Diane,

I think you already know the answer. If they don't feel like they have any substance left, then I don't expect they'll survive.

I'd e-mail or call Bruce Frasier or Customer Service at Dixondale ASAP and tell him exactly what you told us, including the arrival date of your onions if you remember it. They company should offer to send you replacements, and I'll be disappointed if they don't. You can read their guarantee on their website (I think it is that they'll replace them if they fail within 30 days of your receipt of them, so I hope you haven't had them longer than that.) They are big on customer service there (and they ought to be for the prices they charge.)

Let us know how it all works out. And, if they try to treat you like you don't know what you're doing, call them on it! You've been gardening long enough to know that a dessicated, 'empty' onion plant isn't going to grow and perform.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Dixondale's Guarantee

*sigh*

You're right, Dawn. I really don't expect more than 10% at most to... I was going to say live but, really, it's more like coming back from the dead.

Poop.

Diane

Diane,
I'm surprised they didn't last longer. I've held them over 3 weeks with no trouble before. Of course here we have little humidity and think the bulbs were a little bigger. I had a few that year that were like yours but all the extra's they sent more than covered for them. Like Dawn stated I would contact them. They have great with me. All of my problems have been with shipping and UPS. Last year I had marked the US mail and they shipped by UPS. I called and they sent out another order the next morning by mail. The mail order arrived 2 days sooner and was in good shape. The UPS box was tore up. They said to keep both orders. I didn't need that many so shared with coworkers. I had one yesterday asking where he could order them. He said they were the best onions he had grown. Hopefully they will send another order quickly. It is still around 3 weeks before mine arrive. Jay

The intermediate bunch were very, very tiny, many being no bigger than two pins in diameter. I really didn't understand how they could survive unplanted for three weeks but trusted the Dixondale info. (The short day bunch were bigger and I had no worries about them.) Anyway, I emailed them last night, not even asking for replacements, just quizzing about the three weeks hold time info for such little plants. There was a response in my inbox first thing this morning that they'd sent out a replacement bunch.

Most impressive to me was the attitude conveyed in the email -- completely friendly, open, and warm, as if dealing with a friend who was concerned with me personally. I am blown away and, just for the attitude, they have earned a customer for life (or until they turn into buttheads LOL).

Nice companies with excellent customer service are a rare thing these days.

Diane

This is my second year to order from them. Last year they sent way more than 5 or 6 dozen in each bundle. I think that was everyone's experience.

This year I requested a ship date of 3/1. I received my onions today. Also, I ordered 3 bunches of each type. I received 5 bunches of one and 3 of the other so I have many extras again this year. I'm not complaining, I've just not received what was expected for two years straight. More is better than not enough. I have friends who will gladly take them. The plants look nice. I really wish they would have shipped when I requested because I know I won't get them planted for another two weeks.

Quailhunter, Sounds like you lucked out with those extra onions. As for the date, looks like you only got them 2 days early. I don't know if it is still on the info page or not, but once they explained that they ship early in the week so they will be sure to be there by the weekend which is when a lot of people plant.

It doesn't seem like Monday could be March 1st, because the weather still seems too cold, and I am so far behind with my planting.

Carol took the words right out of my mouth. A couple of days isn't terribly early. They still ought to hold for three weeks. Mine are in the second week of 'holding' and look fine. I am going to try to get them into the ground very soon now.

I don't know how March snuck up on us so quickly, except that the below-ave. temps and higher snowfall made Feb. feel more like Jan. Let's hope March weather acts like March....although it would be OK with me if it skips that whole 'coming in like a lion thing'.

When I put down a ship date of 3/1, I was figuring they would ship on 3/1 and I would get them at the end of this week. I was expecting them on 3/5 or so. So...for what I was thinking, it is early. Guess next year I'll just request an even later ship date and see what happens.

Just wanted to update this now that things are calming down.

The replacement order arrived a day or two after the accident so I set them aside until the day before yesterday. This new bunch had much larger onions, what I'd consider normal, like the short day sampler was. It was also way overpacked. I counted roughly 180 onions in this bunch! I got them all planted Saturday and they're happy. The short day sampler (the good bunch from the first shipment) is thriving and doing well, whereas the original intermediate bunch pretty much all died (or were already dead).

