Onion update

White onion sets that were purchased and planted in my raised bed #1 on March the 6^th and which started to grow by the 15^th are now really beginning to grow! I’ve been harvesting a few now an then as additives to salads but still have more than enough in the middle of May to bring to full term this summer.

Of particular note have been the cool temperatures and wet conditions that have been more the rule than not this last month or so. I remember from an article I read somewhere that onions like wet conditions for optimal growth. I’ve also experienced very few flower stalks which is a good sign that the plants are happy with their growing conditions. Note that is you do get a stalk on a plant, try and remove it promptly or simply pull and use the plant. Otherwise, bulb production will be reduced.

The thing I really like about growing onions is the fact that sets purchased in the spring are pretty darn cheap and after planting all you have to make sure is that they get enough water and other than that, they are a breeze to grow. They can be used all during the growing cycle in salads and the finished bulbs are just the right size for slicing into hamburgers!

Onions are happiest in soils that are loose, fertile and well drained. They also do best when the pH is between 6.2 and 6.8. Neither of these conditions exist in my beds! I have a high clay content soil with modest amount of humus that has been supplied from my compost pile each spring. None the less, I’ve had pretty decent results over the past few years. True, my bulbs are not the largest (see my video ‘Onions are Easy to Grow’) but they sure have come in handy during the fall and early winter months. I store them in my basement where the cool conditions help preserve them fairly well.