Everyones Indoor Onion Starts to Harvest

[BP]

[quote="TZ -OH6"]I found Sweet Spanish Yellow Utah Jumbo on the Ferry-Morse seed rack at Lowes (all of the other onion seeds were more or less wrong for my area--I've taken a lot of seed packs back after looking them up online). Walla Walla is another long day big sweet onion.

From what I understand you have to start onion seeds way early, or buy bunches of young onion plants. Last resort is to buy onion sets (little dried onions). Even my local hardware store is advertizing bags of 80 onion sets for $2, It's hard to find bundles of onion plants locally, but it may be possible if you have a good nursery around. Onion sets result in smaler onions that starting from plants, and some of them may bolt to flower/seed.


Thanks for all the info.

[TZ -OH6]

No probs on the info.



I couldn't take it any more and planted out my puny little onion plants today. The weather looks good for rooting over the next week or so and I need the lights for other things. I should have started them earlier, now they are an experiment in survival.

[farmerlon]

So much for photographic memory. Looking at my calendar, I planted them on January 29th.

Eric

thanks for the info

[DoubleDogFarm]

This evening, I started planting some of my Copra onions. I didn't get very far, that hungry thing gets in the way.



Eric

[Des_WA]

My Tropeana onion starts look about the same as your Eric. I just planted them outside today but they've been out in their flat for a few weeks now.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Sounds good. How far apart did you plant them? I missed out on my Torpedo onions this year.

As you can see in the picture, mine are about 4" in all directions. My flat was out of the greenhouse about 2 days ago.


Eric

[Des_WA]

I did an experiment this year - I planted some of the starts singly about 3-4" apart, then I planted some in clustered groups to see how differently the grow from the singles. I have seen some folks plant onions in groups and they say it works fine, they just push each other apart as they grow. I've never tried it, so we'll see! Last year I didn't get any onions so we can only improve this year!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Desiree,

Keep us posted on the different spacings. I'm just guessing, I feel the crowded ones will not do as well. What variety are they?


I finished planting my Copra long storage onion. 216 little onion plants.


I'll start planting Borrettana Cipolline tomorrow.


Eric

[digitS']

Set out some sweet onions today, Eric. However, they were much closer spaced than yours.

More than half will be harvested as green onions so that should provide the others with some room.

If I can time it right, the extras are gone about the time that a 2nd round of fertilizer will be of benefit to those left to bulb up.

Steve

[applestar]

i planted the older starts along path edges of various beds, but I think I'm actually going to plant most of the smallest onion starts as well as the leeks in last years "new potato bed" The trouble is this location is down hill from the rice paddy and can get wet. The potatoes did OK in spite of it though, so would the clay subsoil and drainage be an issue? maybe I should pile some more compost/topsoil here first.

Last year's potato bed should be OK for onions in terms of fertility since they primarily need N don't you think? I had some voles, mice, or chipmunk digging into some of the potatoes, but they won't go after the onions, right? At least that's what I'm hoping....

[sheeshshe]

do you guys just toss a bunch of seeds in a flat? not separating them at all? I should have done it different than I did.

I lost most of mine anyways. I'm not going to have many now it is too late to start more.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Steve,

I have Guardsman and Red beard for my bunching / salad onion. Pacific Pearl is my fifth and final variety. Theses three will be planted closer together and probably on the borders / edges.

Apple,

My soil is a wet heavy soil. I have the blue clay subsoil. All my raised rows are at least 6" above native soil.

The fertilizers I use are, Hydrolyzed fish 2-5-1, Compost tea, and Hendrikus complete 6-4-4.

Last year when I harvested my Rose Finn Apple potatoes, I found a lot of them in pockets. Some rodent was collecting. Almost every little spud had teeth marks.

Sheila,

Yes, I take a open flat with a single layer of paper in the bottom. Fill it to the top with 50/50 peat and perlite. Broadcast the seeds over the top and a dusting to cover. Next year will be 50/50 coir and perlite.

Eric

[garden5]

Wouldn't you know it, the year I don't start onions indoors is the year everyone decides to make a thread about it .

Your onions look great everyone! I bought some plants this year and I planted a bundle in a new bed I made, but it will be an experiment since the bed only gets part sun.

I plant 4 in. apart as well. I think that this will allow them to reach a large size since I will be harvesting them intermittently as they grow.

Oh, to the the poster who asked, spreading all of the seeds in a flat is not the only method. Commercial producers us 100+ cell plug trays.

[DoubleDogFarm]

July 20th 2011

Not sure if these will catch up with Dono's pile of onions, but they are looking pretty good.

Copra storage onion.






Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

Sept. 9th Copra onions.

I started my harvesting today and will finish tomorrow. These will need a little more drying before storage.




Eric