Planting the Season's Onions
Planting is in full swing down at my vegetable garden.
My vegetable garden is looking excellent this year. We already planted several beds of wonderful and nutritious crops. My granddaughter, Jude, was the first to plant in the garden this season - radishes, carrots lettuces and so much more. Most recently, my gardening team planted the onions, which were started from seed in the greenhouse. We always grow a lot of onions. The onion, Allium cepa, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. They are hardy, easy to grow, and can be grown in a variety of soils and climates.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Onions should be planted in spring when temperatures are still a bit cool once they start to grow, and then warm when they begin to mature. Early planting gives the onions time to develop tops and store energy for the bulbs.
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- We wanted the onion plant rows to look tidy and straight, so to guide the rows, Phurba uses twine tied taut from one end of the garden bed to the other and secures with wooden stakes.
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- In all, we designated four long beds for this crop – one for yellow onions, one for white, one for red, and one for a few leek varieties.
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- Phurba carefully measures the space between five furrowed rows in each of the onion beds.
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- The rows are perfectly spaced in the bed. Phurba looks back often to ensure the twine is pulled taut and straight. When planting onions, select a location with full sun where they won’t be shaded by other trees or plants. The best soil for onions is well-drained, loose and rich in nitrogen. Onions are heavy feeders and require constant nourishment if they are to produce big bulbs.
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- In this bed designated for leeks, Phurba creates deep furrows, about four to six inches down.
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- Leeks need to be planted deeply so they can be backfilled as they grow to help develop beautiful long white stems.
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- Next, Zoe carefully removes the leek seedlings from the flats in which they were started.
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- Here is a closeup of the leeks with well-developed roots.
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- Here, Zoe has separated the leek seedlings and is placing them in the trench where they will be planted.
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- These leeks should be about four inches apart, so they have ample room to grow.
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- Phurba uses a dibber to make the holes for each plant right at the spot where they were positioned. Soil is gently moved around the sprout to ensure all the roots are covered.
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- Onions come in three general colors: red/purple, yellow and white. Onions are closely related to garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions, and chives. Onions are also categorized into two growing types: long-day and short-day. Long-day onions begin sprouting in late spring to summer when days are between 14 and 16 hours long. Short-day onions begin sprouting when days are between 10 and 12 hours in length – winter and early spring.
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- Onions can be planted in more shallow trenches. Here is Phurba preparing the next bed for our onions.
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- Again, the onion seedlings are placed along the twine about four inches apart.
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- When planting, grasp the plant with the root end down and push it into the soil. The plant should be dropped about one-inch deep. Onions will grow quite large if planted properly and given enough space.
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- By nature, onions are biennial plants. They grow from seed to a plant, and then into a dormant bulb the first year. Then, in spring, the bulb begins growing again and produces a flower spike. Fertilized flowers produce seeds, and the life cycle is complete.
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- Onions grow best when the soil pH ranges between 6.0 and 6.8.
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- Once the plant is in the ground, Phurba firms up the soil around it. Be sure the onion roots are well covered with soil, and that the top of the plant’s neck isn’t covered too deeply. If too much of the plant is buried, the growth of the onion will be reduced and constricted. Don’t worry if they are all laying down at this stage – they will all stand up on their own.
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- Yellow onions have strong flavors. These onions are white inside, with yellow-brown papery skins. Their rich, onion taste is often used in French onion soup. Yellow onions are higher in sulfur than white onions. Most of our seeds come from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. This variety is called ‘Scout’ – it has attractive, jumbo to colossal bulbs that are globe shaped. and a mild to slightly pungent flavor. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘Patterson’ onions are medium-large, blocky bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks that dry quickly. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘Yankee’ onions are medium-large globe-shaped bulbs with good skins and healthy tops. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘Pontiac’ has very large size potential and strong, bronze-colored skins that protect the bulb well in storage. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- These are called ‘Blush’ onions – mostly jumbo-sized, blocky-globe bulbs with thick skins and excellent storage potential. Blush is an easy-to-grow, long-day onion. It has brownish-pink skins, light purple rings, and very vigorous foliage. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Although the white onion makes up only five percent of the American onion harvest, it is the all-purpose onion. It has pure white skin and sweet, mild white flesh. White onions are commonly used in sauces, pasta salads, and in Mexican and Southwestern cuisines. ‘Sierra Blanca’ onions are large, white-skinned onions with mild flavor and thick rings. They are great for salads, slices, onion rings, and frying. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘Alisa Craig’ onions are sweet and mild with excellent size potential. They are grown to be jumbo to colossal, round to teardrop-shaped bulbs with light-yellow skins. Use them fresh or for short-term storage. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Red onions, sometimes called purple onions, have reddish-purple skin and white flesh, tinged with red. These onions are medium to large in size and have a mild to sweet flavor, though they contain less sugar than white or yellow onions. They are often consumed raw, grilled or lightly cooked to accompany other foods. ‘Cabernet’ produces medium-large globe-shaped onions with deep red color. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘Purplette’ onions are early purple-red-skinned minis. These flavorful specialty onions mature early and hold well. ‘Purplette’ has a glossy rich burgundy color, transforming to a nice pastel pink when cooked or pickled. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Leeks look like overgrown green onions but have a milder, more delicate flavor than onions. ‘Tadorna’ leeks are vigorous growers producing a medium-length white shank and contrasting, very dark blue-green foliage. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘White Spear’ leeks are heat-resistant and large with tall, upright, blue-green leaves. Their thick, cylindrical, white shanks have strong leaves that resist breaking. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- And ‘Deep Purple’ is excellent for salads and cooking and retains color in high or low temperatures. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Here are our onion beds fully planted. On this day, we also got some good rain, so everything was well watered. It is best to rotate onion crops. Last year, we planted our onions across the footpath from this section.
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- These onions will be ready to harvest in early September – I can’t wait to see them on my kitchen counter. Keep on planting, Phurba and Zoe!
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