Onions!

This year is my first successful onion harvest. I am gonna "show and tell" what I did. In early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked, you can start onions. This year spring was early and my onions were started in early February. I actually had leftover onions from last year that I never harvested and they kept growing. (Thank you mild winter!) I replanted them along with the new onion sets I bought  I have a raised bed garden and I packed the onion sets in close (3 inches apart) in the 4X8 plot.

Jadon in the garden Feb 2. 2012

I feed them and mulched them with last falls' leaves. Tip from my mom: "Pinch the seed bulbs off when they form to divert the nutrients back to the bulb" I did this and the onions are indeed larger than they have ever been before. Onions are ready to harvest when the tops have yellowed and fallen over. Let the onions cure for couple of weeks on a warm, dry place. After they have cured, you can string them up in nets, mesh bag, stockings, or you can add a touch of Mediterranean glamour by making traditional plaits.Plaiting is easy if you can braid.  Just start with three onions, braid twice, and add onions as you go up.

Just harvested

" Onion Plait"

Hanging in our garage

My "best of show" walla walla

I hope to start growing onions from heirloom seed in the next couple of years.  I really like the sweet onions!

God Bless!