted, and really leggy. Like really extremely leggy. I will post a pic tonight when I get home from work. My question is.... is it worth keeping them? I am debating chucking them and starting over with new seed. I don't know how I can get them to grow strong... will they beef up just by getting under my grow lights?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Just take a scissors & cut them back a bit. You will want to do this every time they get looking long. They will grow fatter as you keep trimming them.
Bernie

Really? I've never heard of that. I will give it a go... how much to you cut off? Leave about an inch? Thanks :)

So I chopped down about 1/2 my onion seedlings... I didn't want to commit to trimming all of them :) I hope this works...

I've grown onions many times, starting them from seed too. I keep my seedlings trimmed down to 1" during their time in the house and stop cutting about 3 weeks before setting them outside in the garden. This process helps the little bulbs to develop more strongl

Hi all. I have a question about Walla Walla's. Does one plant them the same as regular yellow onions? water, fertilizer, etc?
Reason I ask is that the uncle of a friend in the Philippines grows yellow onions to sell at market amongst other vegetables and rice. He has never heard of a sweet onion and wants to give it a try growing them. Would it be best to ship him seeds or bunches? Burpee has 75ea. per bunch or would any seedlings purchased at a garden center do?
So, if I can get some good advise it would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Firechef - I think Walla Walla onions are "short day onions" and will only grow well in southern states. Here's a link that explains the difference.

http://www.dixondalefarms.com/category/onion_plants

I tried Walla Walla the first year I lived here, and they only made small bulbs. They don't store well, either. Where you live, you would do best with "long day onions".

Walla Walla Sweets come from Walla Walla Washington (eastern Washington) so the climate is different from Vancouver. I don't grow them, but I have read/heard that if they are grown elsewhere, they just don't taste the same. Weather? Soil? And it's true they don't keep well, we have a 'season' for Walla Walla Sweets and it's short.

I knew I had read somewhere to give the onions a haircut! How long do I trIm them? They're already growing back from last week's trimming. They were flopping everywhere and pulling themselves outta the dirt!

We grow Walla Walla onions. We start selling them with about 1" bulbs, leaving the green tops on. We try to have them all sold by the time they start drying up. They will get very big here, but they have no keeping ability.

I have cut them 2x so far, they grow pretty quick! Thanks for the advice, playinindirt. How early do most of you start your onion seeds indoors? I started mine about 13 weeks before last frost...

I just started some onions seeds again. The first batch never sprouted :( We live in Pittsburgh area. I can't wait to see them sprout. I bought the Spanish Onions.

I've heard that all root vegetables (onions, potatoes, beets, etc) don't like to be transplanted, and you should plant them where they will grow and be harvested. But you guys and gals are going to be transplanting them.

So who's right? I would love to start onions from seeds next year, instead of bulbs.

Can or should you trim your onion leaves after they're in the ground? Mine are a foot tall and flopping all over the place.

Ricke,
They ARE outside! They're planted in my patented Earthboxes, and are under the patio cover. I planted those EBs on January 8th.

Tomorrow, I'll move the EBs out into the sunshine where they'll stay for the duration.

Hey, Judy!
If you can get to YouTube, go look for the Cajun Gardener. He has a whole tutorial on planting onions from seeds. He did it in a trough? and then transplanted the seedlings. That's a LOT of work! I ordered my onion PLANTS (intended to get large bulbs) from Dixondale Farms...Yello Granex, Purple something-or-other, and white onions.

I bought onion starts from "Farm and Home" here. They are all over Quincy IL now - grocery stores, etc. So I'm guessing it won't be long before they go outside. Here's my question. Around here, they are never labelled, except as "white" "yellow" "red". Is there any way to know what you are actually buying? And does anyone know why they do it that way?

Are you talking about the little bulbs ? If so they do have a name, but always the same variety. There are only the three, yellow, white & red.

Note on "sweet" onions---A high sulfur content in the soil will make sweet onions "hot"

Honeybee, (and Firechief), "Firechef - I think Walla Walla onions are "short day onions" and will only grow well in southern states."

Actually Walla Walla onions are long day onions. I think that was just a mis-type on your part, Honeybee.
Firechief, as for growing them in the Philippines I have no idea how long the days are down there. Can you ask your friend? If they are at least 14 hours of daylength for 3 months that covers your light needs. If the weather isn't extremely hot your friend might have a chance growing them.

gilraen, if your onions are flopping "all over the place" you could indulge yourself in picking a few of them and eating them as green onions fresh, or if you like, cook the greens in a bit of oil, they're delish! If you only have a few plants growing and prefer big bulbs though I'm sure your plants are fine; hopefully they are getting enough light and not flopping due to stretching. As for trimming onion leaves after they are in the ground/set out, I wouldn't. You want as many leaves as possible so the bulb will gain in size. Dixondale once recommended 3 leaves as the perfect onion plant. Once it is in the ground and growing there's no need to cut it back.

