How much longer?

Ms. Jitomate · June 15, 2014

I planted onions--Yellow Rock and Red Wetherfield-- and I want to know how much longer do they have to stay in the raised bed? I planted on Oct/12/13 and some have had a flower stalk start to form. I cut it out. They are not looking good, some have brown tips, but none are showing any onion at the surface. I fertilized in the beginning by adding organic fertilizers in the soil and in late April I had extra liquid fertilizers that I added twice that month. What did I do wrong?

joseph · June 15, 2014

It seems to me that the onions were planted unseasonably... Onion flowering is typically due in my garden to getting cold after they reach a threshold size (somewhere around pencil sized). That can also trigger onions splitting into many small plants instead of one large bulb. My recommendation for next time would be to research when and how onions are typically planted by your neighbors. Seeds/sets/plants? What season?

In my climate raised beds are very susceptible to dehydration which can also trigger premature flowering.

Once they start flowering I don't expect them to grow a large bulb. So I figure harvest them whenever you'd like...

Stvrob · June 16, 2014

I believe those are long day onions (but check on that, I couldn't find a definitive description on google). Best for higher latitudes than San Gabriel, CA. If they havent started bulbing by the Solstice, it probably isn't going to happen. Stick to short-day onions for your latitude. They don't generally store as well, but but some of them are very sweet and delicious. Put out plants in Novemberish, (assuming the weather doesnt get real cold there) or late winter (if it does gets cold there)

Ms. Jitomate · June 17, 2014

Why would a long time standing nursery (since 1889) sell long day onion sets here in Southern California? I trusted their selections. I'm going back to talk to the manager.

So now that the summer solstice is just this coming Saturday the days are going to start to shorten and there is no point in ever expecting large bulbs. My onions look like leeks without the nice green leaves. Are they still edible?

Stvrob · June 17, 2014

Maybe they were selling them to be used as scallions? If they were going to sell bulbing onions, they probably would have been selling them in the late fall, not as little bulbs, but as bunches of transplants.

And yes, you can still eat them. They will probably be delicious. Have you lifted any to see if they have started to bulge at all? If they are too deep they wont bulb well either.

KarenO · June 17, 2014

Pick them all and eat them up, freeze or use in recipes like any onion( The white parts will be good, the leaves too tough and fibrous by now) and start over with some short day sets. I would think you should still have time to get some respectable onions before the end of this season.
Karen

Stvrob · June 18, 2014

Also, look thru Dixondale farms website, its very informative, everything you might want to know about growing onions.

DavidP · June 23, 2014

I don't think you're timing is off, but your variety choice probably is. As mentioned you need to have some short day varieties.

I would also not bother with sets just get some seeds. Theres some argument whether you can get short day onion sets
http://patwelsh.com/wpmu/blog/vegeta...not-make-sets/

I sow a short thick row in November, transplant in Jan to 4 inch spacing and harvest beginning of June. Works well in our climate as they take up little space until transplanting in Jan and then after harvest can put some bush beans or other summer crop in. I'd personally go with something like Pumba but Walla walla does well here as well despite supposedly being a long day.

LA times gardening article about timing and varieties to sow/plant
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-...nion-varieties

Walla walla

Pumba and Desert sunrise

Ms. Jitomate · June 26, 2014

Wow, impressive onions from Riverside, California!

I will definitely be more careful about my selection and make sure they are short-day or neutral-day. I will even consider trying from seed, if I find I have enough time.
Thanks all for enlightening me about onions.

June 15, 2014	#2
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	It seems to me that the onions were planted unseasonably... Onion flowering is typically due in my garden to getting cold after they reach a threshold size (somewhere around pencil sized). That can also trigger onions splitting into many small plants instead of one large bulb. My recommendation for next time would be to research when and how onions are typically planted by your neighbors. Seeds/sets/plants? What season? In my climate raised beds are very susceptible to dehydration which can also trigger premature flowering. Once they start flowering I don't expect them to grow a large bulb. So I figure harvest them whenever you'd like... Last edited by joseph; June 15, 2014 at 06:23 PM.

June 16, 2014	#3
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I believe those are long day onions (but check on that, I couldn't find a definitive description on google). Best for higher latitudes than San Gabriel, CA. If they havent started bulbing by the Solstice, it probably isn't going to happen. Stick to short-day onions for your latitude. They don't generally store as well, but but some of them are very sweet and delicious. Put out plants in Novemberish, (assuming the weather doesnt get real cold there) or late winter (if it does gets cold there) Last edited by Stvrob; June 17, 2014 at 07:23 PM.

June 17, 2014	#5
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	Maybe they were selling them to be used as scallions? If they were going to sell bulbing onions, they probably would have been selling them in the late fall, not as little bulbs, but as bunches of transplants. And yes, you can still eat them. They will probably be delicious. Have you lifted any to see if they have started to bulge at all? If they are too deep they wont bulb well either. Last edited by Stvrob; June 17, 2014 at 07:21 PM.

June 23, 2014	#8
DavidP Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Riverside, Southern California, USDA 9b, Sunset 19 Posts: 63	I don't think you're timing is off, but your variety choice probably is. As mentioned you need to have some short day varieties. I would also not bother with sets just get some seeds. Theres some argument whether you can get short day onion sets http://patwelsh.com/wpmu/blog/vegeta...not-make-sets/ I sow a short thick row in November, transplant in Jan to 4 inch spacing and harvest beginning of June. Works well in our climate as they take up little space until transplanting in Jan and then after harvest can put some bush beans or other summer crop in. I'd personally go with something like Pumba but Walla walla does well here as well despite supposedly being a long day. LA times gardening article about timing and varieties to sow/plant http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-...nion-varieties Walla walla Pumba and Desert sunrise Last edited by DavidP; June 23, 2014 at 11:05 AM.

June 17, 2014	#4
Ms. Jitomate Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Gabriel Valley, CA Posts: 99	Why would a long time standing nursery (since 1889) sell long day onion sets here in Southern California? I trusted their selections. I'm going back to talk to the manager. So now that the summer solstice is just this coming Saturday the days are going to start to shorten and there is no point in ever expecting large bulbs. My onions look like leeks without the nice green leaves. Are they still edible?

June 17, 2014	#6
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	Pick them all and eat them up, freeze or use in recipes like any onion( The white parts will be good, the leaves too tough and fibrous by now) and start over with some short day sets. I would think you should still have time to get some respectable onions before the end of this season. Karen

June 18, 2014	#7
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	Also, look thru Dixondale farms website, its very informative, everything you might want to know about growing onions.

June 26, 2014	#9
Ms. Jitomate Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Gabriel Valley, CA Posts: 99	Wow, impressive onions from Riverside, California! I will definitely be more careful about my selection and make sure they are short-day or neutral-day. I will even consider trying from seed, if I find I have enough time. Thanks all for enlightening me about onions.