Despite my lack of time to take care of my garden, the onions are doing well. I have weeded them three times and I have sprinkled dry leaves over them. In the photograph below, you should be able to see the leaves. The leafy layer is not deep, probably an inch deep, more or less.
When I planted these onions I placed some of them close together, mainly because I ran out of room in the small garden bed that I had prepared. Of those planted too close to each other, I’ve harvested some to use as green onions in salads and soups.
Bulbing – I expect that any day now I will walk outside and see gigantic onions that block out the sun. A book tells me that the hours of daylight, from sunrise to sunset, is a factor for an onion to start forming a bulb. The onions that I am growing are a Bermuda type and the book tells me they need as little as 12 hours of daylight, we have 14+ hours of daylight in June.
I remember from my childhood that there is a certain day in the summer in which the gardener should assist the bulbing onion by knocking over the onion leaves (are they leaves?). I don’t remember what day that is – July 1st? This knocking over of leaves is supposed to make the onion develop a narrow neck, which is better for storage <-- but this is from memory. I'll have to do a little research. I probably will not knock over the onion leaves because they fall over by themselves. However, if one doesn't fall over, I might knock it over.
This is my garden after the 4/27/11 tornadoes. See the onions? They barely missed being flattened. Some were blown over, but they recovered.
I pulled a couple of onions for soup a couple of days after writing the blog post above. One was a typical green onion shape with the long straight green leaves and narrow bulb. The second onion had a puny looking top that was folded over. I pulled it and found that it had started to form a bulb. It went into the soup along with the other onion.
Fresh onions are the best!!! Yours sure do look good. I am glad that they missed the fallen tree…and that y’all weren’t injured in the tornadoes.
Blessings,
Vania
Thank you Vania. We were blessed that the tree just barely missed our house, causing minor damage.
I’m watching my onions every day now; a few more of the tops are starting to fold over.
Wow! I’m so glad that tree missed your house! Your onion crop looks beautiful.
Hello Lisa,
The tree brushed the house and windows with its branches. There were branches over the house. The lack of damage was remarkable, not even a torn screen or broken window.
The onions are doing well. Some have fallen over and they are making bulbs. I pick one every now and then for supper.
I cannot believe the shots of your garden yet you claim you do not have much time for it. I have been chronically bad at gardening but seeing your success (in the garden and your site) gives me hope that maybe I should try again! Thanks