Back in June I took a picture of the onions that I planted in April. This is what they looked like way back then.
Just a little larger! Compare them with the original seedlings with the width of the irrigation hose.
This one in particular was the size of a house brick. Whoppers due to all the rain we have had this winter.
All these onions were from the same bed. I have laid them out to dry on two tables so that I can store them over summer and into winter. Click on the photo to enlarge and see just how big they really are. I planted Hunter brown and Spanish red varieties, all which were successful as you can see. Kim said today that they are the most impressive crop of onions she has ever seen! I am chuffed to bits with the result.
Finally, this is the bed all clear, and waiting a few days before I plant out some more tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum that I have ready to put straight in on Saturday morning.
All those onions from just 2.4 square metres of garden bed. I have a theory as to why they were so large.
A. The rain of course
B. I grew the seedlings in the greenhouse first and planted them out after two months.
C. I spaced the seedlings at regular intervals in each row. No single onion was closer than any other.
I believe that C had more to do with their size. No crowding, which has always been my problem in the past. I have found that if I plant directly in the bed, that I am too frightened to thin them out adequately, and always leave them far to close together. By growing the onion seeds in punnets, and transplanting them, I was able to overcome this issue.
I am going to do the same again next year, and hopefully achieve another bumper crop. Oh, and one last thing. Do not fertilise the bed before you plant. Onions don’t need any additional help.
Just like Ogres, hey donkey!
Yes onion planting, it has many layers.lol
My grandmother who always had heaps of grandchildren to look after would make us plant the onions to keep us busy, while planting to stop the fighting she would tell us that if any bickering started the onions would be hot. so whe could not fight while planting the onions. Very clever the old lady, kept us busy and happy@
I think that is the most impressive onion crop I’ve ever seen too! I think you may be right with the issue of spacing. There are some veggies that don’t mind being squeezed in together, and others (like root crops) that just won’t be their best under squishy conditions. You must be chuffed!