My onions from the store didn't get cooked enough, so now they've sprouted. I'm planning on planting them, but have never successfully done onion before. (I tried planting seeds from the store, but that didn't work out.)
Any suggestions or advice? I think I'm in Zone 6, Central Illinois. (I haven't checked a zone map recently, though, so I may be off by one.)
Puckdropper
An onion is classed as a biennial which means it normally takes 2 years to go from seed to seed. Having sprouted, your onions will be starting their second year and will want to flower. They will probably produce an enlarged bulb but, it will have a flower stock up through the center plus it will be much less dense than a first year plant. Because of this it will have a very short storage life. Better to try again from (fresh) seed. One other option is to plant your sprouted onions, let them flower and go to seed, then harvest the seed.
Ross.
I don't know how your sprouted onions might work out but here in central Ohio, after many years of planting sets I switched to seeds a few years back and have far better results. You must use a long day variety for our climate. The key for me has been early planting in a bed prepared the previous year and covering the seeds with seed starting mix or compost, not the heavy clay mix in my garden.
The trick to keep them from rotting is good drainage. I'd suggest raised beds with lots of sand. That is what has worked for me.
snipped-for-privacy@forteinc.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
How are they going to be on things like insect repellant and appearance? I could conceivably build a box and put them out by the swimming pool.
Our soil around here is heavy clay, so I'd have to plant them in a box anyway to get a sand-based soil, as Omelet suggested.
Puckdropper
My onions did well last seasson I dog a hole six inches deeper than i plnted the bulbs and springled some fertilizer covered the hole and then planted the sets about 2 inches deep. I had really big onions. I did seeds and sets this year.
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