Onions from last year?

[hit or miss]

Alright! The onions I planted last year failed to produce even golfball sized bulbs so I didn't pull very many. They are now growing better than ever and I'm wondering what I can expect them to do as time goes along this spring. I generally don't grow onions as they usually stay pretty small and get very hot.

What does experience say?

[DoubleDogFarm]

You maybe growing the wrong variety for your location.

They will go to seed. Onions are bi-annual.

Eric

[jal_ut]

Yep, they will go to seed. I suggest eating as many as you can as green onions before they go to seed. Plant some more for bulbs this year. You might want to try a different variety as Eric says.

[jal_ut]

Central Kansas may be right on the line between long and short day onions. What variety did you plant? You may need to try a few of several varieties to learn which will work best in your location. In any event, onions need to be planted early. Right now would be good. Can you get any information from your extension office?

[soil]

since they are going to bloom, if you can spare the space. I suggest letting them bloom and eating the flowers. they are excellent in flavor, and make one hell of a real deal battered deep fried onion blossom.

[hit or miss]

Thanks for the replies! I've pretty much given up on onions. It seems like no one can say exactly what they are selling around here. It's either bulbs, sets, sweets or the like. I know there are some gardeners around here who do really well with them, just not me!

[sisquatch]

we've had the same problems with onions and we live in wichita, ks

[DoubleDogFarm]

I recommend you try day neutral onions. Varieties like [url=https://www.territorialseed.com/product/1346/294]this[/url]

Eric

[jal_ut]

That's a great link Eric. Lots of good info there on onion culture too.

Is the Walla Walla Onion a day neutral onion? They grow OK here, but are not good keepers. Delicious for summer eating.

[DoubleDogFarm]

James,

I'm assuming it's a Northern variety. Walla Walla Washington. Most sweet onions are poor keepers.

Time to do a little research.

Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

Here's a little tidbit I found.

"The story of the Walla Walla Sweet Onions began over a century ago on the Island of Corsica, off the west coast of Italy. It was there that a French soldier, Peter Pieri, found a sweet onion seed and brought it to the Walla Walla Valley.
This Sweet onion developed over generations through the process of carefully hand selecting onions from each year’s crop, ensuring exceptional sweetness, jumbo size, and round shape. Today’s growers realize they're not just raising sweet onions, but cultivating a tradition"

Eric

[jal_ut]

If bulbing onions do not do well there, try planting some of the bunching onions from seed. Use them as green onions. They are delicious. Green onions will flavor a dish as well as a bulb onion.

[hit or miss]

I pulled several of the onions yesterday and they are nothing but mush where the bulb should be.

Should I just yank them out or will they get firmer as time goes along? I wouldn't eat them as they are now!

[jal_ut]

I suspect you are right. You have to peel that old bulb off and there should be some new firm growth in the center.

[gixxerific]

Onions are hard. Heck some of better gardeners on this site here still battle with them to a point. OK maybe it's just me but.....

I am in Mo, so I am close to you in gardening terms, and I have been trying to grow onions from the box stores for years and years with no luck. I put in "Candy" (not from the stores) last year and I had the best crop ever by leaps and bounds. We shall see what this year has in store since they are back in the garden. It is a middle of the road onion that does well most places. Maybe give it a try.

I hope this helps, onions are are one of the hardest plant to grow unless you have the right variety for your specific climate.

Dono