I recently received three types of bunching onion seeds that I intend to plant in containers. Directions on the seed pkt for plants says to sow after all danger of frost has pasts.
I'm wondering if it's too late to get these sown. This is my first year at growing onions and considering they are a two year operation I am having a time getting down the timing for planting seeds, sets, and small bunches of onion plants.
Last Fall I planted about 30 sets, you know the tiny dry onion bulbs about the size of a dime. They over wintered and only two were fooled into blooming. The others are making small bulbs about the size of a golf ball or a little bigger. I have been eating those green and there are quite good.
This Spring I bought a bunch of the dried onion plants and set them out. They are growing and have made tiny bulbs about the size of a nickle so far.
OK, I've done the sets and the plants. I just need to know when to plant or when not to plant the seeds for my bunching onions.
Any advice from the farmers around here would be great.
Thanks
Jerry
Zone 8b/9a When to plant Bunching Onion Seeds?
Bump. I need the same answers. I planted Red Creole seeds every other week or so from early Sept. through mid Nov. A couple batches worked well and the others didn't. I saw a couple seed heads and took some up too early in April. Then I had some nice big ones that are drying now. I have a bunch more that look like the bulb is the size of a set. The top 1/4 of the tops are yellow. Should I use these little ones for sets in Sept.? And I have several kinds of seed I'd like to plant for optimum bulb production but really don't know when I should start them.
I am curious as well. I got some seeds a few weeks ago for next year but I would like to plant them if I could.
well, I'll confess.. I planted my green onion seeds (bunching type) just last week and they are sprouting, but then again, Im known for doing things outside of the box...LOL. they are all sprouting just fine (even having been tipped over by a raccoon and rummaged thru). So am crossing my fingers that they will do well.
All my life I've heard onions are a cool weather crop in zone 8b. I've still got green onions from last fall and still don't see any seed heads. In the past I've always planted a bag of sets which are only available here in September. These were from seed. So I really don't have a clue what I'm doing and need guidance on both the bunching and the bulbing types from seed.
Me too. I'm really clueless about the onions. I have some big bulb onions that are setting seed now that I am hoping to collect and reseed. But when can I plant the seeds? I'm guessing that summer is too hot to sow for a fall harvest (?), but then maybe I should go ahead and plant them like Cue_chik. Onion experts, please speak up. ;-)
Stacey
I've no onion seed experience but there is some info on this link. http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/publications/onions/oniongro.html
Onions From Seed
Mid to late October is the best time to plant seed of the super sweet, short-to-intermediate daylength onion types in Texas zones III - V (USDA Zones 8 and 9). Seeds can be sown directly into the garden, covered with one-fourth inch of soil and should sprout within 7- 10 days. If planted thickly, plants can be pulled and utilized as green onions or scallions for salads or fresh eating in 8-10 weeks. However, most gardeners want to grow an onion bulb as large as a basketball. To do this, the onion plants must be thinned by next February until they are at least 2-3 inches apart to insure adequate bulb expansion. The removed plants can be used for scallions or for transplanting into another area of the garden so that these too will have adequate space in which to enlarge into large bulbs. ...
....Gardeners who tend to procrastinate should be warned that planting later than October could mean failure. Failure in onion production comes in two forms - - complete annihilation of the young seedlings during a cold winter or an abundance of spring onion flowers which decrease bulb size, weight and storage ability. Onion plants which are small and rapidly growing when the cold temperatures of winter arrive will probably not survive. Yet, if you plant earlier and the stem of onion plants are larger than a pencil when exposed to cold temperatures, the onion will initiate and produce a flower during the following spring. This flowering is termed bolting. Bolting requires low temperatures. Most rapid bolting is caused by temperatures of 40-45 degrees F. or below. Fall seeded crops are susceptible to bolting the following spring if warm fall temperatures, allowing excessive growth, are followed by low winter temperatures and slowed growth. ....
...The best way to insure success is to either plant the onion seed from October 1 until November 15 or plant transplants from January through February in Texas Zones III - V (USDA Zones 8 and 9).
From what I have read and as Cue_Chik has found, onion seed are easily started. Hope y'all experiment and share the results. pod
Thanks Pod. That's a great article and it's rare for one to be specific to my zone. I saved it so maybe I can avoid all those mistakes this year. I never knew they were so temperamental.
Thank you Podster. I was wondering about bolting to seed since a couple of my onions did just that. Saving this info. :)
If you go to the Dixondale Farms website (they're listed in the Garden Watchdog) there's TONS of information on how to grow onions and which onions grow best in which climates. (Jerry, they're located in Carrizo Springs, southwest of San Antonio, so would have similar growing conditions as you.)