Plant Your Onions Now!

Finally gardening season is getting going! I ate my last tomato in December and other than a little broccoli, not much has been going on. Onions and potatoes can be planted anytime now up until about six weeks previous to the last freeze date (March 1st for us) in the Texas Hill Country.

Choosing Onion Varieties. Texas Sweet 1015 is the most popular variety in Texas. They get big and sweet but do not store well...a great summer onion. I also like Yellow Granex, White Bermuda and I'm trying Contessa this year.

Where to Get Your Onion Sets. There are lots of places to pick up your onion sets. I ordered mine from Dixondale Farms in Carrizo Springs, Texas. I ordered them online and they arrived within a few days. The sets were nice and they included some instructions for planting.

Planting Onions. Onions prefer full sun (but full sun in Texas can include a little shade!) and good drainage. I create a mounded row that is pre-fertilized with an organic fertilizer high in phosphorous such as Rabbit Hill's 6-8-4. Plant in the top of the mound about 2 inches apart. (Harvest every other onion leaving the remainder to mature.) Plant no deeper than 1 inch as this will inhibit growth.

Ongoing Care. Water frequently as onions do not have deep roots. My uncle always watered with a hose right on top of the onions. He said that by washing the dirt from around the onion, they would get much larger. Based on his results, I would have to agree! Onions are also heavy feeders so apply a heavy nitrogen fertilizer every 2-3 weeks. Bat guano, Hasta-Gro or a fish emulsion are good choices. Weeds can be controlled organically easily using corn gluten. In addition, this provides and additional 9-10% nitrogen.

Bulbing. As the ground starts to crack around the bulb, brush the dirt away to facilitate bulb growth. You can stop fertilizing at this point.

Harvesting. When the onion tops turn yellow and brown and fall over. Ideally, the plant will have about 13 leaves at this point. Pull the onions early in the morning on a sunny day.

Curing. How long your onions will keep depends upon the variety and how well you take care of them. Some varieties such as 1015 do not store long term well. Others, such as yellow granex will last all winter.

Onions must be dried correctly to prevent rotting. If sunny, leave outside in the sun for two days. Arrange the plants so the tops of one onion cover the bulb of another to prevent scalding. If the weather doesn't work, you can dry them indoors in a well-ventilated room. Cured onions have a neck dried to the bulb and shouldn't "slide" when you pinch it. The skin will take on a uniform texture and color.

Storing. Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place such as a garage or cellar. Place them in mesh bags or netting. Do not use anything that restricts air flow or the onions will rot.

Well, we're off to another (hopefully) great garden season. See you in the sun!