Growing onions
by
Debe
+2
I planted onion sets (the round ones in a bag) January 19, 14. They didn't get very big. I was hoping for large slicing onions. Why didn't they produce, it's now middle of June? Do the ones you buy in a rubber band grow better?
4 answers
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Onions need generous moisture and sun, and are heavy feeders. The lack of any of those could have reduced the size of your onions. Also, you don't say what type of onion sets you purchased. In Arizona, bunching onions are traditionally planted in the spring, while larger ones are generally planted in the fall. See more from Arizona Cooperative Extension here: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/vegetable/onions.html
Douglas Hunt
on Jun 17, 2014
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make sure you have plenty of fert and water.i start my garden with a good layer of granular 10-10-10.i spread it out evenly then go back and run my tiller thru it twice . i then lay out my rows and plant i water after planting. after the onions are sprouting up i side dress with a light sprinkle right beside the onions and cover with a hoe.water this in ,if you dont get a lot of rain then you should have a good water system to water at least every other day. when my onions get tall and start bulbing up i take my hoe and pull dirt away from them ,leaving roots un disturbed. will make good size onions then
Ann S
on Jun 17, 2014
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Also the require a loose soil. I have what is known as black gumbo and I don't attempt to grow onions or carrots as they will not get very big. Easier for me to buy them at the store. If I grew any of them would have to make a special bed for them. The dirt I have is great for growing other produce. No need to fertilize or anything like that, just plant, mulch water and let it produce.
Harriette Brice
on Jun 17, 2014
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I have added quite a bit to the dirt and it is not nearly as bad as it was years ago. I do not use fertilizer or pesticides on my fruit trees or garden. I mulch with shredded paper, leaves and pine needles, both of which compost into the dirt. This year I composted with newspaper, brown paper sacks, junk mail and shredded it all. I grow nice healthy plants and normally plenty of produce. This year I have produced an abundance of green beans and Roma tomato plants are loaded with fruit. The Beefsteak tomatoes have not yet produced and that has me concerned as the plants are over 5 feet tall and look healthy. Just now starting to bloom. The eggplants are full of babies. The yellow squash and zucchini did well, but my plants get so large it is difficult to find the vegetables. The yellow squash and zucchini plants came to about my hips or taller. Once the beans, squash and zucchini finish, will break up the ground and start over with something else. For not using fertilizer or any type chemical on the garden it really surprises me how well it does. So for now I will not mess with my soil other than the mulches I mentioned above. I have more than enough fruits and vegetables for my use and share with other people. No more onions than I use now days it is easier to go buy a few at a time. Both my peach and fig tree are loaded with fruits. The only problem there is beating the mockingbirds and other birds to the fruit when it gets ripe. I make jam with the figs and peel and slice the peaches for freezing and also make jam from them. Some of the peach jam I add green chilies to make it a little spicy. I am 71 and still can in jars or freeze what I do not share with others.
Harriette Brice
on Jun 18, 2014
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