Onions
Onions should be planted well before the last spring frost date. During the first phase of growth, the onion will be producing lush green tops. At some point, the tops will quit growing, and the bulbs will begin to mature.
Onion seeds will take 100 to 120 days to mature. Sets, which are small bulbs started the previous year, will mature three or more weeks earlier. Onion plants, which are usually purchased in bundles, will mature at about the same time as the sets. You will find the widest range of varieties in seeds.
Preparing the Soil
Onions prefer a well worked soil with a pH of 6.0. The fall before planting, dig in compost or manure at the rate of about 20 pounds per square yard.
In order to give the onions a long period of growth, seeds can be planted in late August in areas where winters are not too severe. In colder areas, seeds can be started indoors. If your season is long enough to give 100 to 120 days for the onions to grow and mature, you can sow seeds outdoors a month before the final spring frost.
Allow ½ ounce of seed for every 100 feet of row to be sown. Place two seeds per inch and cover with 1/4 to 1 inch of soil. Thin once when the seedlings are still very small and can be transplanted into another row, then again when they are large enough to be used as green onions. Mature plants should be three to four inches apart.
Plant Maintenance
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Keep the plants free from weeds, as onions are less tolerant of crowding than most other vegetables.
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Water regularly until the tops start to yellow, then withhold water and pull the soil back so that the top two thirds of the bulb shows.
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Cultivation should be very shallow, as the roots are close to the surface.
Harvesting
When the tops are quite dry, lift the bulbs and let them dry in the sun until all the dirt on them is dry. Onions can now be prepared for storage. The long tops can be braided together so that the onions can be hung in bunches, or they can be hung in net bags or old stockings. Continue the curing process for several weeks by keeping them hung in an area where air can circulate freely. Afterwards, move them into a cool, dry, and preferably dark area for storage. Use thick necked onions first, since they will not keep well.
All the Onions
Learn to grow, harvest and store most members of the onion family including: Chives, Garlic, Garlic Chives, Leeks, Potato Onions, Shallots, Egyptian Onions and Welch Onions.
Bunching Onions
Bunching onions will not form a bulb, but they make the tastiest green onions. They are a perennial, and should be planted where you will not run a tiller or cultivator.
Bunching onions are usually planted from seed, and you can begin harvesting when they are about pencil size. They will not require mulch and will keep you in onions year round. When your plants begin to produce flowers, leave them alone. They will soon reseed themselves.
Onion Problems
Insects
Thripes are tiny insects that feed on onion leaves and cause
white, blotchy areas. The plants weaken and the yield is reduced.
Keep weeds out of the garden to eliminate alternate hosts. A blast
of cold water will remove thripes from plants. Soap-Shield
and diatomaceous earth may be effective.
Onion Maggot
The onion maggot is the
offspring of a small fly that lays eggs near the base of the plant
or on the bulb itself. The maggots kill the plant by burrowing
into the stem and bulb. Pull up and destroy any plants before
the maggots mature into flies. You may also try making tarpaper
collars around the onions. Wood ashes, rock phosphate, or diatomaceous
earth sprinkled around the base of the plant is said to be effective.
Disease
Neck rot is the most common problem. It strikes just after
harvest or while the bulbs are in storage. Bermuda-type onions
are most susceptible. Drying the onions at warm temperatures with
good ventilation and storing in a cool, airy spot will help prevent
the disease.
Recipe:
Wild Rice with Five-Hour Onions
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