I planted Onions today, Feb 15.

[gary350]

This morning I bought 70 generic white onion sets and 70 generic yellow onions sets. The only way to know if generic will grow BIG onions in zone 7 is grow some. The Amish garden store allows people to pick there own sets so I picked 3/4" diameter and larger $1.49 per lb. I pushed sets into the soft soil and covered them up. I made markers rain keeps washing ink off of the plastic spoon markers.

Greens are growing slow we are eating, cilantro, pac choy, radishes. Napa needs to grow faster.

 

[YumYum]

This is what's confusing me. Im at top right of intermediate day zone. I've been tring to figure this out going on two years now. I know it states intermediate day onions will grow well in any zone and I haven't grown any yet of that type. I did grow long day type last year and done fairly well with onions up to 4 and 5". I planted long day type again this past fall and still in ground growing. All of my onions was planted from sets. Short day type I haven't grown yet. Short day type onions starts down top of Georgia and down to Florida. Gary350 is in Tennessee growing short day onions and he's in same zone I'm in which is zone 7. I just haven't figured this out yet. Or the map is confusing me.

I'm technically zone 7a, I think anyways. They moved zones up on most folks and I never updated mine. Yes I noticed I'm right on the line for short day and long day onions on a map that didn't show intermediate onions. Garys climate is just a shade different than mine as I remember. He is a couple hundred miles west of me.

Try growing the short day or intermediate ones first and see how they do. A lot of folks have luck with the sets but I don't. I either grow from seed or buy the plants. The sets are already about a year old and they seem to all bloom on me. I cut off the blooms but still not much luck with bulbing. Lowes and Walmart sells Bonnie Plant onion plants but only the Lord knows what they will cost this year. The red onion plants is usually what I bought there or anything that says Texas or Georgia is a short day onion.

 

[Hdan]

I'm technically zone 7a, I think anyways. They moved zones up on most folks and I never updated mine. Yes I noticed I'm right on the line for short day and long day onions on a map that didn't show intermediate onions. Garys climate is just a shade different than mine as I remember. He is a couple hundred miles west of me.

Try growing the short day or intermediate ones first and see how they do. A lot of folks have luck with the sets but I don't. I either grow from seed or buy the plants. The sets are already about a year old and they seem to all bloom on me. I cut off the blooms but still not much luck with bulbing. Lowes and Walmart sells Bonnie Plant onion plants but only the Lord knows what they will cost this year. The red onion plants is usually what I bought there or anything that says Texas or Georgia is a short day onion.

You're saying you grow from seed.
That's what I want to do. Haven't done that yet but I'm planning on trying it next plant which will be next fall, but not sure when to start seed. Thinking it would have to be maybe around 1st August to overwinter to harvest in spring. Just not sure.

 

[Hdan]

You're saying you grow from seed.
That's what I want to do. Haven't done that yet but I'm planning on trying it next plant which will be next fall, but not sure when to start seed. Thinking it would have to be maybe around 1st August to overwinter to harvest in spring following year. Just not sure.

 

[Meadowlark]

You're saying you grow from seed.
That's what I want to do. Haven't done that yet but I'm planning on trying it next plant which will be next fall, but not sure when to start seed. Thinking it would have to be maybe around 1st August to overwinter to harvest in spring. Just not sure.

Growing from seed is superior to sets and plants in my experience in my zone. On the left in the photo below taken today are 1015 onions transplanted Nov. 15 and on the right are Texas granex followed by 1015 Texas Supersweet planted from seed Oct. 15.

This is a good reference for growing onions in zone 7.

When to Plant Onions in Zone 7 for a Bumper Harvest

Learn when to plant onions in zone 7 to produce delicious onion bulbs right in your home garden.

www.floridayards.org

The best reference IMO would be to talk to a local person who grows onions. That someone said somewhere you could grow long day onions by turning on security lights...well maybe so, maybe not.

 

[Hdan]

Growing from seed is superior to sets and plants in my experience in my zone. On the left in the photo below taken today are 1015 onions transplanted Nov. 15 and on the right are Texas granex followed by 1015 Texas Supersweet planted from seed Oct. 15.
View attachment 101680


This is a good reference for growing onions in zone 7.

When to Plant Onions in Zone 7 for a Bumper Harvest

Learn when to plant onions in zone 7 to produce delicious onion bulbs right in your home garden.

www.floridayards.org

The best reference IMO would be to talk to a local person who grows onions. That someone said somewhere you could grow long day onions by turning on security lights...well maybe so, maybe not.

