Growing Onions

7554 Views 21 Replies 19 Participants Last post by Danaus29, 5 d ago

Dieselrider

Discussion Starter · Jan 29, 2010

I have never had much success growing onions here and I have always blamed it on the soil (heavy Clay) and that might be a factor. I love onions and would like to grow them here. Has anyone had success with onions?

I have been doing some reading on the growth. Some questions get answered and some new ones presented. Supposedly here in the North (yes I am a ----ed Yankee!) you need to grow a "long day" onion as opposed to a "short day" onion for the South. They are claiming the short day onions will not do good up here. I would have thought the days were longer in the South???? Not according to the "onion people".
Can you grow an onion from seed to a mature bulb (ready to eat) in one year?
I have always used sets because I didn't think you could grow onions from seeds in one season and so far, what I have read isn't real clear on that. Some of what I am reading leads me to believe you can.

I was thinking on growing some Copra onions because they are super long storage capabilities and they are supposed to be a "long day" onion. Has anyone grown these and how do they taste? Also might try some Gunnison, some Olympic because they are an earlier onion and some Ruby Ring for a red variety. Any thoughts?

I have been thinking trying the onions in a raised bed with soil and Peat Moss mixed to lighten the soil a bit. Good, bad or just ugly?

Thanks in advance for any wisdom or experience you can share on this.

Any other onions that will do well in Yankee land and that taste good?

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

Forerunner

· #2 · Jan 29, 2010

Deep, rich soil is key. The darker the soil, the more sunlight (heat) it will absorb. I hill my onions slightly to give them deeper loose soil and better drainage. Onions don't care for wet feet.

I have started seeds inside and transplanted them when the bulbs were the size of peas and made baseball sized bulbs by mid July. This year is only my second using that technique.

Give your onions all the sunlight your locale has to offer.
I am in zone 4, upper central Illinois.

Reactions: 2

danielsumner

· #3 · Jan 29, 2010

My little homestead is in Tattnall County Georgia where most of the Sweet Vidalia Onions are grown. Yes there is a City call Vidalia, but it's in the next county. All the onions are planted as sets. They come from the seedling fields and are packed in big bundles to be planted. I'ts quite amazing to see those huge fields of onions growing. When the harvest is going on, I just love to walk or drive slow down the roads. Those huge flat type sweet onions just fall off the trucks as they bounce down the road to the packing houses. Picked up a 50 pound bag full once in about 45 minutes.

Gotta love it

Daniel

Reactions: 2

used2bcool13

· #4 · Jan 29, 2010

I grow the sweet onions, they make a long day variety, I looked this up on the site where I order from at Dixondalefarms.com, there is planting info also there.

"Long-day sweet and storage varieties do well in the northern states that have between 14-16 hours of daylight length."

The long day types don't start to bulb until the daylight is 14-16 hours long. I have always read that onions are heavy feeders and like a rich soil, so I always add compost etc,to my soil. The mistakes I have made are planting too deeply and too closely, only put the bulbs 1 inch deep and at least 6 or more inches apart. I haven't bothered with seeds because they take so long, but I did grow leeks from seed last year and was pleasantly suprised.

Good luck you will do great, Save a mesh bag for your next crop.

arcticow

· #5 · Jan 29, 2010

Try Johnny's Seeds or Harris's Seeds and get onion plants instead of sets, and you will come closer to making a crop. Takes too long for sets to grow out a leaf. Never liked them, with plants you get growth right away. Both outfits above have long-day varieties in plants.

bluefish

· #6 · Jan 29, 2010

Can't help much with the growing part, I'm still figuring it out, but I have grown the Copra onion. We really liked it. It was a medium strong onion, grew well and stored forever! And this was in Wyoming.

Paquebot

· #7 · Jan 29, 2010

Dieselrider said:
I have always used sets because I didn't think you could grow onions from seeds in one season and so far, what I have read isn't real clear on that. Some of what I am reading leads me to believe you can.

Your only problem is that you read too much but not enough. What you read is true but applies only to certain varieties. Those which are planted from sets will not make a large onion in one season. That's why they are sold as sets. Those which will make an onion in one year are either sold early as seeds of later as plants.

I was thinking on growing some Copra onions because they are super long storage capabilities and they are supposed to be a "long day" onion. Has anyone grown these and how do they taste?

