March 13, 2013
The onion seed bed in winter.
We are now separating and transplanting the onions that were sown in the fall. This indispensable esculent has one of the longest histories of any garden vegetable. The ancient Egyptians were famous for their fondness of onions, leeks, and garlic to the point of deifying them. King Ramses IV, who died in 1160 BCE, was entombed with onions covering his eye sockets. To the Egyptians, the concentric rings of the onion bulb signified eternal life. The onion has been considered a staple by all civilizations since that time and indeed, the Scottish politician Sir John Sinclair observed, “It is a well known fact, that a Highlander with a few raw onions in his pocket, and a crust of bread or bit of cake, can work or travel to an almost incredible extent for two or three days together.”
Many modern gardeners grow their onions from sets obtained in the spring. If you are using sets it is important to remember that the larger the set, the more liable it is to go to flower prematurely to the ruination of the bulb. With sets, smaller is better.
Onion transplants.
We have found that onions grown from seed are not as liable to run to flower as those planted from sets. We sow our seeds near the end of September, which produces plants that are large enough to withstand the trials of winter but not so large as to run to flower in the spring. By the middle of March the onions are ready to transplant to a bed where they will form their bulbs. We set our transplants on furrows spaced six inches one from the other. This provides a loose soil for the bulbs to form in that is never waterlogged. There are always extra transplants that are not needed for planting and these will provide the first scallions of the year. In the northern colonies, where onions will not stand the winter, sow your seeds outdoors after the danger of frost is past.
For a fuller discussion of the Allium family you are encouraged to examine Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way, 18th Century Methods for Today’s Organic Gardeners. (Rodale Press)
iCitizenForum
Christine Hansley says:
Good afternoon dear Wesley,
I am using onions sets. The ones I purchased are between the size of a dime and a nickle. These were the smallest I could find. Since I’m in the Chicago area, when should I plant them. Last week we had snow. Today it’s up to 44 and raining, but tonight it will get down to 26 or so with a possible dusting of snow. Next week is just as crazy. Warm one day, cold the next. I’m holding off on all planting for now. I hope to start the first week of April, unless you think I could start with my root vegetables now(radishes, carrots, beets[chioggia]). I could provide some kind of clear plastic tent if it would help. As a reminder, I am planting in 18 inch plastic containers. Other vegetables on my try to grow list are; asparagus(jersey knight), broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettece(tennis ball, dutch brown, paris white cos and 3 more modern), okra, peas (prince albert and prussian blue) radicchio, tomatoes, and spinach. Also corn salad and curled cress. I’ve had, in the past, some success with several of these.
Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge with me and the rest of the blog followers.
Waiting for Spring,
Chris
Colonial Williamsburg says:
Dear Christine,
Onion sets should be smaller than one half inch in diameter for the surest results, so it sounds as if you have a proper range of sizes. Set them out a couple of weeks before your average last frost date which, for the Chicago area, is the first week of April. I was born in Chicago but was moved away as an infant so have no practical experience in your area. However, I would think you could plant radishes as soon as the frost is out of the ground as my radishes are well up in Virginia and easily survive nights in the upper twenty degree range. Carrots and beets are also very cold tolerant so you should be able to plant them as well. Please share your results as I get garden questions from our visitors from all over the country and your experience will help me answer them.
Cordially, Wesley Greene
Christine Hansley says:
Dear Wesley,
Thanks for your helpful tips. As soon as it stops raining and the soil in my pots dry a little so I can work with it I’ll get the root vegetables going.
I use a peat-less soil so the moisture in the root vegetables does’nt get wicked out of them. The first year I started using the 18 inch pots my radishes, beets and other root vegetables shriveled or were very soft and spongy. The garden center fellow said to get rid of the peat filled soil. Since then I’ve had better luck and larger harvests.
I know you use horse manure for your gardens. So far I can only find bags of composted cow manure. I have not yet made a purchase. They all have had a NPK of 5-5-2. The bags do not say how old the manure is. Can I use this? When or should I use this in my 18 inch pots. After I mix this in, about how long should I wait to plant my root vegetables. Or should I use it as a top dressing on the root vegetables? Or should I mix it in late next fall when I’m finished harvesting? I usually take some of the old soil out and mix in some fresh soil every year.
In my book – you were born in Chicago, so you’re a Chicagoan. My folks moved me to the suburbs when I we 3. I still call myself a Chicagoan.
Thanks again for all your help,
Chris
Colonial Williamsburg says:
Dear Christine,
The bagged manure available at garden centers is — or should be — already composted and in some cases freeze dried, which should render it safe for use in the garden. Fresh manure should not be used in the garden and all crops grown with manure composts should be well washed before use. I would lightly till the manure into the soil, remembering that all organic forms of fertilizer must first be broken down by micro-organisms before the nutrients are available to the plant. This process generally takes several months, so while manure composts are an excellent source of a complete nutrient regime, they must be applied on a routine basis so that nutrients are available when the plant requires them.
Cordially, Wesley Greene
Christine Hansley says:
Dear Wesley,
Thank you so much for all the knowledge you share.
The high today in Chicago is supposed to be 24 degrees with a wind chill around 13 compared to 80 last year. Neither being close to the normal temperature of 45 degrees. That’s the Mid-west for you,
Have a good Spring,
Chris