October 2017
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October has been an exciting month around Dixondale Farms! Catalogs have been mailed, fields have been planted, and we just launched our new website. Read on for some quick ordering tips to help ensure the best crop.

Happy fall,
 
  
Bruce "The Onionman" and Jeanie   
Onion Plant Ordering Tips
2018 Dixondale Farms Catalog
The 2018 Dixondale Farms catalog was mailed in early October. Click to view our online catalog or   request one be mailed to you.  

Four ways to order your onion plants from Dixondale Farms:
  • By phone at 1-830-876-2430
  • By mail to: PO Box 129, Carrizo Springs, TX 78834
  • By fax at 1-830-876-9640
Below are some tips to remember when placing your onion plant order this season.

1. Select the Right Varieties for Your Area
Ordering varieties that will grow well in your area is crucial to your onion crop success. Short day varieties grow best in the lower latitudes. Intermediate day varieties are our most versatile varieties that grow throughout the middle part of the country. Long day varieties are most successful in the northern most part of the country. 

2. Select the Appropriate Ship Week
Choosing the appropriate ship week will ensure that your onions arrive at the proper time for you to plant them. We recommend planting your onion plants about 4-6 weeks before your last freeze for your region. Our Zip Code Chart provides the recommended ship weeks by Zip Code for your reference. As always, you know your area's weather better than we do and may want to adjust your selected ship date from the Zip Code Chart.
When to Plant Your Onion Plants
  
3. Order Early
Order early to ensure that you receive the varieties you want. While we work hard to avoid varieties shortages and crop failures, orders are processed and packed in the order they are received. Also, on varieties that seed is or may become limited, you will want to be sure your order is reserved in advance so you receive your plants. 

4. Call Us If You Have Questions
If a question arises while placing your order pertaining to variety, ship week, quantity, or anything else, don't hesitate to contact a customer service representative who can answer all of your onion questions at 1-830-876-2430.
From Our Friends
 
Don and Beverly Hickey of Harvest Moon Gardens in Point, TX sent in this photo of their 1015 Texas Super Sweet Onions. They wrote, "Our granddaughter, Katie, LOVES helping Grandma and Grandpa in the garden. This was her first time helping us with the onions and she LOVED it! After pulling the onions that were ready, she told us she wanted to be an onion farmer. It is very important to us to get our grand kids in the garden so they can see where real veggies come from. All our grand kids like helping when its harvest time. My wife and I have been ordering onion plants from Dixondale Farms for many years and we have never had a bad crop. And, just as important as great onions is the GREAT customer service at Dixondale Farms.  You are all great folks to work with. Thank you for the past years and many years to come."

We are happy to hear this, Don and Beverly! Keep up the good work in the garden with your grandkids. We wish you a wonderful growing season ahead.
Can You Identify this Onion Disease?
           
                                  
It's pink root - a common disease that can be found among onion fields.

Identification
The most striking symptom of pink root is, as the name indicates, pink roots. Infected roots first turn light pink, then darken through red and purple, shrivel, turn black, and die. The pinkish red discoloration may extend up into the scales of the bulbs. New roots may also become infected. If infection continues, the plants become stunted. The disease seldom results in plant death. Infection is confined to roots and outer scaled of the bulb.

Management
Prevention and control include avoiding repeated cropping of onions on the same soil, use of resistant varieties, good soil tilth and fertility, control of insects and other diseases to maintain healthy plants, and preplant soil fumigation. Because so many crops are hosts of the pathogen, rotation is not an effective control, but long-term rotations out of onion for 5 years or more are recommended because each crop of onions increases disease incidence. Planting onions after cereals is not recommended as another form of prevention.

Disease-resistant varieties are available such as Texas Early White, Red Creole, Candy, Highlander, Red River, and Ringmaster, but other popular varieties may not have this characteristic. Furthermore, many resistant varieties are resistant in some locations but not in others, depending on which strains of the fungus are present. Fumigation can be effective against some strains of the fungus but is not effective against many of the more virulent strains.

Dixondale Farms is fortunate to be on a 5-7 year crop rotation to help keep our plants disease free.
Featured Products
Thinking about trying a new variety?

Here are a few of our customer favorites from 2017. 

Texas Legend


Texas Legend is one of our Short Day customer favorites! It's super sweet as it's an improved 1015Y Texas Super Sweet variety. Texas Legend produces very uniform, round bulbs with better storage potential than other short day varieties. Our customers have nothing but great things to say about their Texas Legend onions!

Red Candy Apple







Red Candy Apple is our most beautiful red onion that grows throughout most of the country, excluding the most southern and northern parts. This intermediate day red is an exclusive Dixondale Farms variety. Allow this onion to grow to full maturity as it finishes strong.


Highlander



Highlander is one of our newer varieties that more and more customers are trying each year. Once they try to the Highlander, they say they may never grow any other yellow long day variety again! Highlander provides sweetness and size with decent storage potential of 4-5 months. It's bulbs are extremely uniform with resistance to foliar diseases.
Cooking with Onions
French Onion Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 large yellow onions, sliced 
  • 1 lb. cavatappi pasta
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups 2% milk
  • 2 cups Fontina cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups Asiago cheese, shredded
  • 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups croutons
  • 3 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add onions, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook an additional 10 minutes or until caramelized. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in a large pot with caramelized onions. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and mix Fontina, Asiago, and mascarpone cheeses, plus the salt. Heat 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth, whisking occasionally. Mix the cheese sauce with cooked pasta and caramelized onions in the large pot. Pour pasta into 8 oven-safe dishes, preferably French onion soup bowls. Place dishes on a large cookie sheet. Heat oven broiler. Top bowls filled with mac and cheese evenly with croutons and shredded Gruyere cheese. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Recipe from JUST A PINCH Recipes blog .  If you have an onion recipe you'd like us to share, please email it to [email protected].

Around the Farm

Our new website has launched and it's more mobile friendly than ever! Check it out and see for yourself at www.dixondalefarms.com. We strive to provide the best customer experience and this is one area that we worked to improve during this off-season. Please feel free to provide feedback by emailing us and letting us know what you think. 

 

All Your Questions Answered
We have answers to your frequently asked questions! Just click the link for information on planting, caring, feeding, harvesting, and storing onions.  

You can also read our electronic Planting Guide or download and print a PDF guide (which includes leeks). 

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.
About Dixondale Farms
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 website .

New customer? Order your 2018 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.
Join Us on Social Media!
Facebook Icon 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.
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: 830-876-2430
web: http://www.dixondalefarms.com