Garnets don't break dormancy well I've found. They were about a month or so behind my Purples and Beauregards last year, so I decided to start them in January instead of the beginning of March. They usually are very productive, but they got put in late last year and the other plants that had been in for a week over took them and pretty much smothered the poor things. This year I want to give them a chance.
One flat was nothing but Copra. It is my mainstay storage onion. Half of the next flat was Ailsa Craig a sweet onion, and the other half was the aforementioned Redwing, which is a good red storage onion. I ought to put more into Copra and less into Ailsa Craig. That onion can only keep for about 2 months. And 36 very large onions (and yes they get very very large) is doable, but hard to go through. Last year I got more poundage out of these onions than the other two combined in 1/3 of the space. I wish onions froze well, but I just don't like frozen onions.
The onions were put under some cool white fluorescent shop lights. Since these are long day onions I have the lights on for about 12 hours. That will keep them from bulbing up prematurely. I'll put them out in early April. Starting onions from seed is a PITA. They take a long time to get to a reasonable size. And I need a lot of them to fill a bed. I keep thinking our area needs a bulk buy from Dixondale Farms. If you buy in bulk it is pretty inexpensive. But I'd have to find enough people that want to go in on it. I think about 10 bunches would make it cost effective over growing them under lights (two months of a shop light costs about $7-$8 I think, not to mention seed and soil costs). With 10 bunches it would only be $4.28 for 50-75 plants. I'd want about 2 bunches myself. Though that would be splitting a couple of the bunches if I kept my sweet and red onion level at half my yellow onion level. Sadly I don't know of any place here that sells onion plants cheap.
Hmm Are there any other Bostonians out there that would come to East Arlington for a bulk buy (3/4 mile from Alewife subway stop, on the 77 bus line, and 1 mile from Route 2)? If so I'll collect names and emails and ask again come November to see if people are still interested. If so send me an email at daphne@alum.mit.edu. And tell me about how many bunches you would want - as low as a 1/2 and as high as you need (this is not a commitment, but just to get an idea if it is feasible). It can't happen this year as I've already ordered my seeds, and I'm just thinking about it now. But oh it would be nice to not have to do onion starts every year.
I might be interested in onions. I wouldn't need too many though as I have a relatively small garden and my DH doesn't like onions. But feel free to keep me in mind. chris at breecher dot com.
ReplyDeleteI usually order my onions and go with about 300+ (we use them daily) so it would take too much space to grow my own seedlings, and I'd rather use that space for greens and brassicas instead. And first seedlings have woken up and started growing already! Can't wait for warmer weather now.
ReplyDeleteThe bunches of onions from Dixondale are generous. I read a few comments about that when I bought my onions and indeed it was true. They make sure you get 50 to 75 good starts plus extra. I ended up with 72 starts that I spaced for mature onions and then another 25 starts that were on the small side that I spaced to harvest immature. That was one bunch of the intermediate day sampler.
ReplyDeleteAugh, 15 degrees! I'm not sure I would be thinking of the garden if the weather were like that here. It's actually trying to rain here, but you can stay dry by standing under the trees... Oh well, the "storm" hasn't left yet, maybe there's still a chance it will get wet under the trees too.
Hi Daphne, I thought that onions started from seed store better than those from sets, no?
ReplyDeleteYes they do. But I don't want sets. Dixondale sells plants.
DeleteSo you think we will have a spring and summer! LOL Good luck on finding some people to order onions with you. Great idea. Nancy
ReplyDeleteHa, so you have succumbed to the urge! It's a satisfying feeling to have got something started, whatever it is.
ReplyDeleteI am going to give sweet potatoes a try this year in my garden. I am planning on growing them in large containers, have you ever tried this? I also want to grow my own slips, but I am still figuring out when I should start them. I live in zone 6b and I was thinking I will start the slips in March and plant them in May.
ReplyDeleteI live in 6b too, but then our springs might be different. The ocean really cools us down here, so I plant my slips on June 1st usually (and my melons). They like hot weather. I start most of mine on the window sill at the beginning of March.
DeleteI've never grown them in containers. I've always put them directly in the ground.
Thanks for getting back to me! I was at a local farmers market today and they were selling sweet potatoes which they had labeled Red Yams. I bought two to give them a try. I think they are Japanese Red Sweet Potatoes. They have red skins with white flesh. I put them in water today and guess I will see what happens. I really enjoy reading your blog and I have participated in your Harvest Monday a couple times last year.
DeleteI've never been able to grow decent onions, which is why I'm sticking to just scallions and leeks this year. Maybe next year. I like scallions because I treat them like cut and come again onions. Plus, I prefer them when I cook Vietnamese food. They yellow in the summer but then come back in the fall.
ReplyDelete