Shoe

Shoe - Oooops! No I didn't know Walla Walla's were Long Day onions. Because they are sweet, and poor keepers, I had assumed they were Short Day.

I found a place that sells Candy Onion seeds.

http://gurneys.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_14765

Howdy, Honeybee...ya'll freezing down your way (after yesterday's summer temps!)?

I quit ordering from Gurney's several years ago, kept getting wrong items and such. I just now checked the Garden Watchdog, they're not getting great reviews. http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/184/

Meanwhile, Territorial Seeds still has one gram packets for sale (about 200 seeds): http://www.territorialseed.com/product/1001/207

And Parks shows they still have some, too: http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/PD/5210/

Happy Gardening to ya. Hope your beets are loving this cool(er) weather!

Shoe (off to start okra seeds in 6pks)

Shoe - thanks for the heads-up regarding Gurney's.

Our fall frost comes around October 15th - I think I'll start onion seeds indoors, and then set out the seedlings about 4" to 6" apart. When do you think would be a good date to set them out, using October 15th as a reference? I usually put in garlic cloves around the end of October.

The beets are doing well, it looks as though one is beginning to swell the root ball. I watered them this morning after those two days of hot weather.

Although it's cooler here today, it's not freezing. Somewhere close to 60F right now.

If you are starting okra - I probably should, too! This is my first year growing okra. I like it, hubby doesn't. Hmmm.... guess I should go read the seed packet, because I thought it said to start them beginning of April.

Onion seeds are normally started 4 to 8 weeks before setting out. I usually put sets out in the fall (and seedlings/plants in late winter/early spring) but I suppose you can plant seedlings at that time also. With seedlings/plants you might want to set them out a few weeks before your frost date so they can get good roots established. That being the case, using Oct 15th as the frost date, 3 weeks before that for your set-out date, and using 4-8 weeks for seed sowing period I'd guess the first week of August would be your seed sowing time. You might want to double-check my backtracking days on the calendar though (please?)

And yes, I plant garlic around end of October and into November, too. But remember, the garlic is planted as cloves, not seeds, so it can go in later because it has more energy storage ability as a clove than a young onion seedling would have. Giving that seedling time to grow roots would better enable it to gain nutrition.

I'm not freezing here, just feel cold after getting used to upper 70's and 80 temps this past week. Sixty degrees feels cold again. (I'm such a wimp!)

I'm starting okra in 6pks for mkt sales and in plug trays for me. It'll take 6 to 8 weeks to get them up to a decent size for setting out, just make sure the ground is warm when you transplant or they'll just sit there and sulk. If you want to wait a couple more weeks soak the seeds in a jar of water overnite (or more). A longer soaking, then draining off the water, will get them to sprout in the jar, then gently put the seeds in your pots/cell packs. You'll be good to go.

Shoe, (heading back out before I lose my daylight)

And, if you add a tsp of Hydrogen Peroxide to that soaking water, those little white nibs will pop out almost overnight. Or, within 2-3 days...

Honeybee, Okra is a hot weather plant. Don't plant them untill all danger of frost is gone and the soil warms up. For us (Z6) the date to plant is between April 15th and May 1st. GOOD LUCK
Vickie

Gymgirl and horseshoe, thanks! I'll leave my onions alone. Each has 3 or 4 leaves, and although most are flopping, they look healthy. They should be getting enough sun.

Planting garlic -- do I just plop a bulb in the ground? Can I use one from the grocery? do I need to buy them online or in a garden store like most of us do with onions?

gilraen - a few years back I purchased some garlic at the supermarket that I really liked. So, on the chance that it might grow, I planted some of the cloves in late October. They grew beautifully!

Now, each summer, I choose the largest and best plants and save them. From those plants, I remove the largest cloves and plant them about one inch deep and roughly 4" to 6" apart.

You'll have to check your local conditions for the best planting date for your area.

Shoe - thanks for your reply. I have saved your notes. I added the last week of July to my task list to sow the onion seeds.

As to Okra - from what I have read, it doesn't like to be transplanted. Do you think sowing seeds under lingts indoors in small individual plastic pots like I do other seeds would cause transplanting shock?

Honeybee, do I understand you - that I can plant clove-by-clove, instead of the whole bulb? Each separate clove will grow into a plant?

Yes, each clove will grow into a plant.

Do Moles like onions? I noticed some of my brocolli & tomatoe plants laying down dead in the row where I had them growing so nice. When I picked it up, it had been cut at the base of the plant, & the roots were missing. I am asuming the Moles had eaten the roots. Now I am missing plants. They are my onions that are growing very well. Would the moles be eating the whole plant or is something or someone taking my plants out of the garden.? The entire plant is gone. Would a Mole eat the entire onion plant? Anyone who has moles might beable to help me.

behillman - Moles eat meat. Voles eat vegetables. One easy way to remember which is which:

M = Mole = Meat (Mole begins with the letter M)

V = Vole = Vegetable (Vole begins with the letter V)

My garden is plagued with VOLES a.k.a. field mice!

gilraen - yes, as behillman said - you plant the individual cloves. The larger the clove you plant, the larger your final garlic plant will be - or at least that's my experience.

