Hahaha, love the onion thread. I only wish I had more beds/more gardening space. My gardening all has to be done from the ground up, since we're a little soil on top of solid rocks. I ordered two bundles of onions from Dixondale. . . but only Candy. They did well the past 3 years. Two bundles should easily get us through a year, with some for the school, too. Yes. There IS that A**hole weather. 2-3 years ago, I planted them at exactly the wrong time, and had to run out and cover them with polar fleece blankets, frost covers, while we had freezing rain/snow 2 nights later.

I plan on planting 1015Y and some kind of red onion. This was the best onion year I have ever had as far as taste, but the spring was so wet I lost a lot to rot, plus, I dont have a good curing area.

The onions and garlic that I planted in the fall sure looks bad now. I expect them to pull through the cold, but I dont know what to expect as far as quality.

I had a bad onion year last year from being too wet and lost a lot from rot.

Then the rats ran off with what stored onions I did have.

Rick

Kim was hoping to get an order done, a LARGE order, via folks here. You know, the bigger the order the cheaper the price.

She posted on our facebook page.

Moni

For the first time in approx 15 years, I'm not planting onions . To me, there's not a big diff between what I grow and what I buy at the store. Not enough of a diff to justify the work. We just can't eat what I grow fast enough. Its kind of a relief to let them go. I would be tilling the garden in a couple of weeks, but now there's no rush.

Well , that's ok Lynn.

I can see just buying the onions versus doing all the work to grow your own.

But some of us ( like probably only me) are crazy enough to keep growing our own.

Something about listening to the north wind howling and thinking about a new beginning for the next garden this spring starting with onions seems to turn me on.

There's something fundamental in there somewhere.

How are you about potatoes.

Rick

Rick, I have say that I am with you. When I was young, nothing turned me on cute lady, but after about an hour or two I begin to wish I had never seen one. I can last much longer with a garden. I can get to the middle of a hot dry summer before I get that feeling.

I think you can buy a lady, or a garden cheaper than you can own your own, but, somehow it just is not the same.

Its not easy changing my ways. I just lost too many of what I grew last year. Will see how it goes. But it will free up space in my small garden spot, for a few more tomato plants.

I have access to more space than I can use. What gets in my way is being able to do the work needed, and to supply the water needed.

I hope to go out and turn the compost this afternoon, but I will have to air up at least one tractor tire. I may add more compost to a new onion area. I think it is beneficial to rotate crops, but it can be a pain because different crops like different types of soil. Sometimes if I use too much compost in my potato area I get ugly looking potatoes with dark and sometimes rough skin, I think too wet of soil enters into the problem also.

Lynn I'm with you, I just never had the footprint. I ended up not getting enough okra cause it went in after onions. I wanted to do it all organic, but you CAN buy organic if you're willing to pay for it. On the other hand if we're going to have shortages... Nope walking onions will do it. I'll grow potatoes in bags, just in case. We have garlic planted and Ron did onion sets in fall, which I've never done, but hey, cheap labor.

I'd feel ashamed and guilty of myself if I didn't start a new garden year with taters and onions.

But hey , that's just me.

Rick

There's nothing I'd rather eat fried than " taters and onions " . Man, I love that combo.

And I don't have room to rotate crops. Bout 3 years ago, my onions got some kind of white spotted disease. I sent a pic to Dixondale, they told me I needed to rotate. But there's not much rotating I can do.

I'm lucky I got the space that I do. But with all the stuff I try to put in I don't do a lot of rotating either.

But I do a lot of tilling. Both over the winter blending in manure and later on trying to keep the grass and weeds out of the thing. I figure the tilling keeps any disease broke up as well.

Rick

Lynn, I have the same problem with onions. I think that I have a lot more problems with disease because of wet soil. I need to rotate also, but my house gardens are small, the two together are only about 2500 sq. ft. Some crops need a trellis, some crops like better soil, then I have peas and okra that will grow about anywhere, but if I can get all soil in top shape I think I can rotate crops easier.

What I am trying to do is place trellises about 6 or 7 feet apart so I can till between them. With the trellises about 12 inches above the soil and 7 ' apart I can till very close to the trellis with the tractor, then work under the trellis by hand. If I have more trellises than I need it gives me more options. The crops that dont need a trellis can still be planted next to a trellis, and I can use the trellis for support when I harvest the peas, or what ever I have planted there.

I got my compost pile turned, I had to air up 3 tractor tires before I could start the task. I think I have a larger supply of compost and mulch than I have ever had, but I suppose that is a good thing because it seems that those thing are harder to find, plus cost more.

I just noticed the min/max thermometer and it looks as though I should have tilled yesterday, the temp is dropping, and we may have snow before I get a chance to till again.

Larry, I like your trellis idea. That will give you great options.

Lynn, that sounds so good--fried potatoes and onions!

You are making the right choices for your small garden. Some years you do something different or don't grow something and that is okay. It's your garden and you know it best.

I'm not experimenting much this year with veggies. (I need to spend my time digging out Bermuda grass.) Pretty much sticking with what I know I'll eat. Onions, though, I will be trying all new varieties. Rick ordered them--enough to share. I'm not doing lots of onions this year....just 3 rows that are approx. 16 feet long each. (I think).

Jennifer, I started the trellis idea the summer before covid, but just two trellises. The year of covid I added a couple of trellises, and planted a double row of beans between one set of trellised, and a double row of okra between the other set of trellises. I now have beets, walking onions, and garlic between a pair of trellises. I did the double up idea because of not knowing what to expect of the food supply. I need to keep the size of the plants down between the trellised because of crowding. I have another pair of trellises that I plan on planting onion plants between, and then planting tomatoes or peppers at the base of the trellis. I hope to add two more trellises before planting time, and then adding two trellises to the wildlife garden. If we ever get back to normal I will quit planting between the trellises and leave it open so I can use the tractor to till between the rows for weed control, I will never have enough mulch for the wildlife garden. I have also wanted to just try mulching the row, and mowing between the trellises, but I am afraid that will be begging for Bermuda grass attack.

In case y’all didn’t read it on fb I canceled the onion order. It makes more sense to buy locally than to pay high price for so few bundles. Next year😁
I am going to find a Dixondale vendor and get Texas legend and 1015. And some type of red one. AND I have winter sowed some other types and will be doing more. As soon as I get over this round of crud.

So sorry, Kim. I hope it passes quickly. What will you do with all those onions!

I was happy with Candy last year, so just ordered more for this year--2 bunches will be plenty for us. I'm quite excited about garlic AND onions.

Nancy I eat lots of onions. Last year was terrible so this year I want extras to dehydrate and I’ll powder some of those. Plus I like to precarmelize and freeze.