Yes... the catalog is excellent... they have a map showing what types are appropriate for where you live, etc. Northerners want either long day or intermediate day varieties.
Summerthyme
Summerthyme
Onions like water and fertilizer. You need to start with some ammonium phosphate for good root development and a good nitrogen fertilizer as you go along for leaf development. The more leaves the bigger the onion!Thanks for that recommendation Summerthyme, I just ordered with a delivery on April 6... I hope to get them in the ground ASAP in the high tunnel. We've always been disappointed with onions so this might "just be the ticket".
Onions like water and fertilizer. You need to start with some ammonium phosphate for good root development and a good nitrogen fertilizer as you go along for leaf development. The more leaves the bigger the onion!
Onions like water and fertilizer. You need to start with some ammonium phosphate for good root development and a good nitrogen fertilizer as you go along for leaf development. The more leaves the bigger the onion!
Also, because the larger the plant, the larger the bulb (within the genetic limitations of the variety.. if you want REALLY huge, fairly sweet onions, plant Ailsa Craig... but they're not keepers), the EARLIER you plant them (in the north, especially) the larger the bulbs you'll get.Did not know this, thank you!
We've been having "springlike" weather pretty much since a bit before Christmas- melted the 2 feet of snow we had then, and it's been mud season ever since. We're looking at a drastic change starting tonight, though... winds, snow, single digit temps. I hope it gets cold and stays that way for 3 months!I don't know about your guys, but we seem to have hit spring already here. It is going to be a screwy year.
Another great book for this thread would be "Root Cellaring" by Mike and Nancy Bubel. I have a copy and it's really good. Not just about building a root cellar but the Vegetables to grow that store well and how to manage them in storage. Very interesting book.
I have to admit, we do have a root cellar and use it every year for potatoes and turnips. They keep so well that some years we have to bring the potatoes into the house in May to make them sprout for seed plantings.
I was just reading some of you in the north have just planted onions in April. When do you all harvest?
Yes, and we need completely different varieties/types of onions. Dixondale onions site explains the "long day vs short day" types in onions... it's vital if you want bulbs.Wow what a difference. The opposite here. Planting in September and harvesting feb/march
I just learned about long and short about 2 years ago. It explained why I had so much trouble with bulbs.Yes, and we need completely different varieties/types of onions. Dixondale onions site explains the "long day vs short day" types in onions... it's vital if you want bulbs.
Summerthyme
We planted them on the 15th of April and just harvested them this week. Excellent crop in the baseball size!! They were the onions from Dixondale that Summerthyme suggested.I was just reading some of you in the north have just planted onions in April. When do you all harvest?
We planted them on the 15th of April and just harvested them this week. Excellent crop in the baseball size!! They were the onions from Dixondale that Summerthyme suggested.
What variety did you grow? And when do you normally expect your first frost? It sounds like a very late grain variety... it should start forming ears soon. Unless you crowded it severely, if you've got a couple months til frost, it should still make it. The older varieties of grain corn need a lot more room than the current hybrids/GMO types. We used to plant 18,000 plants per acre for grain... they are now planting 30,000 per acre or more. For home patches, you want 30" rows and 8-12" spacing for good sized grain ears. Sweet corn will tolerate a lot less space- it's generally a much smaller plant.We harvested our garlic at the same time. Two weeks ago made up quite a bit of garlic pesto from the scapes.
It appears now that the peaches are within a week of harvest time. As soon as the tree area smells like peaches, it will be the perfect time. Color is set in already. Shortly after that it will be pear pickin' time!
DW is currently preparing to plant Fall crops in the high tunnel. Thank God zucchini season has ended... pulled the plants when we harvested the potatoes. The only crop that hasn't (seemingly) done well is the corn. The stalks are about ten feet high and tasseling but there doesn't appear to be any cobs forming up.
They were SO good last year that we ran out by December so this year we planted 300 onion sets! Every one of them succeeded to harvest early this month (when we realized we'd have to cover them with plastic to avoid the constant rain) after they had a chance to dry out. Excellent, healthy crop sure to keep through the Winter months.We planted them on the 15th of April and just harvested them this week. Excellent crop in the baseball size!! They were the onions from Dixondale that Summerthyme suggested.
Freeholder,I'm trying to find someone to till up a garden area for me now before the ground freezes -- it will need to be re-tilled in the spring, but that will at least let the sod rot over the winter. Also working on seed orders.
One thing I'm focusing on strongly as I select varieties is disease resistance. I figure that if the weather becomes more and more unstable, our plants will be more and more vulnerable to disease.
Kathleen