I often read of early mid and late season onions.
Does this mean they should be planted early, mid or late or that they mature at these times?

Are these times the same for different zones across the country?

If i plant red, brown and white onions now, why do i get good crops from the brown and red, but the whites fail to form proper globes? Is it because the whites were late season and the others early?

What causes a crop of onions to go sappy and soft, thereby preventing them from storing well and in some cases, rotting prior to harvest?

too much goodness and moisture for the soft and sappy ones??? Not sure meself, not an expert onion grower.

Longy said:

I often read of early mid and late season onions.
Does this mean they should be planted early, mid or late or that they mature at these times?

Are these times the same for different zones across the country?

If i plant red, brown and white onions now, why do i get good crops from the brown and red, but the whites fail to form proper globes? Is it because the whites were late season and the others early?

What causes a crop of onions to go sappy and soft, thereby preventing them from storing well and in some cases, rotting prior to harvest?

Good grief….a gardening question on a gardening forum? :)

Can’t help really, but I think early maturing varieties are also planted a little earlier that late maturing ones…eg early flat barletta are sown in autumn I think and spanish red in winter. But don’t quote me I’m no expert!

Longy said:

I often read of early mid and late season onions.
Does this mean they should be planted early, mid or late or that they mature at these times?

Are these times the same for different zones across the country?

If i plant red, brown and white onions now, why do i get good crops from the brown and red, but the whites fail to form proper globes? Is it because the whites were late season and the others early?

What causes a crop of onions to go sappy and soft, thereby preventing them from storing well and in some cases, rotting prior to harvest?

To damp I’d say for the soft ones because that happened to ours. The rest I can’t help you with.

Please give us an update on the BA. We have asked in the chat thread but you mightent see it.

pomolo said:

Longy said:

I often read of early mid and late season onions.
Does this mean they should be planted early, mid or late or that they mature at these times?

Are these times the same for different zones across the country?

If i plant red, brown and white onions now, why do i get good crops from the brown and red, but the whites fail to form proper globes? Is it because the whites were late season and the others early?

What causes a crop of onions to go sappy and soft, thereby preventing them from storing well and in some cases, rotting prior to harvest?

To damp I’d say for the soft ones because that happened to ours. The rest I can’t help you with.

Please give us an update on the BA. We have asked in the chat thread but you mightent see it.

should’ve looked like this Pom.

pain master said:

pomolo said:

Longy said:

I often read of early mid and late season onions.
Does this mean they should be planted early, mid or late or that they mature at these times?

Are these times the same for different zones across the country?

If i plant red, brown and white onions now, why do i get good crops from the brown and red, but the whites fail to form proper globes? Is it because the whites were late season and the others early?

What causes a crop of onions to go sappy and soft, thereby preventing them from storing well and in some cases, rotting prior to harvest?

To damp I’d say for the soft ones because that happened to ours. The rest I can’t help you with.

Please give us an update on the BA. We have asked in the chat thread but you mightent see it.

should’ve looked like this Pom.

Why didn’t it? I must have missed clicking on the quote box.

early, mid and late season onions have to do with when you plant them I think. Onions respond to day length and are planted according to whether they like a short day length or a longer one. I am not sure about my facts here but it is something along these lines. If I remember rightly early or short day length varieties do not keep as well as late or long day length varieties (I think I have the right correlations but am not sure.) Unfortunately this information rarely is seen on seed packets.

Onions that have started to bolt, also known as bull necked onions due to the thick stem, will not keep and should be used first. Soft, sappy growth sounds like the conditions are too wet.

Having said all this I am yet to have success with growing onions myself :(

You’re taking advice from an onion-growing tragic here, but is this URL any good?

http://www.howtogardenadvice.com/vegetables/grow_onion.html

The way I read it, the soil temp plays a significant part in the onion development…

Dinetta said:

You’re taking advice from an onion-growing tragic here, but is this URL any good?

http://www.howtogardenadvice.com/vegetables/grow_onion.html

The way I read it, the soil temp plays a significant part in the onion development…

Yes there are numerous sites that beat around the bush. However, it is difficult to find something that specifies the answers to my queries. I’ve had variable success over the years but i’m an erratic gardener, so am always unsure what worked and why.
I tink also, that generalisations are bad when it comes to onions. Where i live, we plant thru the cool months to encourage the tops to grow, then when the days lengthen and the soil warms, the bulbs swell and dry thru the heat of Summer. However, this is not true of all my plantings, all the time and i get variable results in the same soil conditions with different types.
I guess i want an idiot proof description of exactly which types to plant and when in my locale. It seems, this advice would differ if a person lived in Tassie or Perth or OOdnadatta.
Looking Looking!

early maturing varieties are also planted a little earlier that late maturing ones…eg early flat barletta are sown in autumn I think and spanish red in winter
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This may well be true in your area, but doesn’t mean it is the case here.
So you see my quandary!
I need a local guru but they are not easy to find.
Might go bangin on the doors of old gardeners maybe…

Longy said:

