Decided to plant some onions.

[jal_ut]

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/onion_sets.jpg[/img]

I decided to plant some onion sets today. I had both white and yellow sets.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/onion_plants.jpg[/img]

After I got that done, I went to the store to buy some Big Daddy plants. I will have to plant these next time the sun shines. These came in a bundle of perhaps 75 plants to a bundle.

Edit: Turns out there was 91 plants in this bundle.

[Zapatay]

These are packaged the same way, here. Thanks

Are you spacing these square foot method or in rows?

[jal_ut]

I plant in rows. Space the sets about 5 inches.

These Big daddy plants I will space 6 inches. It is hard to believe that these little plants will make an onion that weighs well over a pound. They are amazing.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/onions_3.jpg[/img]

[Ozark Lady]

Okay, so what is your secret?

I grow wonderful garlic, but onions, barely increase from what I sowed in the first place! I planted onion sets about 2 weeks ago. They were like 1/2 ounce? and I can expect them to grow to 1 ounce. And then die. Or bolt and then die.

I do better growing garlic in the fall to winter, than in summer, could that be what I really should do with onions? I will lift the garlic in summer heat when the tops fall over, and replant it in the fall, should I do onions the same way? Will onions overwinter?

My Egyptian onions are taking off, and walking all over the place! So, onions can be grown here, if I can figure them out. They are so difficult.

[jal_ut]

Ozark Lady, sorry you have such trouble with onions. I am afraid our circumstances are very different. Do you have a real winter there? What is your average last frost date? I would plant onions a month before that date, or as soon thereafter as the soil permits. Plant short day onions there. That is about all I can suggest.

Here the average last frost is mid May, so I am planting six weeks before that date.

[Ozark Lady]

Do I have a real winter? The snow has only been gone about a week.

I planted the cold hardy things, and it snowed that night.

My best planting date for garlic is October, the ones in the ground now, are only there to keep them alive, so they can wait for October.

So, possibly I should sow onion seeds for fall planting? I can't find sets in the fall. But, I could make my own? I can grow green onions fine.

My Egyptian onions are in full growth at the moment, looking really good!
I am frost free May 1st till October 31. So long, hot growing season.

But, only light frosts are the norm for April. Just a light protection can get me through April.

[RyanDe680]

I planted yellow onions about 4 weeks ago from seed. They are about 4" tall thus far and growing pretty quickly.

I'm in zone 5b, I'll most likely throw them in the garden in a week or two, as my last frost date is around May 10-15.

I'll admit, I've never had a 1 pound onion though

[tn_veggie_gardner]

My father-in-law gave me a handful of white onion sets/starters. I think I'm gonna plant them today when I get home. =) (along with these California White Garlic cloves which are frickin huge! lol)

[jal_ut]

Ozark Lady,

Check out this web page:

https://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-6014.pdf

Some ideas on what makes onions tick in Arkansas.

[gixxerific]

Jal what does better for you bulbs or plants. I have bulbs planted and some plants that I seeded. This year will tell me the difference. I also saw plants for sale at Lowe's and was thinking about getting some of them as well just to have myself a race for the better onion.

Sets vs. seedling vs. store bought plant.

[tedln]

ozark lady,

I had a very difficult time with onions for years. I tried last year with great success. The only difference was the fact that I planted them very shallow last year. Onions seem to do best when you let the roots do all the work. I planted my sets no more than 1/2" deep this year and they are doing great. In about a month, I expect the large bulbs to break through the ground and then just set there growing larger and larger. It was hard for me to plant shallow because my philosophy with garden plants has always been the deeper the better. I've reluctantly learned it isn't true with onions.

I also planted my onions back in January. They have been growing since I planted them. They have been buried in snow four times and survived multiple below freezing nights. My philosophy now is plant the onions early even if I have to shovel the snow out of the way.

Ted

[jal_ut]

Jal what does better for you bulbs or plants.

Seeds, sets or plants all work. I only started planting plants 3 years ago when I saw some "Big Daddy" plants, and said, "Why not ?"

They did so well I have been growing them since. They get larger than the other varieties I plant, but I think it is the variety, not necessarily because I planted plants.

Tedlin has it right about planting depth. You just barely cover the sets and plant the plants up to where they start to be green. In other words, the green should be above ground.

[gixxerific]

Cool thanks, I should be good. I did bury the sets maybe at an inch at the deepest, have good soil. The ones in my pots are doing great and as I keep hearing the bulbs should be a bit above ground when coming to an end. So maybe this year will be the year.

I have had onions but nothing like the ones you pictured, not even close. But with the amount I'm planting, planting times taken into ocnsideration I should have something at least.

[Ozark Lady]

The sets that I planted, about 2 weeks ago, haven't begun to grow as of yet, but the garlic planted in the same way, same bed, same day, same depth is now almost 6" tall.

I saved the pdf for Arkansas, thank you.