I'm kind of surprised that no one has mentioned getting a soil test first before selecting a fertilizer. I had my soil tested this summer and found that all that is needed is straight nitrogen since both phosphorus and potassium are high. Continually adding balanced fertilizers can eventually overdo those two since they are mostly immobile and get locked in, unlike the nitrogen. I'd say test the soil to determine the correct fertilizer. hortster

Sets ( white ,red ,yellow ) work well but don't store well for a long time . I get mine from the Farmers Co-op , but Ace Hardware in Maryville has them also . The earlier they are planted the larger the onions will be when the tops fall over and are ready to harvest . Planting the last week of march ( I planted some already because of the warm winter to see what happens ) to the first week of April is what I usually do . Some can be picked early for green onions . Onions from seed should be started in January so they'll be large but starting them now is OK but they won't be very large . They do store better than the sets . Onion plants sold in bundles do well and store well but are exspensive . If money isn't an issue they may be worth the cost .I heard the TexasSweet are best for storing but haven't tried them . I tried leaving a few onions in the ground last year so they'll make seeds this year to see if I can get them to seed themselves and grow wild . Growing them in a raised bed with a lot of peat moss mixed in makes it easier for them to grow large . The Farmers co-op sells Esposma Brand organic vegetable fertilizer in 25 lb bags which works well . Adding some bone meal will do them good also .

thank you! i thought mud daubers, but all three seemed so different. the bottom nest on the flat part of the wall did not hve any exit holes the last time i checked. it seems, taht the tubes which showed up last year did not hve any exits until this year. on the top photo, the dark spots in the holes, are those larvae not sealed off yet? it is haard to tell by the photo, but there were things in there, but i didn't want to disturb anything. daubers are ok, and i certainly have LOADS of spiders. i would prefer different smaler predatory wasps. i did see a somewhat large blue-black wasp in the shed but not near the nests. unfortunately, i post before i search- my field guide has mud dauber as black and yellow. obviously there are different species, i tell myself... thanks again!

To see them active and identify them, they need to be active during that time of year and it should be relatively sunny and warm out. As it's winter as I write this, if you have a way to remove the tubes, you can open one up and examine the cocoons - sometimes you can tell by the shape and the composition of the mud dividers. You can take tiny scissors too and open up a cold cocoon. The occupant will be hibernating so may only move a little bit, but certainly won't scramble around and fly as long as it stays cold. If you can get access to any of that, try googling "solitary bee identification". Everyone talks about a handful of osmia species, but there really are hundreds of native bees that nest like that. The Utah Bee Lab in Logan may be able to help identify them from photos.