Tue 6 Jan 2009
onions dislike temperature extremes. Plant tiny onions called “sets” for a head start on the harvest date. Onions may be easily grown from seeds, started plants, or “sets.” If you want lots of green onions (scallions) or large, sweet, mild-flavored bulbs at low cost, start from seeds. In short-season areas, started plants of the mild Bermuda or sweet Spanish onions can bring in an earlier bulb harvest. “Sets” are small bulbs of special varieties of onions. When you plant these tiny bulbs, the outer flesh sloughs off as new green scallions rise from the center of the bulb. Let them grow on from spring planting and they will form medium-sized, rather strong-flavored bulbs. The varieties indicated for spring planting form bulbs only on shortening autumn days. Varieties for fall planting in mild climates form bulbs only during the lengthening days of spring.
How to plant
Onion family members like cool weather. Seeds sprout best in cool soil. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep and rather thickly; pull and transplant or eat the excess scallions. Plants should stand about 4 inches apart for bulb formation 1 to 2 inches apart for scallions.
Care
Onion family members have rather small root systems and need fairly frequent applications of fertilizer in order to form large bulbs. In heavy soil, grow them on raised beds for good drainage but keep the soil moist at all times to maintain steady growth. It is essential for good bulb formation to keep onions weeded, but roots are shallow and easily damaged by deep cultivation. Hand-pull weeds or just scrape the surface with a scuffle hoe.
Harvesting
Pull bunching onions or thin bulbing onions as soon as the scallions are big enough to make it worth the effort. Bulbing onions, garlic, and shallots must be completely dry to store well. When about half the tops have lopped over, break over the rest to hasten maturity. Dig up the bulbs and sun-dry them, making sure they are not bruised or soaked by rain showers and that the roots are completely out of the ground. (Roots covered with soil will continue to grow and the bulbs will become soft.)
In containers
The most popular members of the onion family for containers are green scallions and chives.
