how long out of ground?

[littleminnie]

Just how many days have to kept your onions plants before planting and had them do well? I mean purchased dry ones. I have had mine for 16 days and just left them dry in a cool place. Except for a couple days where I had them in the back of my truck to get used to sun again. I tried to plant yesterday and today but the weather didn't cooperate. I had it in my head they were 3 weeks old but really I guess 2 weeks. I know they can survive a long time dry like that, but I want them to thrive again this year.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

May 3, 2013 16:42:15 GMT -5 littleminnie said:

Just how many days have to kept your onions plants before planting and had them do well? I mean purchased dry ones.

I believe that they will do well at any point up until they die... I just found some onion sets in the garage that are more than 13 months old. Most of them died in that time, but some are still healthy and would grow great if planted.

[12540dumont]

Minnie, I had to go back in the way back machine. In 2009, we had to wait 4 weeks before setting out plants. Of the ones we planted, about 10% failed to thrive.

[littleminnie]

Awesome.

[littleminnie]

I got them all planted today. I ended up with way less than predicted because I throw away all the puny ones. Since they had sat for a while they shrunk. Plus they might have been less than great this year from Dixondale. Last year I got so many extra and this year not enough. I suppose I could buy some more locally. I wanted a full bed of Walla Wallas for pulling as spring onions and I ended up with 1 1/2 rows instead of 8. I also ended up with 15 feet x 3 feet where there was supposed to be leeks but I ran out of decent ones. So something else will have to go there.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

I used to try to plan the garden. These days I just wing it.

[12540dumont]

Well Joseph, I'm hoping you're planting enough garlic for me to buy....no wings please.

Minnie, this why I went to plants. One year my 3 bundles had 170 plants, the following year 90. How can I plan when it's like that?

I took all the puny's and threw them in 3 pots for leetle greene unyun. (As my neighbor says). I always reply that it doesn't rain in Ondianumplus. He makes the best ceviche!

[bunkie]

May 7, 2013 21:54:40 GMT -5 Joseph Lofthouse said:

I used to try to plan the garden. These days I just wing it.

That's where I'm heading!

[littleminnie]

I wing it when I screw stuff up. I was planting yesterday and my mom was 'helping' and I was trying to get done because I knew she was tired so I wasn't taking breaks and was pretty harried. I quick looked at which of my broccoli were going where since I wanted to do a trial of them. I screwed up and planted the ones intending to be pulled after harvest (so the squash vines could run there) in the wrong bed. So now I have to move my squash over so the vines won't get into the next bed. If you don't plan and figure things out you don't know how many plants to start and you forget crops. I forgot parsnips one year and Mexican sunflowers last year.

[littleminnie]

So the onions did indeed fail but for several reasons.
1. the plants were poor this year, lots of skinny little ones so I was short decent ones to plant
2. too long before planting
3. in that time I didn't keep them cool but instead hot and dry most of the time
4. I hadn't gotten the tiller going yet so I just raked in the horse manure- bad idea!
5. I didn't have the drip lines going under the plastic but instead sprinkled
6. Planting through plastic with the transplanter doesn't always 'plant' them
7. the plastic did very badly there in the wind. Worst place for NW winds.
8. The winds literally blew many of the onions away due to #6 and #7.
9. The onions that didn't blow away may have died due to hot and dry weather. It hasn't really been that hot but super dry and the hot days take their toll.

I got Dixondale to replace 5 Walla Walla bunches and 5 leek bunches because I legitimately felt they were poor quality. I am ordering around 8 more bunches to plant again, paying for these since they died from my faults.

[littleminnie]

The first shipment of onions already arrived. Literally the mailman walked up the driveway with them at the same time as the UPS lady walked up with another package and both handed them to me at the same time. I think they got a kick out of that. Anyway, the other ones will come tomorrow. I have to decide how to repair the plastic in that area. I am thinking about taking off the plastic that is real bad and using mulch instead. We raked the front yard today and have a load of real dry grass and tiny leaves that won't get icky. It would make fine mulch. The leeks were still small but the Wallas are very nice. I hope the onions I get tomorrow are real nice too.

[littleminnie]

I spent the day replanting onions. Looks like just the right amount. They are so nice when planted right after receipt! I had to fix the plastic first but most was ok. There were more onions alive than I thought but just so barely growing. I didn't get completely done because I struggled all day in the drizzle and cold and then it started raining and the planter was getting stuck so I quit. I have another bunch of Wallas and a number of leeks left to plant. I hope there is some time without rain tomorrow.

[12540dumont]

I planted onions today as well. I was so glad to get them done by 10, as the wind kicked up to 18mph, and the styro tray became a launch missile...I almost sent these to you Minnie...via airmail!

[steev]

I've half a dozen varieties of seed-grown onions/leeks that I'm remiss in planting out; I don't feel all that bad, though, as they're about the same size as the ones I direct-seeded. I noticed a flat of orphan garlic heads in the pump-house on Monday; really, I need space to spread stuff out, so I can see what I have to deal with. I've no idea what garlic that is, but I know exactly where it has to go.

[12540dumont]

Me too, mixed with butter, spread on bread and toasted.