Copra is one of the best keepers for the North. Need to be started within the next 3 weeks in order to have seedlings big enough to set out. Otherwise wait until April-May and buy them as plants.

I have been thinking trying the onions in a raised bed with soil and Peat Moss mixed to lighten the soil a bit. Good, bad or just ugly?

A dash of sulfur would also help. Not to further acidify your soil but to add a little more shelf life to your Copras.

Any other onions that will do well in Yankee land and that taste good?

Wait to see what's available at garden centers in your area. Ailsa Craig is a big sweet one for us but won't keep long. Big Daddy is good for a month or so longer. Jury is still out on Candy due to unpredictable size. First Edition matches Copra for storage. And if you want to know more about onion varieties and where they should and should not be grown, visit www.dixondalefarms.com

Martin

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Callieslamb

· #8 · Jan 29, 2010

If you have clay soil, you might consider raising an area for them, making the top 4-6 inches of soil be light and loamy. keep them well weeded. they are hungry plants - feed them well. When they start to bulb up- take your finger and run it round the widest part of the bulb - just circle the bulb- not too deep. This will loosen the soil immediately around the bulb and make it easier for them to expand. Did I mention that they like to EAT? I feed mine 1/2 strength miracle grow once a week.

Marcia in MT

· #9 · Jan 29, 2010

We had dynamite onions last year, for the first time. I was conscientious in keeping them weeded (it's always been, "Do as I say, not as I do," for me), and we kept them watered. The soil started out as gumbo but has had lots of organic matter added over the last 20 years, and now it's pretty good.

The Copras are fantastic: strong, tasty, and hard as rocks. The rest have all been eaten or sold; they were several different varieties.

mommagoose_99

· #10 · Jan 29, 2010

Johnny's and the other seed people get their onion plants from Dixondale. I cut out the middle man and order directly from dixondale. Go to www.dixondalefarms.com. I think their website can answer most of your questions. In the Spring and summer or days are longer than the south. If you think about it, by JUne the North pole has 24 hours of sunlight while the south has much less. Onions are sensitive to day lenghth and it triggers them to bulb when the days get long. The long day onions do not respond as fast to the long days and they grow bigger. I live in NY State and I find that I can grow some of the intermediate day onions. I grow Copra for long storage and Candy, Big Daddy, Ailsa Craig, Sterling , Mars, and Red Zeppalin for big sweet onions. I ordered 87 bunches of onions from Dixondale this month. They said to hurry and order because so many people have ordered they are running out of plants. MY plants will be delivered at the end of April.
Linda

Reactions: 2

farmer kate

· #11 · Jan 29, 2010

It helps to get your mind around the idea that northern gardens get more summer daylight than the southern states if you think of the Land of the Midnight Sun - the parts of Alaska and Canada that have daylight for almost twenty hours a day in summer and of course, the reverse in winter.

Reactions: 1

Natasha23

· #12 · Jun 3, 2022 (Edited)

The plant is undemanding to nutrients and especially does not like excess nutrients.

How to care for onions in the article

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Yellow Creek

· #13 · Jun 3, 2022

I have had a great success with onions. I am in Southwest Michigan, zone 6a. We are 5 miles or so inland from lake Michigan. According to the local soil map we have Sebewa and Gilford soils. We are in the fruit belt. There are vineyards all around us, as well as fields in wheat, corn, and soybean rotations, and orchards of apples, peaches, and cherries.

I did look for options and wanted to try Copra from seed but the seed did not seem to be available with recommendations to try Paterson F1 as it was an improvement over Copra. Last year (2021) I planted Paterson F1 seeds from Johnny's Seeds. I direct seeded as soon as I could get them in the ground. The results were great and I am now big Paterson fan. The seeds did not mind the cold and started when they felt conditions were right. The bulbs formed nicely and were (mostly a great size). I didn't do a direct comparison but I would describe them as being mostly tennis ball and slightly larger size. I also had a number of golf ball size bulbs.

When I harvested them I let them dry down on a rack under my barn overhang roof for several weeks. I stored them in my wood shop in my barn where it doesn't get colder than 40 deg during the winter. I kept them away from light since I stored them with my potatoes.

