onion question

11 years ago

hello all - i'm late to getting my onions in, mostly because I refused to buy them while my destination onion row was full of bermuda. I finally finished pulling the bermuda tonight so tomorrow night I'll be getting and putting in my onions.

A question:
I've left the sprouts of last year's surprise onions (the ones that had died back in the heat and have been rejuvenated by the mild winter) thinking they might flower/set seed and that would help wildlife/butterflies and also might self sow for next year's onions. However, I recall I'd read on Dixondale's site that if onions are planted too close together, they will not size up. Does that mean I need to plant my new onions around the old with the normal spacing - each old onion occupying a slot a new onion could take? If that's the case, they have to go - I don't have room to grow as many onions as I want and if the old ones will negatively impact this year's yields... buh-bye.

Comments (5)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7
11 years ago
If space is an issue, I wouldn't try to work around the leftover onions from last year. If you want to keep them, but just not in that spot, you can dig them up and move them. I always hold over some onions to bloom for the wild things, but I plant the new onions in a different spot every year so the old ones aren't in the way of the new ones.
slowpoke_gardener
11 years ago
Mia, I think, I am doing the same thing, except with bunching onions. If you look on the thread a few days ago, titled "Onion Thrips" you will see some of my old onions that look like they are already starting to form their flowering stalk. The first two pictures are Evergreen Bunching onions, I think. When ever I find a bulb or plant that looks good I try to stick it somewhere whether I know what it is or not. I plan on leaving the onions to see if I can get flowers and/or seeds.

Larry
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MiaOKC
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, Dawn. I will move them into the "tomato" row and let the tomatoes grow up around them so I can still see if they will sow seed.

Larry, sorry about your possible bolting. I hope your temps are cool enough you can get some new onions in and harvested. To deal with my space problem, I am going to do more interplanting of ornamentals and edibles this year. We took out a huge, terribly shaped and overgrown 70s yaupon from our front foundation flower bed, and the soil is red clay. I plan to put in some of my favorite ornamentals - peonies and hydrangeas - but also try edible sweet potatoes or herbs up there.
slowpoke_gardener
11 years ago
Mia, I was glad to see these bolt, they are at least a year old, maybe two years old. I have onions running out my ears anyway. I have never seen any go seed and want to see what happens. I have at least 700 bulbing onions and if half of them produce I will still have more than I need.

I have been out cleaning out the sweet potato bed. I have 4 ornamental sweet potato plants started with enough slips to start 10 times what I need.
MiaOKC
Original Author
11 years ago
I picked up the Dixondales from TLC Nursery this morning. There are a few "unknowns" that I got and emailed Dixondale to ask for more info - one bunch is "White Granex" and one is labeled "Sweet Red". The 1015Y TX Supersweets I found on their website already.