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Have you wondered, like many of our customers, whether succession planting will work with onions?

For many crops, planting every week or two in succession is a valuable method for providing a continuous harvest. Unfortunately, it's a technique that doesn't tend to achieve the desired results with onions. Here's why:

Onion growth is driven by average temperatures. The number of warm days correlates directly with onion leaf formation. To generate new growth, onion plants require temperatures of at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Earlier in the growing season, there are fewer warm days, so it takes more time for new onion leaves to grow.

A new leaf is generated when the onion reaches approximately 180 "thermal heat units." To calculate the heat units for a particular day, first determine the average temperature by adding the day's high and low temperature and dividing by two. Then take that number and subtract 45 from it (the minimum temperature required for onion growth). That gives you the number of heat units for the day.

When temperatures are consistently higher, leaf formation occurs in fewer days, so more onion leaves grow in a shorter period of time -- and more leaves means larger onions.

Onion maturity -- when the onions bulb and are ready for harvest -- is determined by both daylength and total accumulated heat units. The daylength requirement varies by variety, but in order to initiate bulbing, onion plants must attain a total accumulation of 1,000 to 1,200 heat units from the time they are planted. When daylight hours and the accumulated heat units reach the appropriate threshold for each onion variety, the onion will begin the bulbing process and stop growing more leaves.

If you plant the same variety several weeks apart, the later planting will mature about a week later since the threshold for heat units may not be met when the proper daylength is reached. The onions that were planted later will have had less time to grow foliage, so you'll just get fewer rings and smaller onions.

If you plant much past the recommended planting time for your area, the "days to harvest" information on our Web site and in our catalog will not apply. We know you sometimes have to plant a little past your date, due to weather issues. But because the growth and health of your onions relies on both temperature and daylength, following the recommended planting schedule as closely as possible is the best way to have the tastiest, most robust onions.

 
Happy growing,

Bruce "Onionman" Frasier

Meet Donald and Arlene Waguespack of Lake Arthur, Louisiana. They've been growing with Dixondale Farms since 2004. The Waguespacks grow our Short Day onions, and always share their harvest stories and photos with us. 

Recently, we've been getting calls about why some onion plants in the bunches you receive vary in size. This is because the seeds don't all germinate at exactly the same time. As a result, those that germinate first will be a little larger than those "born" a few days later. However, they will be just as robust and tasty as their slightly larger siblings when they mature! For more information, check out this video.

Customer George Gaerte reports,

"I thought you might want to see how your onions did in Indiana this year. Everybody wants to know how to raise onions like that. I planted four different varieties, and I am very pleased with the results. Here's the Long Day Sampler harvest." The four of his seven grandkids in the picture are Lance (13), Caleb (11), Zach (9), and Julia (7). 

It's easy to cure, extra-early maturing, sweet, and will grow in both Intermediate and Long Day areas.

And if that weren't enough, it stands tall against the two most common onion diseases. This golden beauty stores up to five months, but they'll all be eaten up before then!

• 2 large yellow or white onions, peeled
• 2 tbsp. tomato juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. paprika

Cut onions in half crosswise and place, cut side up, in a baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan on low until butter is melted; stir well. Pour over center of each onion half and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

As the largest and oldest onion plant farm in the U.S., Dixondale Farms offers a wide selection of top-quality, disease-free, ready-to-plant onion plants. To see our complete product line, request a catalog, or for growing tips and cultural information, visit our Web site. We're also available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CT at 877-367-1015, or e-mail us at [email protected].

Whether you're planting one bunch or thousands of acres, we're committed to your success.

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