Onions from seed--6b

[mikestuff49]

Planting from seed didn't go well for me. It's probably just me. They came up all right, but didn't thrive. Maybe temps too warm. Anyway, planted sets and they are doing well.

[ddsack]

[mention]zendog[/mention] Are the reds on the left? Clear difference in the shade of green between varieties! You are way ahead of me, I just started mine yesterday -- but I can't plant out until May, and some years they have to wait until June, because they end up planted in left over spots. I ended up with three kinds this year, Ailsa Craig, Blush F1 and another red, Red Baron. (Forgot to look for your Cabernet F1) I meant to start them a couple of weeks ago but got "distracted".

[zendog]

[mention]ddsack[/mention] The one's on the left are the two types of reds, but half of one of those trays is Alisa Craig which has the same color tops. The ones that are on the right are the walla walla and yellow of Parma. They were a different color throughout which surprised me, but they all seem healthy. One difference is the ones on the left are in flats that are broken up into small cells (128 and 200 cells per flat respectively) while the ones on the right are just one continuous flat. Besides that they should all be the same. I would chalk it up to the color of the onions, but the Alisa Craig onion "leafs" are basically the same color as the reds. I'm going to interplant some and see if they keep there different color variations when they're growing side by side.

I always think I'm going to grow just 2 or so varieties of something, but then I read about some other variety, and another, and...

[ddsack]

[mention]zendog[/mention] that is interesting and odd! Maybe there was a slight difference in the soil mix? Different bags when filling the containers? Or different dousing times with any fertilizer? I just assumed the white onions would be the paler shades.

[ponyexpress]

(4b/5a zone here.) I'll throw something different at you. I start mine in October, outside. They are sown in 3-gallon pots, dampened, and plywood squares placed over the pots. In early March, plywood is replaced with plastic grocery bag. Plastic bag is like a greenhouse and pots absorb heat during the day and medium stays warm at night. Plants grow slower and sturdier and never need pruning. Presently have Makó, Walla Walla, and White Sweet Spanish resting in their pots.

This is interesting. Do the seeds sprout in the Fall/Winter? When you replace the plywood with a plastic grocery bad, what is the size of the seedlings?

I started mine Feb 1st. I use those clear clamshell containers for salads. Put about 2" of compost at the bottom and plant seeds in two rows the long way. When the sprout, I put the containers outside (with the top down) as a mini-greenhouse whenever it's sunny. I trim the onions to keep them no longer than 3-4". They were transplanted to the garden around the second week of April. They were the size of a fat toothpick. The varieties were: Utah Jumbo, Superstar, Stuttgarter, and some red onion seeds I saved from last year. I also planted my Dixondale varieties the week before (Copra, Sterling, Blush, Highlander, Ailsa Craig, Red River).

As of June 2nd, my dixondale varieties mostly have 7 leaves. The ones I grew from seeds have about 4-5 leaves. I think next year, I will do several things differently. First, I'll start my seeds earlier like Jan 1st. I will supplement the natural outdoor/window light with grow lights to make sure they're getting 12 hours of daylight every day. I'll also try using more soil. I would like to get those grafting covers so I can use 1020 trays instead of my flimsy salad clamshells. I'm also interested in putting a mini-hoophouse one of my beds and direct seeding there.

[Paquebot]

Depending on the length of winter, growth in the pots may be slow or fast. Onion seed will germinate at 32ºF. The grocery bag over the pot may have soil surface temperature as high as 80º on a sunny day when ambient air temperature is barely above freezing. Germination needs so many hours of favorable temperature and it suspends when it drops too low. Then resumes when it is favorable. Some winters I have had emergence within two weeks. Other times I am still worrying after a month. In the end, it has never failed.

Martin

[HL2601]

Do you water at all between October and plant out? This is all great information. Thank you-first time onion planter here!

[wykvlvr]

[mention]HL2601[/mention] nice to see I am not the only first timer raising onions this year... DH has asked me to raise Walla Walla onions ie he wants a sweeter onion for his sandwiches... I ordered Walla Walla onion plants today as well as seeds for Alisa Craig and kept having to tell my self don't get more you have never raised them before... I figured the seeds are back up to the plants just in case they get lost in the mail like a number of things have been this year. I am also having to remind my self that I don't need to panic it is still a long time before I HAVE to start plants of any kind. Well except the micros... I need to get some Bunny Hop started and see what those seeds produce...

