Sunday, March 6, 2022

My Dwindling Onion Supply

Last gardening season was not a great one for my onions.  I can't help but place the blame on our spring/summer/fall seasons of drought.  Feeling very thankful for our ample well water supply, and even though I spent many hours watering the whole garden, the onions just didn't grow as well as they usually do.
 
The quantity was about the same as any other year, but the bulbs of both the red and yellow onions were stunted.
 
We keep our onions in milk crates on the basement floor where the temperature stays a consistent 52° (or very close to it) all winter long.  This seems perfect for the onions.
 
This morning I went down into the basement to refill the container I keep in a closet in what we call our "entry room."  (A place for outside clothes, boots, spare refrigerator, broom closet, etc.)
 

Our onion supply isn't going to make it until this coming year's harvest.  The reds still fill about half a crate (they did the best of the two varieties) while the yellow ones fill only about one-quarter of theirs.
 
The good news is that they're all keeping well.  I found only one that was soft, a red one, and only one that had started to sprout, a smallish one you may be able to pick out in with the yellow ones.
 
All in all, we're appreciative of the number and size (sigh) of those we did harvest last year considering the growing conditions, but I'll be ready and eagerly awaiting the new crop of 2022, you may be sure. 

16 comments:

betty said...

I don't think I have ever known anyone who has grown onions so it was interesting to read this. They do look very fresh in their bins and glad the spoilage has been pretty minimal. Sorry to hear though that you won't have enough to last until next harvest. Hoping this next year's will provide for all your needs!

betty

Mama Pea said...

betty - Thanks! I have the option of purchasing those that I'll need until this coming season's are ready for harvest so it's certainly not a real hardship. I don't think those poor growing conditions last year gave my homegrown ones what they needed!

Leigh said...

It's always interesting to me how much better things do with a natural watering (rain) than with irrigating. Yet, the weather is something we gardeners are at the mercy of. I don't recall, but I'm thinking you plant onions in the spring because your winters are too cold.(?) Here's praying for a better gardening year for us all!

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Oh yes, there's such a difference between me watering with a hose or sprinkler and Mother Nature raining down upon us! Much as we might want to think there's no difference, it's been proven over and over again that the natural rain fall is what our plants want and need. But when the rain doesn't fall, we have to do what we can, right? My onions are one of the first things that can go in the garden in spring (they're cold hardy . . . good thing). A better gardening year for us all would be wonderful. I think we're gonna need it.

Tim B. Inman said...

Your onions look terrific! I'm envious. Although I can grow 'em with great luck (except for last year - dry here, too) I have never had luck storing them. You're giving me new motivation to keep trying. I do chop and freeze them though - which works great for cooking. Cheers

Mama Pea said...

Tim - I guess I'm a lucky ducky in that we seem to have the perfect place to store our onions because I know lots and lots of gardeners have trouble year after year keeping them "fresh." Your way of chopping and freezing them is certainly a solution, but doesn't give the option of using them raw or fresh. :o(

Did you see my comment on Michelle's blog that I am not able to access your latest post either?

Goatldi said...

Iam envious of your cold storage for the onions you harvest! I managed to keep a good amount of reds going under the stairs. I hope at some point to be able to put in a cold storage by mounding an area and then using cinder blocks to create a space that mimics it.

I want to add I also have noticed the red ones seem to go soft faster than other varieties. Anybody want to do an experiment what is the difference between the two ?
Is it sugar levels no sugar levels too acidic what makes a difference for them to be softer sooner and sprouts sooner than perhaps others. I am envious of your cold storage for the onions you haverst. 😊

Rosalea said...

I am amazed at how well you manage to keep red onions. Could you share the name of the variety you grow? Every time I try them, they do not keep well at all, so I gave up on them. I have two half filled milk crates of yellow onions, keeping well so far. I sort through them monthly to make sure they are OK. Sure hoping this gardening season is better for you than last year!

Katie C. said...

I know what you mean about dwindling supplies. My canned tomatoes are going down faster than usual because I have no oven. Everything has to be cooked on the stovetop until the oven part comes in at the end of March. Here’s to hoping that it comes in and that the part fixes the problem. Ugh. Going through baking withdrawal 🙄

Tim B. Inman said...

Don't know what happened, but especially Apple folks seem to have had the most trouble getting the link to click. Here is a 'direct' link that should get you there. https://oakdalefarm.blogspot.com/

I hate to deprive folks of my baloney!

Green onion and bulbing onion seeds are up and going!

Cheers

Mama Pea said...

Goatldi - I know others have trouble keeping onions long-term, especially the red ones. I'm fortunate in I seem to be able to keep even the red ones as long as the yellow ones. During my recent sorting, I found one red that had started to get soft and mushy and one yellow that had started to sprout. So I was very happy with that. Our onions don't keep nearly as well in the root cellar ('bout 36-38°) as they do on the basement floor at 52°

Rosalea - The red I always plant (am I in a rut?) are the Red Comred variety. I have such good luck in keeping them that I don't want to try a switch. I've heard from readers that they simply cannot keep red onions no matter what they try, so I feel very fortunate because we do like raw onions and that's what I use ours for.

Tim - Not an Apple user here, but still haven't been able to get to your blog. Will now go try what you suggest. I don't want to be deprived of your baloney! ;o)

Mama Pea said...

Tim - STILL doesn't work for me. Same problem. :o(

Tim B. Inman said...

I guess this Farm Report really has to come under the 'Never Give Up' heading. I have re-posted it, hoping that will make the gremlin go back into his/her cave. Here is the link to try again:

www.oakdalefarm.blogspot.com

Hope it works for you!

Mama Pea said...

Tim - Just tried your reposted blog post and get the same wonky notice. As I just said in an e-mail to you, I'll have my daughter look at the gremlin's work tomorrow when she's here. "She" being my daughter, not the "gremlin." (Huh??) :o)

Granny Sue said...

I have exactly 3 onions left, so I am jealous of your supply, LOL. Well done. Do you grow the multiplier onions? I have some of those, and they are ready to pick now--they are more like green onions now, though. I started a new row of them last fall, and the little seedlings are looking good too.

Our onions kept better than they ever have this year, because we stored them in the workroom, which is dry and cool. Same with potatoes. We still have a half bushel of those, not bad since we only planted about 10 pounds of sets. I think we'll put out more this year, since these held so well. Red potatoes--our favorite.

Mama Pea said...

Granny Sue - Only three onions left? Oh, no! I don't feel so bad about my dwindling supply now! I have two clumps of multiplier onions that are currently under close to three feet of snow. It will be a while before I can snip the first "green onions" from them! Red potatoes are a favorite with us, too, but mine are already starting to sprout more than I like to see at this time of year. Don't they know it's still winter time in northern Minnesota?!