Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Onions

Growing Your Own Onions:

The procedure here is almost identical to that which I described with the garlic.

Plant the small onions a mere 2-3" deep, about 6-7" apart in rows 1 1/2 feet apart. Water in well, and fertilize as described for the garlic. Large-sized onions need to be planted deeper, as they will support tall vegetation, and you want them anchored in the ground.

There are two types of onions:

The spring onion or scallions: People differ on these names. Spring onions are actually onions that have sprouted green tops and the bulbs have grown to about a half-dollar size. then are harvested. Scallions are actually their own bulbs, and grown to look like large pencils. They are harvested earlier than the former.

Regular onions, whether red, yellow, white, pearl, and the exotic ones as Maui, Texas, and Vidalia, are planted much deeper, about 4" and allowed to grow all season long. For the largest onions, knock down the tall foliage in August< to push all the energy into the bulbs. They will grow quite large. But, you can harvest them earlier, when smaller, all summer long. I find them not as hot when younger.