Texas Onions

[karstopography]

Do you all fertilize your onions while they are growing?

Sort of, I might toss some worm castings into the beds once in a while or water them with fish emulsion. Whatever size the onions end up is fine by me. Most of them stay relatively small, about like the bag onions some of the stores sell.

[karstopography]

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Plant ~150 Texas Legend short day yellow onions yesterday and ~50 more today. Bought 3 bundles yesterday at Reifel’s for $2.25/bundle, each bundle had about 70 onions each. These should be ready around the first of May.

[pondgardener]

My bed will look like that...in about six months! Looking good!

[worth1]

My neighbors up the street have a nice stand of onions.
Probably about 12 inches high.

[karstopography]

My bed will look like that...in about six months! Looking good!

Do you grow intermediate day, day neutral or long day onions?

There’s sort of a myth out there, I’ve read this repeatedly online and even here on TJ, that short day onions don’t keep well, but I still have a few Texas Legend onions from my end of April harvest. Seven months post harvest and still good isn’t what I would label a bad keeper.

I did an experiment with mine. Some of the onions I kept out in the not climate controlled garage in a cardboard box after curing and some I kept in a couple of cardboard boxes in the more or less room temperature climate controlled house in a seldom used cabinet. The garage ones made it to about the end of September or early in October. The house ones are still going.

[worth1]

My bed will look like that...in about six months! Looking good!

Do you grow intermediate day, day neutral or long day onions?

There’s sort of a myth out there, I’ve read this repeatedly online and even here on TJ, that short day onions don’t keep well, but I still have a few Texas Legend onions from my end of April harvest. Seven months post harvest and still good isn’t what I would label a bad keeper.

I did an experiment with mine. Some of the onions I kept out in the not climate controlled garage in a cardboard box after curing and some I kept in a couple of cardboard boxes in the more or less room temperature climate controlled house in a seldom used cabinet. The garage ones made it to about the end of September or early in October. The house ones are still going.

The cool weather and late season triggers them to sprout.
If kept in the house they don't do it as bad and they have no idea what month it is.
Consider the fact they are biannual and have to sit in the hot summer until it cools off again for their second winter before bolting in the spring.

[pondgardener]

My bed will look like that...in about six months! Looking good!

Do you grow intermediate day, day neutral or long day onions?

There’s sort of a myth out there, I’ve read this repeatedly online and even here on TJ, that short day onions don’t keep well, but I still have a few Texas Legend onions from my end of April harvest. Seven months post harvest and still good isn’t what I would label a bad keeper.

I did an experiment with mine. Some of the onions I kept out in the not climate controlled garage in a cardboard box after curing and some I kept in a couple of cardboard boxes in the more or less room temperature climate controlled house in a seldom used cabinet. The garage ones made it to about the end of September or early in October. The house ones are still going.

My area falls within the upper reaches of the intermediate zone. I grew some Walla-walla onions last year and after harvesting in late June, they lasted till late September when some started to sprout. I stored them on top of paper grocery bags in a darkened basement, which was probably around 68˚. I may try a different type, Texas Grano or Sweet Spanish Utah and store them in cardboard boxes and see if that makes a difference.

[karstopography]

https://txmg.org/hendersonmg/plant-libr ... as-legend/
https://dixondalefarms.com/product/texa ... on-plants/

Texas Legend onions are pretty new, introduced in 2019. I like the Legend onion over 1015y super sweet. Texas Legend onion evidently does well in some intermediate day zones.

https://gonursery.com/the-legend-of-the ... eet-onion/

Story of the Granex a.k.a. Vidalia onion origins.

[karstopography]

Planted ~50 Yellow Granex and 50 Texas Legend onions today.

[karstopography]

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Here they are.

[karstopography]

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I think the onions are happy for the moisture. Don’t appear to have lost a single onion set after planting this year.

[worth1]

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I think the onions are happy for the moisture. Don’t appear to have lost a single onion set after planting this year.

Looks good.
It's really hard to tell if an onion needs moisture.
Best way is to see if they are growing rapidly.

[karstopography]

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The Allium Sea.

[karstopography]

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The Allium sea got some freshwater overnight. I love this big mass of green.

The chesnok red garlic (my son the Russian speaker informs me Chesnok means “garlic” in Russian) especially looks happy. I hope I get some scapes when the time comes.

[worth1]

Onions are exciting.

[karstopography]

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Onions and garlic in the snow.

[worth1]

Thrilling.

[karstopography]

It’s a garden site, right! We are into vegetables!

I do like onions. I’m happy I planted some of the granex this time around. They are definitely sweeter than the texas legend.

The 18° freeze beat them up some, but they are alive. These freaking polar air deals here are wearing a little thin, though.