Garden Thread

[Deleted member 5115]

I was unable to find the old garden thread so I'll start another.
I was given some onions this spring and stuck them in the ground. I have never grown them before and know nothing about them. I do know that if they get frozen on the top shelf of my 'fridge they are no good. Those that I stuck in the ground are still there and I never pulled any. Can they survive the winter? What is the best thing I can do with them?

 

[Road Dust]

Thank you for starting this thread back up again! I don't have much experience at all with onions but planted some this past spring and already dug them up and have them in storage. Onions must go through a curing process before storing them, which includes pulling them and letting them lay in a dry place until they form an outer crispy skin and the stalk end is completely dry. Then you can trim off the stalk and put them in a cool dark dry area. I'm trying to tell you this from memory of what I researched and may be forgetting something, so be sure to check online for the curing process. That's what I did.

Is there a reason why you did not harvest them already? Are they bulb type onions? I'm thinking they can stay in the ground over winter, like with garlic, but not entirely sure. In fact, I believe I once read that some folks plant them in the fall to harvest the following year in some areas. If you are going to leave them in the ground, I would maybe just throw some mulch over them and see what happens next year. After all the wild onions always seem to come back up year after year.

 

[pro1driver]

i have "green onions" or better known as "scallions".

they stay in the ground all year long, and we only cut off the "stalks" or shoots, and cook them, or eat them raw in salads, sandwiches, etc.

these have tiny bulbs, that grew from tinier yet seeds. each year, in late spring i believe, the shoots have what looks like the white dandelion "flower" which is the seeding. these seeds will get nearly black, drop down to the ground and some will grow, some will not.

you almost can never plant them, as many times, you cannot see them.

if you ever ordered any from a seed catalog, you must plant them as soon as they arrive, as they do not live long.

as for the variety of the onions you have, some can stay in the ground all year long as well, if you want those shoots, but i grew onions once, maybe twice, and never had any luck with them. i suggest you do a search for what kind/type of soil you need for onions.

usually, onions (for flavor) are once a year veggies, and not too great tasting if left in the ground all year long. (with the exception of the green/scallion onions)

 

[Road Dust]

My onions are wearing pantyhose this winter! A great way to store them. Just tie a knot between each onion and hang in a cool dry place, and when you need one, just cut off from the bottom below a knot.

 

[Deleted member 5115]

These were given to me on a whim and I know absolutely nothing about what kind they are. Figured I'd just plant them and see how it goes and it was in late May at that. They flowered quickly and grew little onions around the flower. I pulled some of those and planted them too, they grew. At the end of the season they all had multiple greens growing out of the ground, which tells me that they multiplied under there. It is cold here but I don't think the ground has frozen deep yet and I will go out and do some digging. Mulch some and see what happens.

 

[Deleted member 5115]

And how long will they last in those hose without rotting or sprouting?

 

[pro1driver]

My onions are wearing pantyhose this winter! A great way to store them. Just tie a knot between each onion and hang in a cool dry place, and when you need one, just cut off from the bottom below a knot.

well not for nutin', but if some of us guys ask our significant others for a pair of panty hose, we might be mistooken for cross dressing hulking truck drivers....

but then again.....

there just might be guy or two here......

 

[Road Dust]

And how long will they last in those hose without rotting or sprouting?

This is the first time I have done this but I am expecting them to last through the winter, give or take a few that don't make it. Already lasted a few months since I pulled and cured them.

You need to cure them first
4 Ways to Store Onions - wikiHow

This article says you can expect them to last up to eight months if cured properly
Store Onions - How to Store Onions

 

[Road Dust]

These were given to me on a whim and I know absolutely nothing about what kind they are. Figured I'd just plant them and see how it goes and it was in late May at that. They flowered quickly and grew little onions around the flower. I pulled some of those and planted them too, they grew. At the end of the season they all had multiple greens growing out of the ground, which tells me that they multiplied under there. It is cold here but I don't think the ground has frozen deep yet and I will go out and do some digging. Mulch some and see what happens.

If they were bulb onions, you should have pinched the seeds off or used them before they went to seed.

Or they could have been these, which are a little different from regular bulb onions, but all parts are edible: Egyptian Walking Onion

 

[Road Dust]

I saved plenty of seed from my cayenne peppers this year. Also got some from my beans and my okra, and just a few from the tomatoes (they didn't do so well this year).