[Paquebot]

Do you water at all between October and plant out? This is all great information. Thank you-first time onion planter here!

They are watered when sown into damp medium. With plastic bag over the pot, it does not dry out as it is a closed system. After they are growing and bag no longer required, then water as needed.

Martin

[ponyexpress]

The grocery bag over the pot may have soil surface temperature as high as 80º on a sunny day when ambient air temperature is barely above freezing.

Is the bag clear or is it opaque? Generally we have clear bags that you might use for putting meats, fruits, and veggies in. I'm assuming that you use clear bags so that sunlight can shine through.

[JRinPA]

[mention]Paquebot[/mention]
These onions sown in buckets, covered for the winter, then grocery bagged in the spring: these are then transplanted? Or grown right in the bucket? What is the next step?

[Paquebot]

JR, yes, after the seedlings are big enough to transplant they go into the ground. It's no different than starting inside except lights are not needed and no mess. Main advantage is stronger seedlings.

Martin

[JRinPA]

Do you bare root transplant then? Teased apart like tomatoes? Or do you space the seeds out pretty far and dig out the whole dirt clump?
The only onions I've tried were the little starts that are like a small onion already. I wasn't real impressed and never did onions again. But I was hoping to find a way to start them in the fall more like garlic. This seems like an alternative.

[Paquebot]

Seeds are sown as if growing grass. Seedlings are indeed "teased apart". For the most part, each becomes a bare-root specimen.

Onions can not be started in the fall in long day zone. Although they would survive a normal winter, they would bolt to seed in the spring.

"Little starts" like small onions are called sets. The yellow ones are good keeps, red ones for keepers, and whites not so long. They are the cheapest that one can buy.

Martin

[GoDawgs]

Down here we're in short day/intermediate country. They grow from seed in about 10 weeks and I plant them out in October. I do my sets in market packs (no cell dividers), grow them under the lights and keep them trimmed to about 3".



When it's time to plant I separate them in a bowl of water and they come apart really easily. They get laid on a tray with wet paper towels top and bottom so they don't dry out on their way to the garden or while waiting their turn to go into the ground. They're not real big, maybe 1/8" wide but they grow just fine.

[ponyexpress]

Onions can not be started in the fall in long day zone. Although they would survive a normal winter, they would bolt to seed in the spring.

Johnny Seeds sells an onion variety called Bridger that supposedly can be sown in the fall and overwinter if you use row covers. Haven't tried it myself.

[mention]JRinPA[/mention] Have you seen the other onion thread I started earlier this year? Some good pictures & tips in there. I'm going to update it shortly.

[MrBig46]

Seeds are sown as if growing grass. Seedlings are indeed "teased apart". For the most part, each becomes a bare-root specimen.

Onions can not be started in the fall in long day zone. Although they would survive a normal winter, they would bolt to seed in the spring.

"Little starts" like small onions are called sets. The yellow ones are good keeps, red ones for keepers, and whites not so long. They are the cheapest that one can buy.

Martin

What is a long day zone?
Vladimír

[Paquebot]

For onions, the US is divided into 3 zones, long day, intermediate day, and short day. It is determined by the length of daylight hours. The northern third is the long day zone which will have more than an hour longer than the southern third. I would think that all European varieties would be long day.

Martin

[ponyexpress]

What is a long day zone?

To add to what [mention]Paquebot[/mention] said, each onion type has a minimum number of hours needed to bulb. It's my understanding that an onion will bulb when it's a sufficient size (number of leaves) and has hit required daylight hours. If you were to plant a long day onion in texas (short day zone), it will never bulb. Conversely, if you were to plant a short day onion up north, it likely will be a small onion because it will bulb too early.

One can plant intermediate day onions in a long day zone but they generally don't get as big as if they were planted in the correct zone. I have planted intermediate zone onions such as Superstar (aka Sierra Blanca) and Candy successfully up here and still got decent sized onions.

[MrBig46]

I understand that and I agree that I am in the zone of a long day. I also wanted to write that I sow onions in autumn and harvest in May and June. Of course, these are varieties that tolerate our winter, they are called to overwintering.
Vladimír