Knowone have told me to grow long day onions.
Thats what I chose because of my location position so close to the line long day line also because of the longer storage life.

 

[Hdan]

Buy this light turn it on before dark to give your onions a few hours mores light you can grow long day onions outside in your garden. This LED light will run all night for 5 cents worth of electricity.

70/125/150 Watt LED Wall Pack Industrial Outdoor Security Light with Photo Cell | eBay

Quick and Easy Installation within 20 minute. Quick and Easy Installation within 15 minutes. Safety Matters--High quality materials, Heatproof Tube, NO risk to catch fire. US/UK/DE warehouse and repair center are available.

www.ebay.com

I grew long day onions without the light so why do I need a light. If you can't grow long day onions maybe you need the light.

 

[DirtMechanic]

First you buy the correct day length onions for your zone, Candy onion, Vidalia, Red Onion, White onion. I am in zone 7 Murfreesboro TN. Onions need lots of nitrogen for 8 weeks to grow as many green leaves as possible. 9 leaves means the onion will have 9 rings. 10 leaves means the onion will have 10 rings. 12 leaves is 12 ring. Then you stop giving plants nitrogen and start feeding them 0-20-20 fertilizer for 6 weeks this grows large diameter onions. Once tops fall over and start drying out harvest all the onions.

Our day length is 14 hrs 20 min. on June 21.

Small onions plants are best to grow if you can find anyone that sells them in bundles of 75. Sets are good too as long as they are big 3/4" to 1" diameter. Small sets will never grow a large onion. Onions are day length sensitive plant now if your in Zone 7 or you miss your chance to grow large onions.

I heard the small sets are maybe second gen somehow and seed starts are best?

 

[gary350]

This morning I bought 70 generic white onion sets and 70 generic yellow onions sets. The only way to know if generic will grow BIG onions in zone 7 is grow some. The Amish garden store allows people to pick there own sets so I picked 3/4" diameter and larger $1.49 per lb. I pushed sets into the soft soil and covered them up. I made markers rain keeps washing ink off of the plastic spoon markers.

 

[YumYum]

You're saying you grow from seed.
That's what I want to do. Haven't done that yet but I'm planning on trying it next plant which will be next fall, but not sure when to start seed. Thinking it would have to be maybe around 1st August to overwinter to harvest in spring. Just not sure.

I'm thinking Meadowlark direct seeds his onions.

I start mine inside mid January in seed cells and then transplant mine. Here they are now:

 

[Hdan]

Buy this light turn it on before dark to give your onions a few hours mores light you can grow long day onions outside in your garden. This LED light will run all night for 5 cents worth of electricity.

70/125/150 Watt LED Wall Pack Industrial Outdoor Security Light with Photo Cell | eBay

Quick and Easy Installation within 20 minute. Quick and Easy Installation within 15 minutes. Safety Matters--High quality materials, Heatproof Tube, NO risk to catch fire. US/UK/DE warehouse and repair center are available.

www.ebay.com

I'm thinking Meadowlark direct seeds his onions.

I start mine inside mid January in seed cells and then transplant mine. Here they are now:

View attachment 101685

I'm thinking Meadowlark direct seeds his onions.

I start mine inside mid January in seed cells and then transplant mine. Here they are now:

View attachment 101685

Yes, Meadowlark direct seed his.
When do you transplant yours outside.

 

[YumYum]

Same time I do when I plant my brassicas. About April 1st.

Oh. I just came back from Rural King and they have tons of onion sets. White and yellow onions. Not sure of the variety. They also had some Kennebec seed potatoes too.

 

[Hdan]

I'm thinking Meadowlark direct seeds his onions.

I start mine inside mid January in seed cells and then transplant mine. Here they are now:

View attachment 101685

Same time I do when I plant my brassicas. About April 1st.

Oh. I just came back from Rural King and they have tons of onion sets. White and yellow onions. Not sure of the variety. They also had some Kennebec seed potatoes too.

Ok, would you think I would start my seeds & transplant around same time?

 

[YumYum]

I've been all over the country and feel like I know a little about the different climates in the U.S. What county and state do you live in?

 

[Hdan]

I've been all over the country and feel like I know a little about the different climates in the U.S. What county and state do you live in?

Zone 7a
Newark, Delaware l9702