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| the drying is over, i trimmed the roots and cut the tops off saturday. they were pulled 8/12.
as usual alisa craig exhibition had a few go bad while drying. all the 'doubles' are a bit soft so i used them immediately. 1 non double was totally rotten but did not effect any others near it. red wing is now my red onion to grow each year. what a difference from mars. not 1 single red wing had a rotting problem when drying or in the garden. i usually lose 8-10 out of 144 mars onions in the garden and another 6-8 when drying. all red wing are rock hard and nice sized. copra, as usual, all dried fine without 1 soft onion out of 144 onions. they sized nice too. 4" on center is better than 3" it makes a difference in the final size. i plant 3 4' X 4' squares next to each other. the 4 " spacing for copra and red wing gives less onions but better sized onions. ace are spaced 6" on center. total harvest is 88 pounds about 29 pounds each variety. does anyone know why the alisa craig exhibition onions sometimes have a double? there is 1 good sized onion and another smaller onion about 1/4 the size with both connected at the base. all these doubles don't store well or get soft when drying. i never saw any other onion i grow create doubles but ace does each year. i'm wondering if i should try CANDY vs ACE? my ace store until mid to late january, how long does candy keep? is candy is a large onion also? candy is a sweet onion i'd assume from the name? thanks! tom |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi.Tom I have planted both candy and ace here in the U.P. of Michigan. The ace may get a little bigger,the candy will get 4 to 6 inches and is sweeter and will keep till spring. I plant a wide row of 4 and are 10 inches on center. I think if you try candy you will like it. I think the farther apart you plant them the bigger they will be. YOPPER |
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| hi yopper, i thought you told me you grew candy, i remember the beautiful photos of your garden or farm in your email from last year. i was reading in johhny's seed catalog and they were talking about over wintering them. jss is in maine and no one would do that in this lattitude. so i assume you start your candy seeds like all other onion seeds and transplant out in the spring? i DO NOT want to plant the plants in the fall and over winter. i start my seeds 2/25 to 3/1 and plant out about 4/21. can i do this with candy? tom |
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| Hi Tom I use to start my seed about the first of Feb. and plant out the midle of april or later depending on the weather. Now I just order them from dixondale.The plants from them are much easery to plant and I get bigger onions.As for wintering over I don't think it would work here as it can get to -40 degrezze. If you try candy I don't think you will go back to ace. YOPPER |
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| I loved having the Candy Onions in years past - good size, flavor, and stored fairly well.. BUT, then they are the "property" of Monsanto/Seminis......this pops my ethics balloon and i won't be growing their seed anymore. But, to each, their own. Glad (and sticking to it.) |
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| Glad Some people put ethics a head of common since. BUT as you say ,to each their own YOPPER |
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| yopper, I planted 1000 Candy onions this year. They were as big as softballs. They are very sweet and good for salsa or just on a burger. I did have have some turn black and rot in the middle. I have no idea how that happened ? If you or anyone else can help me with that problem, I give you a big thank you |
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| Hawk All I can do is give you my opinion. I think the weather has a lot to do with most onion problems. Some times it's good for the onions and some times it's good for rot , bugs and onion maggots. If I can harvest when it's dry I have very little problems if I have to harvest when it's wet I have more problems. Very little problems this year as it was dry here all year.The only time I watered was when I planted them and they still were good sized!!If I do have a soil decease I think the long cold winters kill it. Every year is different some good and some better. Sorry I wasn't more help. YOPPER |
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| yopper,I tend to agree with you. Last year they were all good onions and I did'nt do anything different this year and well you read my post. I just did'nt know if something went wrong with my soil. thanks for your comments.hawk |
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| i have finished drying my onions and have final info. i pulled them on 8/19 about 1 week later than past years. i left them lay in the garden until 8/29 when i moved them to the shed and put them on racks to dry. on 10/8 i cut the tops and trimmed the roots. i had 3 or 4 candy that were bad and 1 that was out right rotten. all red wing and all copra were fine, not 1 single bad onion. i put each variety into a 50 pound bag and i was unable to get the last 10 pounds of candy into the bag! candy most 5 to 6" in diameter - 52 pounds candy were planted 6" on center while the other 2 were 4" on center, all started from seed on 2/27, put out late on 5/5, all grown in a 4' X 4' square. i am impressed with candy, excellent sized and only 1 onion was a double bulb which i don't care for, ace made lots of doubles. candy is now my sweet onion. i hope candy stores to february because this is a lot of onions! tom |
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| Tom You did good!!!! I thought you would like the candy onion. I have had candy keep until May not all do but those that sprout I give to the neighbors.They are still in the drying shed.I will have to move them indoors soon as it was 28 degrees last night. YOPPER |
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- Posted by susieq1542 5 (My Page) on Mon, Oct 29, 07 at 18:10
| I planted candies last year and they were wonderful, I planted them this year in a different place and they are not sweet at all but rather hot......can anyone explain this? |
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| The only explainations I could give are a mixup of seeds or a cross (or saving seeds from a hybrid), wrong plants if you used plants, or your different location has a higher level of sulfur or something, and maybe the weather or watering. Check pH of both locations to see if different. Did you start seeds, or buy transplants? |
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| Thank you Onion-Folks for this great discussion on the Candy onions. And nice to see another Zone 5-er close to me with good data on the how/when of it all. THANK YOU! |
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| Looking for Candy Onion Seeds |
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