Onion Set Planting Time

[heavyhitterokra]

Today is February 15th, 2020

If you live in Oklahoma, it's time to plant onion sets into your garden today.  Onions do better if it is cool outside as they begin to set root almost immediately after transplanting.  By planting them while it's still cool outside they will be less stressed and will become better established come warmer weather.  Therefore they will not suffer quite so badly in days to come when hotter, summer weather arrives.  Planting early also gives the onion leaves a chance to begin gathering energy to store in the onion bulb.  Always remember, each new leaf on an onion plant represents one new layer on your onion bulb, so if you want big onions, try to promote as much leaf growth as possible.

[john]

The past couple of years I have been growing the overwintering onions. In CT they do best with a row cover over some hoops to help them overwinter. They will also do OK with mulch. In Oklahoma they may do well with out any special care. They are a convenient crop to grow because you set them in the ground in September and they will grow in the fall. You don't really have to worry about weeding them because once the first frost hits it will kill the weeds and the onions will be weed free. THe onions are ready around Memorial Day- June 14th. THe variety I have grown is called 'Bridger'. and it is available from Johnnys selected seeds. There are other hardy ones that overwinter, there is a red one called 'Desert sunrise'. I only mention this because they can be a lot of fun to grow and will give you something to plant when most people are ripping out their gardens. You will have the earliest onions around.

[macmex]

I've heard of people having success with the perennial onions, here in Oklahoma, but every one I've tried needs to be dug in late June and replanted again in the fall. They die from the heat if left in the soil. I lost all mine because I'd lose track of them and they'd cook in the ground.

When we lived in Indiana we had both potato onions and shallots, and they were amazing producers for us there. 

[john]

The onions I am mentioning are a regular biennial onions, that you start from seed. The only difference is that they are planted in the fall. Here is a link;
www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/onions/full-size-onions/bridger-f1-onion-seed-2545.html

[macmex]

Wow! I've never heard of such a thing before. Will definitely give them a try!

[john]

They store all summer and into the fall for me. I think that they might be something that would be productive in OK. It is much easier to keep them weed free than spring planted onilons. They are done before the weeds get really bad.

[john]

Hi Bon I have saved onion seed, It is quite easy. You would just save a portion of your onion crop from the prior year and plant them out in the garden come spring time. They will go to seed in a couple of months. If they are not going to keep till spring you could always put them in a pot in the house and get them started inside. Plant them out when spring arrives.

I agree onion seed is only good for one or two years at best. Not quite as bad as parsnip seed which lasts only one year, but it comes a close second in the worst keeping garden seed category based on my experiences.

[heavyhitterokra]

John,

Thanks for posting that link to Johnny Seeds, for the winter onions. I learned something new today by reading that post. When you mentioned winter onions, I was thinking 'Walking onions' or 'Egyptian onions' as some call them. I had never seen a winter onion that sets a big bulb like the ones you posted. My walking onions are mostly just for greens, as the bulbs never get much bigger than my thumb.

I've had thrips here so bad in years past that I didn't even plant onions this year.  I've lost as many as 5,000 onions to thrips in one season.  I used to order an entire case of 'Candy' onions directly from Dixondale Farms and plant the whole thing to sell to local restaurants, but being certified organic, the thrips have made that a losing proposition lately. 

[john]

Hi Bon I have always done fine with sweet Spanish onion. They get quite large and store for a long time. ('til January.) I am not sure how well they will do in Oklahoma as they are a long day onion and require long days to get full bulb size. Oklahoma is at a lower latitude than us and may be better suited to short day onions like Granex, or better yet the intermediate types such as Candy or Scout. The intermediate onions will grow well in the south and the north. I am growing a couple different intermediate types this year.
I start my onions indoors (in a greenhouse) in January in large trays, they come up thick like grass. I let them grow until late March early April and then they go out in the garden, planted in double row that are a foot apart, the plants are spaced 6" apart. They are harvested usually by the third week of July. I have found that they really benefit from water once the bulb starts to size up in June. Fertilizer needs to be applied fairly heavily and close to the plant as they have poor root systems.
If they are dry during bulb development, you will not get the large sized onions. (Potatoes are very similar in that they need plenty of water at the stage of tuber development. )

Ron I feel your pain about thrips. I used to have them, hinder my crop. ( I never lost the whole thing) I don't know what control would work best for an organic crop. I tend to dislike oils as they can burn if not applied just right. Pyrethrin might work as I know permethrin works well. But I remember you saying you didn't really care for Pyganic, so I would imagine you have tried it already, The thrips like to hide in the crotches of the leaves for protection.