Don't Cry Over Your Onion Patch

A sure way to have an abundant crop of onions by late summer is to plant sets or seedlings now, while the weather is cool.
Onion Sets are small bulbs started from seed last year and stored over the winter. Plant them with pointed ends up to grow into mature onions in about 100 days. They come in yellow (for cooking); white (for slicing): or red (for salads). Select firm bulbs one-half to one inch in diameter to grow more solid globes.
Merely press a row of bulbs into the prepared garden bed and cover them with an inch of soil. Space them two inches apart, firm the soil around them with your hands, water well and they’re off to start root growth, encouraged by cool weather.
Onion Seedling are young plants, available in several varieties. Soak them overnight in tepid water and transplant them into the prepared garden bed. Space each plant two inches apart. Water well. They’ll take longer than sets to mature, but resulting onions will be firmer, with better keeping qualities.
Both methods above are available at garden centers or from seed catalogs, such as Burpee, Warminster, PA 18974.
Prepare a planting bed in a part of your yard that gets six or more hours of full sunshine daily. Spade up the soil 6-8 inches deep. Work in organic matter, such as compost or well rotted cow manure. Add wood ashes, if available, to encourage strong roots. Onions like soil pH 5.8-6.5.
When top growth on each plant is 6-7 inches tall, pull out every other one to eat with meals as tangy scallions. This will give the remaining plants room to grow good size bulbs.
Fertilize monthly with an organic liquid plant food, such as cow manure “tea.” Water as needed, at least an inch weekly. Keep the plants weeded and the soil lightly cultivated. Onions resent competition from weeds.
Onions also can be grown from seeds which ideally should be started indoors in late February or early March. Seed grown plants produce firmer bulbs that are best for long storage.
When the green tops on your plants start to fall over, it is a sign that the bulbs are ready to harvest. Gently lift them out of the soil with a spading fork.
Prune off the foliage to about an inch from each bulb. Spread the bulbs out in a sunny area to dry for a few days.
Store the dry onions in net bags or in open containers. Keep them in a cool area such as a corner of your cellar, away from the furnace. Inspect them weekly to remove any that show signs of decay.
Although onions are bothered by few pests, one of the most destructive is the root maggot. Eggs of this insect are laid by a small fly in the soil near the plant or on it. Resulting larvae enters the roots and destroys the plant. Organic controls are to spread builder’s sand of diatomaceous earth (available at garden centers) around each plant. Or you can tent the plants under a row cover. Most damage by these insects is done in the spring.