There are softneck and hardneck types - you could do some research online to see which you would prefer. I don't know which type I grow because, as I said, the original ones came from the supermarket - but I think they are softneck. They are white, with purple splotches.

Try not to buy the ones from China. They are usually pure white and are sold in small bags of several onions. The reason being - the entire root has been removed and the bottoms are concave. My concern is that these might not grow. If you see garlic with little dried roots on the bottom - buy those!

Here's a photo of last year's garlic harvest

Hey, Shoe, I just ordered some "Australian Brown Onion" seeds from Bakers Creek. The shipping cost more than the seeds!

One site I was on said "Candy" onions can be allowed to go to seed the second year and that one can grow more Candy's from those seeds. I don't know how that's possible seeing as Candy is a hybrid (shrug) - but I can give it a try to see what I get.

Hot again today..."summer" is back.

I think I'd write that website about saving the hybrid Candy seeds, asking them about it, giving them an education, eh:? *grin

Bummer on the shipping cost at Baker Creek. That's why I tend to look at seed cost and compare to shipping at certain sites. Sometimes a more "expensive" pack of seeds actually costs less cus of shipping and such. Will sure be looking forward to your critique of the Aus Brown onions.

behillman, it won't be moles, and if voles you might see pathways through weeds and grasses to your garden. I wonder if you have ground hogs cus those are sneaky little critters and would eat young plants. Deer as well.

"As to Okra - from what I have read, it doesn't like to be transplanted. " Honeybee, I think someone needs to "rewrite the book", eh? :>) I've transplanted it for years, it requires the same care as other plants when setting out and needs to be hardened off as other plants and, of course, set out at the proper time to inhibit any setback of growth. Although I've started them in 50-plug trays I think they have a much better root system in the 6-pack cells. With 36 plants to a tray of 6packs you'll get plenty of okra, probably more than you want (unless you're like me and need to freeze it for winter use).

gilraen, I've grown "grocery store" garlic for years here. It is normally one of the California White varieties and does just fine for me. Saving bulbs/cloves each year from it will help it to grow even better each year as garlic is known to easily acclimate itself to new climates.
Honeybee, I've also sown the garlic from China. It grew fine but some of the cloves had larva of garlic maggots in it. Although they didn't ruin the crop I still hope they haven't taken up residence in that end of the garden.

Shoe

I've also transplanted okra on two occasions with no Problem. About to start soaking some okra and eggplant seeds today. Will transplant April 15th or sow (pun intended).

Shoe - I usually purchase all my seeds from one or two sources in order to save on postage, but I only recently decided to try growing onions from seed, so am at the mercy of high shipping costs on a single item. Territorial wanted $7.50! Baker's was $3.00 - I did include a package of bush Oregon Sugar Pod II Snow Peas.

Not sure where I'm going to find the room to plant all these seeds. I'm working on a plan in my head to put some raised beds where hubby cut down the running bamboo - but that plan includeds sheet metal.......

Thanks to you and Gymgirl for assuring me that it's okay to transplant okra - that's what I'll do. I'll have to start sticking a thermometer in the ground - never had to do that before. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!

It was a beautiful day here. I finished bed #6 and still had compost left over. If it wasn't for the bugs and the "yuck factor" I could sleep out on that bed - the soil is sooooo soft and bouncy. But I'm sure the tomatoes or sweet peppers will appreciate it much more than I.

Our son-in-law gave us some scrap lumber, so we are hoping to have enough to build bed #7 - plus have enough left over for a 4 foot square raised bed.

HBee - gotta get ready to go for an evening walk with daughter...

Yeah, I transplant okra too, and beans and peas. I've never had any problem with any of them at all. Right now I'm sprouting two types, an Israeli variety and a Japanese variety. The Japanese one has these little baby pods and is really tender. The Japanese one came up in like a day and a half and is real husky looking, the Israeli is starting to think about it. I love okra, especially cooked with lamb!

I usually start my onions the end of February and I'm in zone 5 in NW Connecticut.


quote="lorvan"]I have cut them 2x so far, they grow pretty quick! Thanks for the advice, playinindirt. How early do most of you start your onion seeds indoors? I started mine about 13 weeks before last frost...[/quote]

Hi yehudith, I planted some Star of David okra once that came from Israel, It did great here in Z6. It was also good tasting. I grew quite a few things from the Mediterainan (SP) area.
I've transplanted small okra,and squash, but not beans or peas.
Vickie