We have been using the Paterson onions since harvest. There have been a few that have sprouted and spoiled but most have been in great shape. We are still using them (early June 2022) and will be doing so for a while because I have 2 half bushel baskets still in my basement. We moved them into our basement because it rarely gets above 60 deg and it was getting warmer in the barn as summer approaches.

You might consider giving Paterson seeds a try next year. I think it is too late to start them from seed this year, but early spring as soon as you can get into the garden next year would be worth a try.

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CC Pereira

· #14 · 12 mo ago

My onions grow accidentally ... I forget about them or toss them out the door, and they grow themselves. I live in eastern Oregon, and our soil has a lot of clay.

Pony

· #15 · 10 mo ago

allenhudson5 said:
Our onions stay as a green onion and multiply by division. They grow in both long and short day growing zones. Here at our farm they can grow in both sandy loam or high clay soils. Www.multiplyingonion.com is our website.

Did you come here to participate in the forum, or to plug your business?

There is a forum here for businesses.

Pony

· #16 · 10 mo ago

allenhudson5 said:
Ok karen

Your post was reported for ad hominem attack

Pony

· #17 · 10 mo ago

allenhudson5 said:
Lol ok yours too

I did not call you a name, I merely pointed out to you that there is a forum here, just for promoting your business.

You responded by lobbing a pejorative at me.

That is against the rules here.

Danaus29

· #18 · 10 mo ago

Pony said:
I did not call you a name, I merely pointed out to you that there is a forum here, just for promoting your business.

You responded by lobbing a pejorative at me.

That is against the rules here.

Looks like s/he was deleted. Sounds like it was a wise move.

seedstosuccess

· #19 · 9 d ago

Dieselrider said:
I have never had much success growing onions here and I have always blamed it on the soil (heavy Clay) and that might be a factor. I love onions and would like to grow them here. Has anyone had success with onions?

I have been doing some reading on the growth. Some questions get answered and some new ones presented. Supposedly here in the North (yes I am a ----ed Yankee!) you need to grow a "long day" onion as opposed to a "short day" onion for the South. They are claiming the short day onions will not do good up here. I would have thought the days were longer in the South???? Not according to the "onion people".
Can you grow an onion from seed to a mature bulb (ready to eat) in one year?
I have always used sets because I didn't think you could grow onions from seeds in one season and so far, what I have read isn't real clear on that. Some of what I am reading leads me to believe you can.

I was thinking on growing some Copra onions because they are super long storage capabilities and they are supposed to be a "long day" onion. Has anyone grown these and how do they taste? Also might try some Gunnison, some Olympic because they are an earlier onion and some Ruby Ring for a red variety. Any thoughts?

I have been thinking trying the onions in a raised bed with soil and Peat Moss mixed to lighten the soil a bit. Good, bad or just ugly?

Thanks in advance for any wisdom or experience you can share on this.

Any other onions that will do well in Yankee land and that taste good?

Growing onions can indeed be a challenge in heavy clay soil, but there are strategies to improve your chances of success. Regarding the choice between long day and short day onions, long day varieties are typically better suited for northern regions like yours, where they receive more daylight hours during the growing season. It's true that the terminology can be a bit confusing.

Onions can be grown from seed to a mature bulb in one year. Starting from seeds allows for a wider variety selection, but it requires more patience and attention to proper growing conditions. You can find detailed guides on seed-to-bulb onion cultivation to ensure success.

Copra onions are known for their excellent storage capabilities, and they should do well in your region. As for taste, it's subjective, but they are generally regarded as flavorful. Growing Gunnison, Olympic, and Ruby Ring onions sounds like a good plan for a variety of harvest times and color options.

Using a raised bed with a mix of soil and peat moss can help improve drainage and reduce the heavy nature of clay soil. It's a good approach to consider.

Other onion varieties that tend to do well in northern regions include Walla Walla, Patterson, and Dakota Tears. These varieties are known for their taste and adaptability to cooler climates.

Remember to provide consistent watering, weed control, and proper fertilization throughout the growing season. Don't hesitate to consult local gardeners or agricultural extension services for more specific advice tailored to your region. Good luck with your onion growing endeavor!

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rionaTheSinger

· #20 · 5 d ago

So I haven't had success with onions yet, tried once and it didn't happen, so trying again, got some sprouted onions from my MIL and seeing what happens.

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