I often read of early mid and late season onions. Does this mean they should be planted early, mid or late or that they mature at these times? Are these times the same for different zones across the country?
If i plant red, brown and white onions now, why do i get good crops from the brown and red, but the whites fail to form proper globes? Is it because the whites were late season and the others early?
What causes a crop of onions to go sappy and soft, thereby preventing them from storing well and in some cases, rotting prior to harvest?

don’t know.
i suspect your ‘wet’ is nearly over and onions don’t need or want much moisture (sappy and soft) so are probably a ‘dry’ season crop. i remember the old forum guru was keen on the niceties of this subject.

my advice is to put ‘creamgold’ or ‘hawkesbury brown’ seed into a deep polystyrene box of seed raising mix with a handful of cow manure added and wait about 10 weeks for the seedlings to grow to 150 – 200mm high. then plant out. they will need irrigation.

Longy said:

I guess i want an idiot proof description of exactly which types to plant and when in my locale.

I’d give this bloke named Longfella a call, he’s in your area and knows a fair bit about how the garden grows…

Seriously, Longy you need to keep a Diary so that you can keep an eye on what worked and what didn’t… don’t know if someone can come up with such a definitive and accurate planting guide on a locale by locale basis!?!?

My Bro-in-law grows onions during the winter, harvesting in November, these are brown onions and he lives at Cambooya (Steele Rudd – Dad’n‘Dave country)…they wear tracksuits on Christmas day I believe: it’s cold all year round there…

you said you get good crops from reds and browns, but not whites. maybe whites are not suitable for your area so just stick to what you know works? I rarely use white onions myself.

Dinetta said:

My Bro-in-law grows onions during the winter, harvesting in November, these are brown onions and he lives at Cambooya (Steele Rudd – Dad’n‘Dave country)…they wear tracksuits on Christmas day I believe: it’s cold all year round there…

Let Pom know.

It’s windy too…I recall hanging out the laundry on the windward side as it was horizontal until collected off the line again…

pain master said:

Dinetta said:

My Bro-in-law grows onions during the winter, harvesting in November, these are brown onions and he lives at Cambooya (Steele Rudd – Dad’n‘Dave country)…they wear tracksuits on Christmas day I believe: it’s cold all year round there…

Let Pom know.

Pom doesn’t like it cold either…

bluegreen said:

pain master said:

Dinetta said:

My Bro-in-law grows onions during the winter, harvesting in November, these are brown onions and he lives at Cambooya (Steele Rudd – Dad’n‘Dave country)…they wear tracksuits on Christmas day I believe: it’s cold all year round there…

Let Pom know.

Pom doesn’t like it cold either…

Yeah, but this can’t be Taswegia or NZ cold surely?

pain master said:

bluegreen said:

pain master said:

Let Pom know.

Pom doesn’t like it cold either…

Yeah, but this can’t be Taswegia or NZ cold surely?

depends how high up it is I suppose.

pain master said:

Dinetta said:

My Bro-in-law grows onions during the winter, harvesting in November, these are brown onions and he lives at Cambooya (Steele Rudd – Dad’n‘Dave country)…they wear tracksuits on Christmas day I believe: it’s cold all year round there…

Let Pom know.

That’s why I don’t live there..

bluegreen said:

pain master said:

Dinetta said:

My Bro-in-law grows onions during the winter, harvesting in November, these are brown onions and he lives at Cambooya (Steele Rudd – Dad’n‘Dave country)…they wear tracksuits on Christmas day I believe: it’s cold all year round there…

Let Pom know.

Pom doesn’t like it cold either…

Hey. Keep it on the onions!
OK, so i’ll probably plant my reds and browns this week and forget the whites.
I’d still like it explained properly though so i’ll have to research further. Bluddy onions!

I checked the Qld DPI site, it used to be a treasure trove of information for home gardeners but not any more…basically they said choose your onion type to suit your climate…so if the whites aren’t doing any good for you, give them a miss…says she who hasn’t grown onions successfully yet but would like to…

Longy said:

bluegreen said:

pain master said:

Let Pom know.

Pom doesn’t like it cold either…

Hey. Keep it on the onions!
OK, so i’ll probably plant my reds and browns this week and forget the whites.
I’d still like it explained properly though so i’ll have to research further. Bluddy onions!

Whinge, whinge, whinge.

pomolo said:

Longy said:

bluegreen said:

Pom doesn’t like it cold either…

Hey. Keep it on the onions!
OK, so i’ll probably plant my reds and browns this week and forget the whites.
I’d still like it explained properly though so i’ll have to research further. Bluddy onions!

Whinge, whinge, whinge.

Hmm. Constructive comments.
Planted a heap of brown and red onion seeds today.
All the free seeding white onions from last years failed crop will be used as shallots and givenaway as seedlings. There are a squillion of the bludgers!.
Noteworthy is that my gardens which were constructed over a very acid soil out of mushroom compo and dairy coopoo have a Ph of about 7. Legumes, onions and brassicas should be pretty happy i’d reckon!