If you keep some in the greenhouse you can grow in pots and aim for big ones, this was interesting;
Onions are one of the most difficult vegetables to grow for show. Here we reveal the secrets of growing 250 gr exhibition onions that will win best in show
www.allotment-garden.org
Since this referenced grower has won several National Championships, I thought maybe a close analysis of his "secrets" would be interesting and might reveal some new beneficial techniques for growing onions...
1) First thing I noticed was this "
Mid to late January is the time to start off the onion seed." This is location and variety dependent. If you followed that advice in my zone, the result would be very disappointing indeed.
2) Next, pricking out is a new term to me...not sure what it means? "
The young seedlings can be pricked out using a fork when they are at the crook stage. This is just before the seed leaf straightens out. At this stage of development the young seedling will have just one central root. Prick them out into 1”/25mm plugs that are a minimum 2”/50mm deep , using Levingtons F2s compost"
3) He recommends transplanting multiple times in successively larger containers before ground planting...I counted at least three. In my experience transplanting always sets the plant back some especially depending on how it is done. Container grown bulbs are generally smaller than in ground grown bulbs and likewise transplanted bulbs are generally smaller than ground planted from seed bulbs in my experience.
4) Peeling skin back "
Any with split skins should be peeled back to ground level but do not remove the skin completely until it dries out" I've never heard of this, and it would be a herculean task to perform on hundreds of plants. Has anyone else ever tried this and what is the effect?
5) "
Measure the circumference of the onions daily" Not sure why this is important...perhaps for show purposes?
6) "Wash and dry the bulbs then give them a good dusting with talcum powder" Again, perhaps this is for show purposes? It is certainly not for effective storage purposes.
I did not find any technique suggested relative to leaf pruning or dirt removal around the bulb while growing...both of which I find increases bulb size significantly. The absence of both of these techniques was in itself interesting.
Perhaps there is something magic about hitting 250 grams and not exceeding that size?
