The Odoriferous Onion

The onion sets were planted on April 21, with protection this year.  Last year when the sets were up with a good 3/4 inch of growth they were pulled up.  Not just one or two but the whole bed of at least 30 that were meant to be grown for winter storage.  Some were nibbled on--a sort of half-hearted playful attempt to totally irritate the gardener.  Their mission was successful!

The onion bed is a rectangular bed of concrete blocks.  There is no secret gardeners reason for the concrete blocks--that is just the building material I had an excess of.  After the planting I laid a piece of fencing, weighed down with Central Oregon rocks, across the top and dared the critters to try again this year.

According to Oregon State University plant breeder Jim Myers, March and April are prime times to plant onions.  Myers explains that most onions grown in Oregon are long-day onions.  They make top, green growth until a critical day length is reached, which triggers bulbing.  That generally begins at about 14 hours of light per day.

If you plant onions in early spring, they'll grow to fairly large plants by the time daylight reaches 14 hours.  Large bulbs result.  If you wait until the end of April when days are already 14 hours long, bulbing will begin immediately and you'll have small pearl onions.  I planted later than I had planned so it will be interesting to see how big the bulb will grow.

Planting onions has become more technical than when I watched my dad do the planting.  Unfortunately in my youth, children weren't invited or encouraged to help plant the family garden.  However, not knowing what we know now didn't keep our family from having a hefty winter supply of onions in the root cellar.

The process now is more organized.  Sort the onion sets into two groups: those smaller than a dime and those larger.  Contrary to what you might think, the larger sets are used to grow green onions.  The smaller sets will produce large dry bulbs.

Onions are easy to grow and aren't fussy.  Amend soil with compost or aged manure before planting.  At planting time toss in a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 along the row.

For green onions, plant the sets 1-1/2 to 2 inches deep and 1 inch apart.  They will be ready to eating in about a month when the tops reach 8 to 10 inches tall.

For larger onions, plant the sets about 1/2 inch deep and 4 inches apart.

Fertilize every two to three weeks until onions start to form bulbs and make sure to keep the soil consistently moist.

When tops begin to dry out and are falling over, stop watering so the bulbs mature in dry soil.  After about half the tops have fallen over, wait about a week and harvest the bulbs.  Cure them for a week or so by spreading them in the sun on a deck or patio.

Many gardeners interplant onions and carrots.  The smell of the onions is believed to deter the carrot fly and the odor of carrots throws off the onion flies.  It's a win-win!

Why do I grow onions?  First-off, I was appalled at the price of cooking onions in 2018.  Second, since I grew them I know they haven't harbored any insecticides or pesticides.

Check out Gardening: Get Good At It - Short Season Vegetables segment, Tues May 7 on KPOV 88.9 FM "The Point" between 9-9:30 am