[Soilsniffer]

I ordered four sets of plants from Dixondale (FYI: 1015Y, Yellow Granex, Big Daddy, Candy). They arrived late Feb. Four sets, that's as much as 300 plants. That's WAY too many to plant at the same time, so to try to extend the harvest, I planted only about 25 of each variety on 24 Feb. The rest went into the fridge, each variety in its own unsealed Ziploc.

I took out 25 of each again on 12 March. They didn't look TOO bad -- a minimum of slime, limited to a few onions and just affecting the uppermost green leaves. The roots were dry, maybe TOO dry. But the bulb portions were still firm and I'm confident they'll produce.

So, I have one more batch to put in the ground. Dare I wait til 01 April? Will the ones I plant in April be only ping-pong ball sized when they mature in mid-July?

I'm thinking about planting the rest of the Big Daddy right now, as they store well (8-10 months) so they'll probably be put to good use eventually. But the sweet ones, which will last but a month or two, will go to waste if they all mature at the same time. I (& the Mrs.) love onions, but we can't eat THAT many at one time.

What do you folks (who buy from Dixondale or equivalent) do to extend the harvest? Or do you just plant them all at the same time and simply find creative ways to use onions when they all mature at the same time? Can I convince my 6-year old that a Vidalia is just a flat seedless apple??

I wonder if we can do a co-op type thing next year, where +/- five of us would divide 10 or so different bunches of onions, that way we'd each get a great variety of different types, just not so many of one kind. Those things get SO cheap if you buy in quantity.

Jay