Civilization without Onions?

I have to agree with Julia Child, "It's hard to imagine civilization without onions."  In our household I cook with onions all the time.  They add amazing flavor and taste to dishes.  I discovered that onions have been grown for at least 5000 years or more. They are easy to grow, transport and like a variety of soils and climates. They provide fiber and are high in vitamin C along with other great health benefits. 

This will be the third year that we have grown onions in our garden.  However, this is the first year we have started them from seed indoors instead of buying onion sets at the garden center. We planted the seeds in flats on March 2nd then placed them under grow lights.  (Start them 9-10 weeks before your Frost Free Date). 

Yellow Sweet Spanish Onions (started from seed)

This year we chose Yellow Sweet Spanish.  They are a reliable producer and popular for their sweet flavor.  Known as a long day onion they need 15 hours or more of sunlight and are best grown in the North.  They can be used as a bunching onion which is really nothing more than a young onion planted from seed harvested 30 days after planting (also known as scallions or green onions).  They mature to a one pound globe shaped onion in 95-100 days. 

The week before planting I started by hardening off the seedlings. You can read more about this process by reading my previous post here: Hardening off Seedlings

This past Sunday it was time to plant our onion transplants! Our garden plan for this year is drawn below.  I decided to plant onions in Bed #2 & #4 this year.  I also planted lettuce in Bed #4 that same day. 

2014 Garden Layout

BED #4: Ready for Onions & Lettuce

The easiest way to get the seedlings out of the tray was to use a plastic spoon which scooped them out without destroying the plant.  I planted 9 seedlings per 12" x 12" square using the Square Foot Garden Method.  

Planting seedlings using a plastic spoon 

Seedlings planted!

BED #2:(on left) Planted with 36 Onion seedlings.

 After planting the seedlings I then cover the raised bed with row cover fabric (pictured below) to give the seedlings extra protection from insects, squirrels and frost.  

BED #4:(on right) Currently planted with 19 Garlic, 36 Onion seedlings & 42 Lettuce seedlings.

CARING FOR ONIONS: 

1. Keep soil consistently moist until bulbs enlarge. One inch of water per week (more for sweet onions). Keep in mind that onions will look healthy even if they are bone dry. When tops start to fall over withhold water. 

2. Cover with a layer of mulch.

3. Fertilize every few weeks with nitrogen for large bulbs. Stop when onions push soil away and bulbing process has started. 

Our harvested Onions last year (along with other veggies)

ONION PROBLEMS:

1. If an onion sends up a flower stalk cut it from the plant immediately or the bulb will be reduced. (From our pictures below you can see that this happened to us last year) That must be why our onions only grew to about 1/2" round. 

2. In May or June onions are sometimes attacked by the onion fly.  You can protect your crop with row covers.  

April 8th 2014

Next week I will plant the Parsley and 2 weeks later Carrots!

Hardening Off Seedlings

Your seedlings that you started indoors are looking good and you are ready to plant them in the garden.  So you are thinking you will just take them outdoors and plant them directly in the garden right?  Not exactly.  Remember these seedlings were germinated indoors and are not acclimated to the outdoors just yet.  So you have one more step to go through before planting. 

Cucumber, Eggplant, Squash, Basil, Zinnia, Tomato & Pepper Seedlings

Hardening off is a process of slowly taking your seeds outdoors and allowing them to adjust to their new environment.  During this process plant growth slows and more food is stored internally in the plants increasing the thickness of their outer leaf layers. 

I like to think of it like this: my seedlings are still babies and need extra care and attention.  They are still vulnerable to the harsh sun and the changes in temperature.  Up to this point they have been in my home in a controlled environment with the same amount of light and a relatively predictable temperature.  It is now my job to help them adjust to the outside changes before they are planted so that they can survive.

Seedlings beginning the hardening off process in the shade

Here is how I went about hardening off our seedlings:

May 15th- First day I set out seedlings labeled as tender (see chart below)

DAY 1:  Find a protected/covered area and set your seedlings under this area for 1 hour. Then return them to your indoor seed starting area (ours is under lights in the basement).

DAY 2: Same process but leave them out for 2 to 3 hours.

DAY 3:  Same process but leave them out for 4 hours.*

DAY 4:  Same process but leave them out for 5 hours.*

DAY 5:  Same process but leave them out for 6 hours.*

DAY 6:  Same process but leave them out for 7 hours.*

DAY 7:  Same process but leave them out for 8 hours.*

DAY 8:  Let plants spend the night outdoors under the covered/protected area.

DAY 9 thru 14: Gradually increase the amount of time the seedlings are spending in the sun.  

*you can also gradually introduce the sun (starting on day 3) in the morning light for about 1 hour then pull them back to the shade for the rest of the time.  

(This process will take a least 7 days but could go on for up to 10 days depending on your specific zone).

I choose to just do this process for 8 days, but the closer you go to 10 days the better the chances of your plants surviving the transplant process.  Above all make sure you don't skip this hardening off process.  You worked hard to take care of your seedlings and it would be very disappointing to loose them at this point!

NOTE:  Be aware of the weather and temperature outside during this process. (See chart below)  If the temperatures are going to drop lower than the minimum temperature recommended for your crop bring them indoors.   

Recommended Minimum Temperatures

Hardy	40 degrees F	Broccoli, Cabbage, Onions, Leeks, Parsley
Half-Hardy	45 degrees F	Celery, Lettuce
Tender	50 degrees F	Pumpkin, Squash, Sweet Corn
Tender	60 degrees F	Cucumber, Muskmelon
Tender	65 degrees F	Basil, Peppers, Tomatoes

Starting Plants from Seed

How do you determine what plants to start indoors from seed?  If this is your first time starting seeds I would recommend selecting a few types of vegetables and then buying the rest.  This will allow you time to experiment with starting from seed and learn what adjustments you need to make.   Some vegetables are more difficult than others to start from seed (we have learned this from personal experience).   

This is the first year that we decided to try and grow our own plants from seed.  Normally I buy tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, basil, parsley and cilantro plants from a garden center.  Then we directly sow the rest of our vegetables in the garden as seeds (such as beans, squash, and carrots).  

You may be wondering what prompted me to try this?  I would say a combination of curiosity and the future idea of saving money.  This year we doubled our planting area adding 2 more raised beds (for a total of 4 beds) and we knew the cost would add up quickly.   So this winter I did my research and we decided to take the plunge and grow as many plants from seed as possible.  We both figured that if it didn't work we would just go out and buy the plants we needed.  

In previous posts you have seen the Parsley, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Tomato, Eggplant, Peppers and Basil that we successfully started from seed.   I didn't get around to taking pictures when I first started those seeds, so today I am going to make sure that I show you the steps I took in detail. 

In this post I am going to be planting squash, zucchini, watermelon, and cucumbers.  Typically you just start these types of plants from seed right in the garden, but I wanted to try and give them a head start this year.  If you try squash, zucchini, watermelon or cucumbers you need to plant the seeds in pots that decompose when you plant them directly in the ground (such as peat pots or coconut coir pots).  With these types of plants you want to disturb the roots as little as possible.  When you are ready to plant them in the garden you just tear 1/2" off the top of the pot and plant the entire pot and its contents directly in the ground.