I'll definitely be ordering from Dixondale each year from here on out.

Diane

Diane,

I'm glad they sent a replacement batch and quickly too, and glad life is calming down a little bit.

Hope Steve is making good progress....I'm sure being home again feels great!

Dawn

Well I have not had very good luck with my order from Gurney.

They shorted me by 50% on the white Candy onions, and most of them were bigger than pencil size, which means I can't put them in the ground till ALL danger of frost is past. The red Candies were ok, except in one of the bunches there was a big white onion plant, bigger than a pencil, and not the same as the white Candy onions. So don't know what it is, and judging from how it was stuck right smack-dab in the middle, makes me think they did it on purpose. But maybe I'm just too jaded.

I've e-mailed Gurney twice, no response. They're supposed to have a full replacement guarantee, according to the website. I'll mail a letter on Monday. I refuse to pay for a toll call and have to deal with a phone tree, too. I was pretty frank in my letter, but I feel like I got cheated and that hacks me off. I probably won't order from them again, no matter what they do, but I didn't tell them that. I'll be a Dixondale girl next year. Might order enough to get a real good price and then sell the extras to some of my local garden buddies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of the onions on my blog (scroll down)

Ilene,

I loved your blog!

I am sorry that your Gurney's onions are such a disappointment. There sure were a lot of big ones in your photos.

Since becoming a Dixondale girl at GoneFishin's urging, I've never regretted it. I do hate paying the higher price, but just chalk it up to 'getting what you pay for' in terms of quality. I always say if I could find Candy and Red Candy Apple here in the Marietta area, I'd buy them locally, but they'd have to be the same quality as Dixondale's, or I'd go back to Dixondale again. Once you've known quality, it is hard to give it up, you know.

That big white onion in the middle of the Red Candies was a monster. That does seem like a deliberate 'filler' onion used to fill up a bundle with fewer onion plants, and I don't mean that as an accusation against them, but it sure seems fishy to me.

I haven't bought any sort of live plant material from Gurneu's in a long time, ever since I got some moldy rhubarb roots from them that didn't grow. I occasionally order seeds from them, but haven't ordered any lately. Once a company gets on by bad side, I tend to more or less drop them.

Dawn

Ilene,
Glad the garlic is doing fine. I got mine in late. All is looking fine. I received some to try in mid to late Jan and it is looking fine also. Your onion plants don't look real fresh either. Like I've stated before there are a few nurseries around here stocking Dixondale plants and have a good selection of varieties suitable for my area. So for those not wanting many they can buy locally. I ordered mine early. I've had another source recommended by a few but happy at Dixondale's so haven't tried another source yet.

Diane like to hear the good news about Steve. And also glad to here they sent replacements fast. I know they have always been great to me. Jay

Just want to throw in my 2 cents...for whatever it matters. I bought from Dixondale 6 bunches - 2 bermuda white, 1 1015Y, 1 candy, 1 short day sampler and 1 intermediate sampler. They were okay...but I wasn't overly impressed. They held right at 60 onions each bundle and some were only the width of a bristle in a hairbrush. I lost about half of one bunch of bermuda. It was my own fault. When I received them on Feb. 15th, I just put the whole box in a dark closet and that bunch was too moist so some turned green and slimmy. We got them all planted last Saturday (March 6) and even with fertilizer and watering per their instructions, they still look limp and yellow.

Now, on the "up" side....our local nursery, K&K on Sooner Road, carries Dixondale. We were in there the last week of February buying seeds potatoes and there they were! Stacks & stacks of Dixondale crates with onions. And every single type I ordered except for the Samplers. The kicker....they were either $1.49 or $1.99 a bunch. Providing they have any left, I'm going to stop today and buy some more because I don't think ours are going to do well. They also said that if there was a type I wanted that they didn't order, to let them know and they would order them for me next year. Ilene - maybe next year I can just get yours when I get mine and mail them to you? It would be better than dealing with the frustration and doubt we've had this year!

