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Our first ship week has kicked off and that means the 2018-2019 onion plant season is HERE! Despite all the rain we received earlier this fall, we are happy to report that the plants look good. Here is a bunch of 1015Y Texas Super Sweet right out of the field.
If you're preparing to plant or preparing for winter, our customer service team has you covered. They are happy to answer any ordering, planting, or growing questions you may have by emailing
[email protected] or calling 830-876-2430.
Happy planting,
Bruce "The Onionman" and Jeanie Frasier
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Selecting the Best Location to Plant Onions
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The key to growing a great onion crop starts with the location of your onion patch. Onions need to be planted in a location where they can thrive in the right conditions. Whether you plant in the ground or in containers, placing your onions where they'll have optimal conditions will give you the best results. Below are some tips on selecting the best location for your onions:
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Pink Root |
Rotate Your Crops
We recommend rotating where your onions are planted at least every three years. Planting in the same spot multiple years can attract a fungus in the soil known as Pink Root which attacks the root system and prevents the onion from developing properly.
Rotating the crop keeps this fungus from surviving in the soil between plantings.
Find a Sunny Location
Onions prefer full sun, especially during the afternoon hours. The heat and light are necessary for proper growth. Onion plants can't be grown in full shade, and those grown in partial shade will be smaller and more susceptible to pests and diseases. If you plan to grow tall plants such as corn or tomatoes near your onions, situate them so they don't shade your onion plants from the afternoon sun.
Loose Soil Is Best
Onions like a sandy loam which allows them to easily expand when bulbing. Their feeding roots need to be close to the surface of the soil. Shallow planting in loose soil will increase bulb size, and eliminate the stress caused when the soil is compact. Growing onions in raised beds and containers is always an option if your garden soil isn't loose enough.
Prevailing Winds
Almost all onion diseases are caused by leaf wetness. To prevent this, position the rows in the direction of the prevailing winds. The breezes will help keep the onions and the soil free of excess moisture
. Try putting a windsock or pinwheel in the area being considered to note which way the wind tends to blow
before you choose the planting site.
Planting for Success
Give your onion plants these favorable conditions that will nourish and protect them, and they'll provide you with months of mouth-watering meals. All it takes is a little TLC!
To see our selection of onion plants available or place your orders, visit our
Web site
. You may also contact Customer Service at (830) 876-2430 or email [email protected]. We look forward to another of providing the highest quality onion plants for you!
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Robert Williamsport sent us pictures of his Sterling onions from the 2017-2018 season. He was a first time customer and we are happy to hear of his success!
He writes, "This was my first year of using your plants and following your method for planting, and I was amazed to watch them grow.
In my area, a big onion is golf ball sized.
From the day I put the onions in the soil, they took off and grew quickly. About mid
-
season I had to pull many because I spaced them to closely, not realizing how much space the onions needed to grow into large bulbs.
Your
plants grew
in
to
a
baseball sized onions,
and many were even softball sized!
I have planted onions for forty years and could never get a big onion. The method you suggested was the key to great onions. The plants were great, none bolted, and they just grew
with great flavor!"
-Robert Weaver, Williamsport, MD
Share Your Photos with Us!
We enjoy receiving photos from our customers including those of new methods of growing, harvesting, curing, and storing. We'd love to publish yours in an upcoming newsletter. Just e-mail your onion photos to
[email protected].
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Onion Growing Success Kits
We are offering
Onion Growing Success Kits again this season
so you have products ready for each phase of an onion's growing cycle.
Each kit treats approximately 10 bunches and includes step-by-step growing instructions to ensure bumper crops in the onion patch.
 Onion Growing Success Kit
We've gathered our products to help make you a successful onion grower!
$60.95; SAVE 20%
*Start plants out and establish root systems with our exclusive Dixondale Farms Onion Special 10-20-10 fertilizer.
* Perform pre-emergent weed control at planting time with Treflan Herbicide Granules.
* Boost nitrogen levels with Ammonium Sulfate three weeks after planting for more rings and larger bulbs.
*Use Mancozeb Fungicide with Zinc to control moisture-related issues.
Grow a healthy onion crop using all natural products in our All Natural Onion Growing Success Kit!
$63.95; SAVE 20%
*Our exclusive Dixondale Farms All Natural Weed & Feed 3-5-3 is perfect for pre-emergent prevention of weed germination.
*Applying OmegaGrow Foliar Feed two weeks after planting adds nitrogen to soil for top results.
*Oxidate Organic Fungicide Preventative and Curative addresses moisture-related issues.
*Neem Organic Fungicide/Insecticide f
or organic gardening controlling Botrytis, Tip Blight, Rust, Downy mildew, Powdery mildew, Spider Mites, Aphids, Whiteflies, and other insect pests. Kills egg, larvae, and adult stages of insects.
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Around the Farm
Bruce and Jeanie spoke to their granddaughters' school about planting onions last week. Jeanie read the book
"Where Are My Onions?" by
Paulette Sarmonpal, and Bruce helped them get their onions planted outside.
Clementine and Jeanie Bruce and Clementine's class heading outside to plant.
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Cooking with Onions
Vidalia Onion Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 large, chopped Vidalia or sweet yellow onion
- 1 cup of fresh kernel corn
- 3 large, lightly-beaten eggs
- 3/4 cup of butter, divided into 1/2 and 1/4 cup portions
- 2 1/2 cups of yellow corn meal (self-rising)
- 1 cup of all-purpose white flour
- 1/2 cup of table sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of whole milk
Directions
While preheating your oven to 400 degrees F, melt 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan on the stovetop, over medium heat. Stir in the onion and corn, then cook until they're soft; this generally takes 6-8 minutes. At this point set the mixture aside. Put the remaining quarter cup of butter into a cast-iron or other oven-proof skillet, then place the skillet inside the oven to melt the butter.
Meanwhile, combine your sugar, flour, and corn meal in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, thoroughly mix together the eggs and milk; next, stir it into the corn meal mixture until just moistened. Then add the saut
é
ed onion and corn mixture to the batter and mix the ingredients thoroughly.
By this point, the skillet inside the oven should be nice and warm, and the butter completely melted. Remove the skillet from the oven, then fill it with the cornbread batter. Bake the mixture 25 to 30 minutes until it's golden brown.
If you have an onion recipe you'd like us to share, please email it to
[email protected]
.
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All Your Questions Answered
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| We have answers to your frequently asked questions! Just click the link for information on planting, caring, feeding, harvesting, and storing onions.
And be sure to review our short videos on Facebook. Topics range from fertilizing and dealing with cold weather to how onion plants are harvested. You can view these videos even if you don't have a Facebook account. |
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 or get growing tips and cultural information, visit our
Web site
.
New customer? Request your 2019 catalog
here.
We're available from 8:15 AM to 5:00 PM CT at 830-876-2430, 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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 We invite you to join the community on our
Facebook page
. You can connect with us and fellow growers to share stories, photos, recipes, weather information, and other tips.
 Don't forget to subscribe to our
YouTube channel! Our videos will guide you on selecting the right onion variety, applying fertilizer, the best weed control options, and more.
 We're on Pinterest too. Check out
our Pins
which include photos covering small space onion gardens, tasty onion recipes, planting tips, and more.
 You can also join us on
Instagram, a photo community where we're sharing even more Dixondale photos.
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