Growing Sweet and Pungent Onions

Most people love 'sweet onions'.  If you grow your own, remember these 3 things about growing onions, especially if you like them sweet.

1. Soil ph is what determines how hot onions are...it should be as close to Neutral or slightly alkaline, which means somewhere between 7.0 and 7.5 on a soil pH meter, but, you can grow onions in soil with a pH between 6.2 to 7.2. Just remember the closer to alkaline your soil pH is the sweeter your onions will taste and the closer to 6.2 pH your soil is, the hotter they will taste. Sweeter onions will spoil quicker than hotter onions. 

2. Prepare you Onion planting area just before or after the first frost.  The best time to plant onions, (see veggie guide link at bottom of this blog) from Jan 1 to April 15, in Texas, especially if you want some of those early 'green onions'.  Onion plants should be no larger than pencil size and only planted a "inch" deep, about 4 inches apart or 2-3 inches apart to allow you to pull every other onion to have some tasty green onions. Normally your local feed store or nursery with have the best types of onion plants for your particular area, but, double check to make sure.  As a rule of thumb, onion plants are hardy and can withstand temperatures as low as 20^o F. They should be set out 4 to 6 weeks prior to the date of the last average spring freeze.

3. Fertilization and Growing Tips

Onions require a high source of nitrogen. A nitrogen-based fertilizer (ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate) should be applied at the rate of one cup per twenty feet of row. The first application should be about three weeks after planting and then continue with applications every 2 to 3 weeks. Once the neck starts feeling soft do not apply any more fertilizer. This should occur approximately 4 weeks prior to harvest. Always water immediately after feeding and maintain moisture during the growing season. The closer to harvest the more water the onion will require. While cultivating be careful not to damage the onion bulb. As the onion begins to bulb the soil around the bulb should be loose so the onion is free to expand. Do not move dirt on top of the onion since this will prevent the onion from forming its natural bulb. Start early with cultivation practices.

Note: If you garden soil is now below a pH of 7.0, one of the best ways to make it alkaline is (if you have them) to burn old limbs, trees, in the early fall.  Then scatter the ashes over the area you want to plant any kind of alkaline loving veggie in.  Once scattered, then till several times into the soil before the first frost.  I promise you this soil will reward you in abundance of great tasting veggies. 

Most onion varieties begin to form a bulb, when the temperature and hours of daylight reach certain levels.

"Long Day Bulbs" begin to form a bulb, when there is 14-16 hours of daylight. They include Sweet Spanish Onions and Walla Walla onions.

"Short Day Bulbs" will begin to bulb when there is 12 - 14 hours of daylight hours. Short day bulbs include Yellow Granex, Texas Grano and Red Burgundy.

Harvesting And Storage

Onions are fully mature when their tops have fallen over. After pulling from the ground allow the onion to dry, clip the roots and cut the tops back to one inch. The key to preserving onions and to prevent bruising is to keep them cool, dry and separated. In the refrigerator, wrapped separately in foil, onions can be preserved for as long as a year. The best way to store onions is in a mesh bag or nylon stocking. Place an onion in the bag and tie a knot or put a plastic tie between the onions and continue until the stocking is full. Loop the stocking over a rafter or nail in a cool dry building and when an onion is desired, simply clip off the bottom onion with a pair of scissors or remove the plastic tie. Another suggestion is to spread the onions out on a screen which will allow adequate ventilation, but remember to keep them from touching each other. As a general rule, the sweeter the onion, the higher the water content, and therefore the less shelf life. A more pungent onion will store longer so eat the sweet varieties first and save the more pungent onions for storage.

Texas Planting Zones and Spring Veggie Planting Guide

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/fallgarden/zones.html

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/earthkind/ekgarden14.html

Big Note: Never plant onion sets while the soil is wet.  

Posted via email from WellCare