Dawn - I just love Ilene's blog. I check it every morning with a cup of coffee while I wake up to my day. Diane's is good too...and I get a kick out of MJ's also. OH...and don't forget Glenda's!

Paula

Don't forget TigerDawn's blog, too! Man, we're getting to be a bloggy group, arent' we? We've all got links to each other's blogs on our sidebars. I really like how that works. When someone posts a new blog, it moves to the top of the list. Helps me to keep current on everybody.

I did finally get a reply from Gurney in my e-mail today. Surprised they waited all the way till Sunday to check their e-mails?? I thought the reply was kind of terse. They said:

"A reship has been issued for the item(s) requested. You should receive your items by the early part of April.

However, we ship the plants in their dormant stage. If you are not happy with the size of a onion bunch. We will be happy to issue a credit or a refund.

While we try to make every effort to ensure that the items you order are of the highest quality, shipped to you in a timely manner, and with the best service, occasionally we stumble. Please accept our apologies. Again, I do apologize for the inconvenience and we ask that you consider giving us one more opportunity to provide you with world class service. "

In the second e-mail I had sent them I told them that all my garden buddies had gone with Dixondale and that their poor customer service was making me wish I'd done the same.

From the way it sounds, I'm just going to get one bunch of onions. But that's ok as long as the count is reasonable. I went out and planted the onions that were smaller than pencil size today, as I began to worry they weren't going to hold very long. The bigger onions, I will try to hold till after the last freeze. Yep, I'm gonna be a Dixondale girl next year.

Spring before last, I found white Candy onions at Atwood's for a dollar and something a bunch. And that was the year I had so many wonderful huge ones. I just blundered into the purchase, didn't know anything much about them when I first bought them. The next spring, by the time I went to get some, they were all gone. Or maybe they never got any because they never got any this year. I don't want to depend on some store locally getting some in and ending up waiting till too late to order if they don't. But I notice Dixondale's prices get pretty reasonable if you order several bundles, and I can call Consumer Calls on the local radio station and advertise that I have some for sale and probably get my investment back. Paula, you're a sweetie for thinking about sending me some next year and I might even take you up on that. They don't weigh that much, postage shouldn't be too bad.

I've got several things to blog about but I've been so dang busy I haven't had time. Today after I planted onions (forgot to check to see if it was OK with the moon! Dang!), I transplanted the Roselle, the pomegranate and quite a few peppers into their first styro cups. They're all warm weather things so they'll be getting transplanted a second time before it's time to go out in the garden. Gosh, I hope Ihave places for everything! Now Hubs has somethng built that needs painting and I'm the painter here. So gotta go do that before I lose my daylight.

I too am so glad Steve is doing so well. Looks like you're having a time keeping him off his feet, eh Diane? That's a good sign though.

"talk to me after my tea?...yep, I check in on her too! Man, she's got the critters, doesn't she? I so admire her ability to keep up with family and pets....she's on my list also, so yes, guess we're guite a "bloggy bunch". I also check in on "southerngardenchick" aka Beth (her blog is "hep it"). I think it's really cool that we get to not only check in here with our gardening, but get to add the "personal" side of life too!

Ilene - you just go right ahead and take me up on it...and the postage should be minimal. I'm just really kinda let down by the way my direct order turned out. I looked tonite and they STILL don't look so good. Maybe Owiebrain will give us an update on hers that will give me hope.

In the meantime, I'm focusing on our Spring Swap...it's only a month away!

Thanks, all! Yep, Steve's doing well, all things considered. It will be a few months before he can walk much but his arm should be back in (light) action in just a few weeks.

The second batch of onions was great and are doing well -- except where the danged dog got in through a gate the kids left open and dug a big hole. Argh. It was only a foot square or so, so not many were lost but still...

I've interplanted leaf lettuce around the onions to act as an edible mulch of sorts. I googled and read that lettuce and onions do well together but then I saw Dawn say on another thread here (that I've now lost track of) that onion won't do well interplanted. *sigh* So I guess I'll pull the lettuce as it sprouts and just do some leaf mulch.

Diane