How To Plant Onion Sets For Green Onions

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By: Joseph Masabni

Yellow, white, and ruby/purple onions grow very well in Texas home gardens. Green onions may exist eaten fresh or chopped and added to salads. Bulb onions may be sliced and used on sandwiches or dipped in batter and fried every bit onion rings. Although onions are a source of vitamins A and C, they are used mostly as a flavoring in other food dishes.

Varieties

The varieties of onions that abound best in Texas are listed below.

Site pick

Onions grow best in full sunlight and well-drained soils.

Soil preparation

Work the garden soil only when it is dry enough not to stick to garden tools. Earlier seeding or transplanting, work the soil 8 to 10 inches deep.

Remove all rocks and trash from the soil; so break up the remaining clods and rake the soil smooth.

Planting

Onions are a absurd-season ingather and tin stand temperatures well below freezing. They may be planted from seeds, from pocket-size bulbs called sets, or from transplants.

Seeding costs the least but takes longer before onions are ready. When seeding onions for bulbs, establish them ¼ inch deep during Oct through Dec. Place the seeds one inch apart. When the plants are near 6 inches high, thin them to i establish every ii to 3 inches. Eat the extra plants as green onions.

If you apply sets or transplants, constitute them ¾ inch deep and three inches apart (Fig. 1). Do not transplant onions more 1 inch deep.

Figure 1. Constitute onion transplants or sets ¾ inch deep and 3 inches apart.

Fertilizing

Onions grow all-time when the garden soil is fertilized correctly. Spread two to 3 pounds of a fertilizer such every bit 10-10-ten over a 100-square-feet of garden area. Mensurate and spread the fertilizer; then mix it with the tiptop three to four inches of soil.

Watering

Watering once a calendar week usually is enough in the spring. But you may demand to water more oft during dry, windy weather. Water onions slowly and securely to help grow strong, healthy roots.

Care during the flavor

Weeds are like shooting fish in a barrel to pull or cutting when they are 3 to 4 inches tall. Do not permit weeds or grasses abound big considering they compete with onions for nutrients.

If you use a hoe to remove weeds and grass, do not chop too deeply. You may exist cutting the onion roots. Pull all weeds by hand when possible.

When the onion plants have five to 6 leaves, employ fertilizer again to help abound larger plants and bigger bulbs (Fig. 2). Each leaf forms a ring in the onion bulb. More leaves means more rings and larger bulbs.

Employ about ½ loving cup of fertilizer for each 10 feet of onion row. Scatter the fertilizer evenly between the rows. Water the onions afterwards adding the fertilizer.

Effigy 2. When the onions accept v to half dozen leaves each, scatter fertilizer around the plants and water it in.

Insects

Onions take few insect issues. However, thrips, which are very tiny insects, may be found between the heart leaves.

Many insecticides are available at garden centers for homeowner utilize. Sevin is a synthetic insecticide; organic options include sulfur and Bt-based insecticides.

Diseases

Diseases may be a problem on onions. Dark-brown foliage tips or dark-brown spots on the middle and lower parts of leaves may be caused by plant diseases.

Sulfur as well has fungicidal properties and helps control many diseases. Neem oil and other fungicides are too available for use.

Before using a pesticide, read the production label. Always follow cautions, warnings, and directions.

Figure 3. Harvest bulb onions when the tops brainstorm to fall over.

Harvesting

Onions seeded in Oct/December or transplanted in Jan/February should produce bulbs in May/July.

If used as green onions, they may be picked from the time they are pencil size until they begin to form bulbs.

For dry-bulb onions, permit the plants grow larger. The onions are ready when the master stem begins to get weak and fall (Fig. iii). Pull the plants out of the soil.

Go out them lying in the garden for 1 to ii days to dry. Then remove the tops and roots and let them keep drying in baskets or boxes.

Storing

Store onions in a fridge crisper or in a dry, airy place such as in a wire net in the garage or carport.

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