Made these nifty little seed packets from brown paper sacks cut into squares and folded to make envelopes.

 

[Deleted member 5115]

Those walking onions look a lot like the things I have. I will go digging and see what one set looks like. I also saved pepper seeds this year. I have mine in zip lock bags though. Today's zip log bags have a coating on them that you can write on so that's where I put what I have. Then I stuffed them into a mason jar nice and compact. I am pretty sure they are dry enough, the were left out for months. I have yet to conquer starting my own peppers. My house is a little cold and even with the heat mat I have having trouble with them. I don't save tomato seeds since most of what I grow is hybrid.

 

[pro1driver]

another "nifty" way to allow some veggies to dry out, is that i will often use orange or tangerine, or clementine netting's...

these too are strong enough to hold the veggies, and like the hosiery, can be used over and over again.

 

[Deleted member 5115]

another "nifty" way to allow some veggies to dry out, is that i will often use orange or tangerine, or clementine netting's...

these too are strong enough to hold the veggies, and like the hosiery, can be used over and over again.

I'd be more likely to have clam nets but they're the same thing.
Here's what I have. The ground is frozen about 2" and it was hard to get these out with my hand trowel.
Here it is in the ground, what's left of it anyway.

And here it is after I dug it up.

And here is what I have after washing and separating.

I Started with 5 plants and put three in the garden and two out front in my box around the flag. When the bulbs grew up on the stalk I planted some of those in the box out front and they have multiplied. I mulched the three in the garden, which I have not done anything to since planting and will see what happens.

 

[RickyRicardo]

I don't have any winter crops but this is the result of my project that took me a few months to complete, working weekends. I'm not much of a masonry hand but I did this all from scratch by my lonesome down to hauling in the fill dirt.

This has been a troublesome area of my yard since I've been here and finally decided to get serious. The steep slope has always allowed water runoff and this past season was the last straw. The lower flat part of the yard stayed soggy all summer and being on the east side of the house it never sees the afternoon sun. I put in some railroad ties years ago to fight the erosion but they do nothing for the water flowing over them. And when I do get some decent turf going, its a pain to mow on the steep slope.

I decided to do a permanent fix. I don't plan to ever move and the concrete will outlive me. And I wanted to do it while I was able. Not getting any younger and I hate to pay somebody for something I can do myself.

The most expensive things there (by piece anyway) are the cedar boards I used for the siderails on the walkway which I made with PT decking.

I'm planting blueberries along the front with strawberries in between. The wall is almost waist high and figure it will be convenient to be able tend to plants at that height and eliminate a lot of bending. This connects to existing garden I walled in a few years ago, only separated by the fence. I will be able to run soaker hose straight through and take care of both areas at once.

 

[RickyRicardo]

 

[RickyRicardo]

The brick red oil based paint on the walkway peeled up the first time it rained. Maybe I didn't let the concrete cure long enough. Will peel the rest off and try again later. I drilled weep hole near base of wall and hopefully water channels down slope I poured out to the driveway instead of staying in yard and under deck.

 

[RickyRicardo]

Pole bean trellis I built from scratch with little Atlanta Falcons gnome standing guard. 4 X 4 feet at base and 8 feet tall. I trim it out with colored lights around Christmas. Looks like a little house from the road.

 

[RickyRicardo]

 

[Deleted member 5115]

Let us know how it works out. Not having to bend over to groom and weed sounds good. Concrete takes special paint or it will not last and it is priceyx10 so get your pocket book out if you expect to paint it. I think the best paints are two part mixtures (epoxies) and stink pretty bad while being applied.

 

[RickyRicardo]

Let us know how it works out. Not having to bend over to groom and weed sounds good. Concrete takes special paint or it will not last and it is priceyx10 so get your pocket book out if you expect to paint it. I think the best paints are two part mixtures (epoxies) and stink pretty bad while being applied.

Okay, that figures. It didn't really need it. but I figured it would be something nice to set it off and match the deck color since I have a couple gallons of that color sitting around.

I started four blue berry plants a while back and they really started producing in the third year making me wish I had planted more. Better late than never and I have all the time it takes.

The bare, skinny tree up the hill is one of two pear trees I planted this past spring. Again, should have done it years ago. I have two peach trees out front that produce nicely. I end up giving away half of them to neighbors but it's still worthwhile to me.