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Vegetable Gardening

What can I do with my onions over winter?

14 years ago

So I started onion seeds winter-sowed in January 2009 and moved them into my SFG in April (about 1.5" apart). They grew very slowly all summer, but didn't form bulbs.

Can I thin them out and move those thinnings to spread them out and over-winter them? Will I get bulbs next year?

I just setup trampoline pipe 'legs' that a neighbor gave me to use as row cover supports. Should I put the plastic over the onions or just leave them be? The supports are not quite tall enough to extend over the tops of the onions. I am guessing if I thin them out and over-winter them bulbs will form next year?
{{gwi:115251}}From 101709

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Comments (4)

justaguy2
14 years ago
You may get bulbs next year, but you may also end up with no bulbs and lots of flowers which is what I suspect will happen.

Most onion varieties are photoperiod sensitive and bulb formation is triggered by how long the night is. It's likely that your plants simply didn't have enough energy to form bulbs when they got triggered to do so.

Onions are biennials which flower in their second year which is why I think the train may have left already in terms of getting bulbs.

Certainly you can keep them and see what happens. You can also use them for green onions.

If bulb production is your goal though I would get some plants next year of a variety appropriate to bulb well in your area. Google Dixondale Farms and read their FAQ section to get a really good understanding of what varieties are likely to perform best in your area. In the event you decide to purchase plants I recommend Dixondale highly. I don't think you will find anyone who has had a bad experience with them and they always send far more than you order.
denninmi
14 years ago
Good advice above.

Dixondale is great. I always order the whole case, which is certainly enough onions for my household of 3 people (LOL!).
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bencjedi
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks.. I'll use what little stock produced in my chili and see how it tastes. :)

And thanks for the recommendation. These onions were from a 10-cent seed packet I bought a year ago at RiteAid. I figured I'd give them a shot and they took a VERY long time to get of any size. Evidently they missed the boat. lol
naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
14 years ago
The variety you grew may not have been one that gets large. I grow White Lisbon Bunching Onions that are used as green onions from the 10 cent packs. They will not get large. Occassionally I see cheap packs for larger onion varieties, but not very often.

Yours look like they have some tasty tops that can be chopped up to add alot of flavor along with whatever bulb is below. Chili sounds good for the cooler fall days.

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