I have used newspaper, shredded newspaper, shredded office paper, pine shavings, southern cedar shavings, oak chips and spent mushroom dirt. newspaper can blow easily and just doesn't look good. It can also make paper mache. It works though. Lots of independent tests show shredded office paper equal to or superior to the best comercial mulches. It has done very well for me. Spent mushroom dirt raises the ground level, but does little to stop insects or weeds. It is easy to weed though. Wood shavings look the best, stop lots of problems, but they crank the PH down. I add agricultural crushed limestone to buffer the acid and the onions seem to do well. Paper is almost entirely carbon hydrogen and oxygen. Wood shavings and chips provide a more ballanced diet, if you can get past the PH issues. Fresh wood shavings are not generally recomended, but I have used them with reasonable success. http://ojas.ucok.edu/01/papers/bfimple01.htm http://organic.tfrec.wsu.edu/OrganicIFP/OrchardFloorManagement/MulchTalk01Web.PDF

hi ms nature, I picked Copra because it keeps extremely well; so it will still be solid to plant early next spring. I do not expect that either Copra or Ailsa Craig would be hardy this far north; so I don't intend to plant my sets this fall. I would have some doubts that Ailsa Craig would keep long enough to get to next spring, but I know that Copra will, since I have done this before - replanting small Copra bulbs to grow on another year; I have not had a bolting problem from them yet either. You might have to plant the Ailsa Craig sets under lights, if they sprout too early which is actually quite likely. I would not expect them to winter over from a fall planting as far north as your and my gardens are, unless we have an exceptionally mild, snowy, and short winter. The key is as early as you can work your garden and plant as shallow as possible. Here in Minneapolis, I have squirrels that bury peanuts and walnuts in newly dug earth; so I cover newly planted beds with chicken wire, until there is a good sprout, and the bed has settled. I intend to also plant my multipliers next spring too. I know that works because that was done in my mother's garden, too, for decades.

planted onions and garlic on the 15 Oct. last year- fertilized with 5-10-10 - mulched onions and garlic with 6"of leaves directly out of bagger- did two 30' rows of garlic and two 30' rows of stuttgard onions the same way-excellent results this year- left mulch on this growing season- super onions and garlic. same time planted two rows of stuttgarders with leaves and removed most of leaves in the spring- didn't have enough days in the week to keep up with the weeding- couldn't buy any onions this fall to plant- next spring going to plant onions and mulch with straw or wood shavings - don't recommend using to much organic composted chicken manure- it's high in nitrogen- look for composted manure with higher phos. and potash (N-P-K)-goodluck this coming spring- the key is to buy quality sets right in the begining-HAPPY GARDENING!!!

Bob - no, don't pull the soil up around them. It won't result in bigger bulbs and may actually hinder the bulbs if the soil is packed too tight. It is normal for half to 2/3 of an onion bulb to be above the soil line. For leeks 'hilling' or blanching around the shaft results in more of the useful edible white part.