Growing Onions | How To Grow Onions
Growing Onions: Learning how to grow onions really is not that difficult. Using this how-to guide for beginner's and seasoned gardener's alike you should be growing onions that you are proud of by the end of this growing season. In fact, we are sure you can learn how to grow onions even if you don't have good soil to begin with. The real secret to growing onions is in the preparation.
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Dad was a master at growing onions. One of my earliest memories is walking through my Father's garden, onion stalks brushing my elbows in search of the perfect onion for lunch.
Today , many years later, as noon is fast approaching my thoughts are much the same. We are in the middle of an informal garden tour for our market garden customers and they marvelled at our growing onions.
For many years Jane and I have been asked how we grow such great vegetables. We tell them that the secret is in the research. We have read a lot of books on gardening, some good, some bad. At the end of this article I will share with you our most trusted book on growing great onions.
As we roam around the garden like so many voracious deer sampling this vegetable and that we come upon the onion patch. Row upon row of blue-green foliage atop melon-sized onions. The sharp pungent aroma drifting upward.
How in the world do you growing onions so big?" asked Monica one of our faithful customers. My wife Jane reached down and plucked up one of the plump specimens and handed it to her. Arms already bulging she brought the huge onion to her nose no doubt savouring the same culinary fate for her prize that I was.
Trying to forget my growling stomach I attempted to answer her question. It occurred to me at that moment I'd been collecting and storing onion growing tips for over 30 years.
There are three things you have to remember when growing onions:plant the seed early, fertilize well the previous fall and don't transplant them too deep.
Growing Onions, it's often remarked , need the richest soil in the garden. As such they are a good indicator of garden soil fertility. The first year we moved to our homestead we couldn't grow onions in the acidic , newly cleared land. Now , through a rigorous program of composting, gren manuring and the addition of lime we have record harvests.
Long ago I learned the importance of balancing nutrients in the garden. Too much Nitrogen made for thick tops on the onions. In fact too much of any nutrient makes for nutritionally unbalanced food that won't store properly, which is very important . We depend on our stored garden produce to get us through the winter, and growing onions is a big part of that.
In our long-range plans we plant our future onion bed first with a thick patch of clover and let it grow for a year. We also add lime to balance the PH of the soil. The following spring the bed is planted in Squash or Melons which do fabulous consuming the feast of decayed green manure rich in Nitrogen. The Squash patch is kept clear of seeds as much as possible.
The next Spring we are growing onions . Of course, adequate results can be obtained by spreading manure and lime on the onion bed the previous fall. We have found it best to use green manure rotations though. It isn't more work, but it demands more planning. The quality , taste, and increased storage life is adequate reward.
Now that the onion beds have been properly prepared it's now time to consider the matter of seed. Onions belong to the family Liliaceae along with garlic, leeks and chives. Originally a wild plant, they've been grown domestically for thousands of years. Today's hybrids, however bare little resemblence to the onions grown in yeateryears. They're available in every color from white to red to purple. But to grow big onions only a handful of varities qualify.
In addition to large onions we grow onion sets which are miniature onions grown thickly the previous year to stunt their growth. They are planted the second year and are available at garden centers in Spring. Their superior storability makes them a vital component in our self-sufficient strategy.
We also grow red 'Torpedo ' onions for colorful summer salads. Green onions that grow small bulbs and lush tops round out our onion selections. Many other varieties are available in the seed catalogues.
To grow really large onions though you need seed in the Spanish class. If you want to grow on from seed, it's important to buy a variety adapted to your region's day length and temperature. As an example Stokes Seeds of Ontario and Parks Seeds of South Carolina offer only one variety in common.
In spring the days become longer and nights shorter until June 21, then the days start to get shorter again. The farther one is north of the Equator , the longer the length of daylight on the summer Solstice.
Growing onions is not difficult if you realize Onions are attuned to this cycle of daylight. In the early stages of growth, when days are relatively short, the onion puts it's energy into root and leaf development.
This continues until the days lengthen adequately, at which time the plant switches over to making a bulb. When this phase change takes place it's important that the onion be large enough to supply nutrients for the development of large bulbs.
Every variety is triggered at a different day length. Varieties for the North need photoperiods of 15-16 hours. In Mexico where daylength varies little throughout the year (11 hours in winter and 13 in summer) varieties have been developed that do well under these conditions. Choose the one for your area.
We've found here at 44 degrees Latitude that Riverside Sweet Spanish grows well and our largest onions are grown form the cultivar Ailsa Craig (or Kelsae). It was discovered recently that the final two varieties are one and the same.
In order to grow the big ones it's important that they be started early. We start ours in January. In years past we noticed that in garden centers onions are invariably sown randomly in a cell-pak. Although there's nothing wrong with this practise, when the gardener pulls the plants apart to plant them roots are invariably ripped apart setting the plant back.
Our dislike for this practise, plastic containers as well as the need for larger plants lead us to explore different ways of starting onions. After much experimentation , we've finally found the answer: Soil Blocks for growing onions.
A soil blocker is a tool that compresses a mixture of soil, compost, peat moss and lime into several squares of uniform size. Available from Johnny's Selected Seeds (among others). We use the model that makes four blocks 2" square for onions. The blocks are set in a tray. One seed is placed 1/8" deep in each block and placed near a heat source (70 degrees F.) It's important that the seed be kept dark or they won't germinate properly. This is easily achieved with dark blankets. Check the seeds daily to make sure they're moist and for signs of germination. It takes about 7-10 days.
Sometimes we start them in 3/4 inch blocks if space is at a premium for germinating . When they sprout they are transplanted into 2" blocks. A special 3/4" square is fitted to the top of each space in the 2" blocker that makes a perfect imprint of a 3/4" block. The modular nature of this simple tool is a real space and time saver.
When the first tiny leaves appear take them off the heat and place them in a well-lit location with as much natural sunlight as possible. With little competition at this stage the plants grow quickly. At transplanting time you should have healthy looking plants nearly as big as your little finger.
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Towards the end of April we begin to harden off the plants before setting them out in the field. For about a week with ever increasing outside time the plants become accustomed to the outdoor environment. Sufficiently hardened the plants will withstand light frosts which we can expect regularly in May in our area.
The plants are set out around May 1 . At this point the real value of using soil blocks becomes important. When you pick up a single block, with a large helthy onion growing profusely roots just penetrating the soil block you can sense the you hold in your hands. The plant is ready to do it's work just like starting the rototiller with a full tank of gas and a freshly tuned engine.
The soil block is set in the ground with the top of the block just above soil level. They're placed 12 " apart to allow room for growth. Years ago I used to try and grow onions planted deeply like potatoes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Upon closer inspection I discovered the biggest onions were those that had very little soil covering them. Onions form the best tasting and largest bulbs above the ground.Growing onions.
As summer progresses it's a simple matter to keep the well spaced plants weed free. remember to keep soil off the forming bulbs. Sometimes I run my finger around the base to insure nothing will impede with the growth. It certainly doesn't take long to see results from the labor either. Soon you'll be eating Onions you can't get two hands around. Our best is 21" in circumference.
In our area the onions reach their peak around August 15. We harvest onions throughout the summer when they reach saleable size, but our storage onions we harvest about September 1. Remember to store them in a cool dry place
With proper storage Spanish types keep until January, set onions until the following May. At that point green onions are sprouting in the garden to start the cycle all over.