Plantation of onions in lunar phase

The onion (seed) should be planted when the moon is in the second quarter (i.e. first quarter) and in one of the following signs of the zodiac: Scorpio, Sagattarius

Onion (sets) should be planted when the moon is in the third or fourth quarter (i.e. waning) and in the following zodiac sign: Libra

Planting and Cultivation

Onions can be propagated by small bulbs known as sets, by seed, or by transplanting. The easiest and often the quickest method for the home gardener is sets, but seeds are less expensive and better for large-scale plantings.

Sets: These dwarf onion bulbs have been grown from seed planted very densely within rows. They are usually of the Ebenezer type, although there are other varieties with white, brown and red skin. Contrary to the beliefs of many gardeners, the best sets are not necessarily the biggest. The preferred size is about 1/2 inch in diameter, with the smaller ones lacking in vigor and the larger sets often going to seed.

You will find that it pays to plant sets carefully, stem side up. Place them in the oven six inches apart in the row and cover with 1/4-inch sifted compost. Water well and firm up the soil. One pound of sets is enough for 50 feet of row.

Planted as early as possible in the spring, the sets will grow quickly. They only require shallow cultivation or weeding. At five weeks, the young plants should have grown well. If thrown away at this stage, they are spring onions or bunch green onions.

Seed: Onions grown from seed mature in about 130 days, but offer a much wider range of varieties than those grown from sets. Seed longevity, however, is only one year. One ounce of seed is enough for 100 feet of row. The seed should be in the ground as soon as possible, even before the last frost. It should be planted thickly and evenly in a shallow hole, covered with 1/2 inch of firmed, sifted compost. Rows should be carefully weeded and the same general care given as for onions grown from sets.

Plants: Due to the need for an early start for plants to benefit from the long daylight hours and mature before the onset of summer drought, many gardeners purchase young plants. But to get good, true-to-type, disease-free young plants, you may decide to grow your own seedlings with the help of a cold frame. You will then be in a position to transplant the seedlings into the garden when the soil is ready to receive them.

Bulb Formation: The time needed to form edible bulbs is determined by the amount of light the plant receives and not the maturity of the plant.

This explains why some types of onions form bulbs in certain locations and not in others. There are onions that form bulbs when they receive only 12 hours of daily light (Bermuda Yellow and Criolla Blanca, for example). Ebenezer and Yellow Globe Danvers require 13 hours of daylight each day to produce bulbs. Types like Red Wethersfield require up to 14 hours.

insects

The average garden grown onion is relatively free of plant disease and insect pests, although onion rootworm can be troublesome in some localities until the garden soil has been properly conditioned through the liberal use of correctly composted organic humus. As a deterrent, some gardeners have found that radishes intercropped between rows of onions make a very satisfying trap crop. The onion rootworm prefers radish root and infests it instead of onion. When they become infested, uproot the radishes and destroy them.

The fully grown onion maggot is legless, pearly white, and about 1/3 inch long. The body tapers to a point at the head. This insect is very similar to the cabbage worm.

Onion bollworm rarely attacks any crops except onions, but will attack them during the growing season. Onions planted for game are more likely than large onions; white varieties are more likely to be damaged than yellow, and red varieties are less likely to be damaged.

The damage is more severe when the onions are small. One worm is capable of destroying many seedlings by destroying their underground parts, while a single large onion can harbor several worms without being destroyed. Worm damage to onion seedlings not only reduces support, but also makes the remaining plants less uniform in size. This lack of uniformity is of considerable importance when growing onions.

The maggots usually get into larger onions near the base where they attack the roots, sometimes burrowing up to two inches. When damaged onions are stored, they rot and cause healthy bulbs to rot. A layer of sand added to the top layer of soil will deter onion maggots. Waste onions, if planted at intervals, will attract the maggot and prevent damage to the main crop.

Onion thrips are thin, light yellow to brown, very active, and almost too small to be seen with the naked eye. Onion thrips feed on onions, beans, cabbage, and a host of other crops and weeds.

This insect, unlike most, scrapes the surface of a leaf with its mouthparts and laps up the sap that flows from wounded tissue. Small whitish spots appear where thrips have fed. Heavily infested plants are stunted, leaves blanching and dying from the tips, abnormally thick necks are produced, and bulbs fail to develop normally.

It is not uncommon for onion thrips to destroy large fields of onions during July and August. Injuries are more severe during hot, dry seasons.

Harvest

Onion sets mature in about 100 days, and as the plants approach maturity, the tips gradually drop to the ground. When most of the tops are down, the rest are usually broken off by running the back of a rake over them. A day or two later, the onions should be pulled up and left on the surface of the soil to cure. They are then gathered together and the ends are cut off about an inch from the bulb.

To complete their cure, spread them loosely in a ventilated shed or shed where they can dry until cold weather arrives. For winter storage, place onions in orange boxes, net bags, or other ventilated containers and move them to a cool, dry basement. If you don’t have a storage basement, onions in open containers can be stored somewhere airy, like an attic. Provided they are dry, a slight freeze will not harm them, although they should not be handled frozen.

varieties

Ebenezer is usually grown from sets and matures in 105 days. Sweet Spanish Hybrid is a great producer with a mild flavor. Yellow Bermuda has a 95-day growing season and produces soft, medium-sized bulbs. Another early variety is Crystal White Wax, which matures in 95 days. It’s a favorite in the south. Evergreen Long White Bunching has a long growing period of 120 days. It is produced in bunches and is used for spring onions.