Getting ready for onions

Eldon (WA) · Jul 13, 2015

Got the hayracks put together and ready for our onion harvest. We pull them, let them lay a day or two in the field, then load them on the wagons, back them in the barn and let them do a slow cure. I have a couple more racks besides these, and will probably need more. We also sell field run onions right out of the field to eliminate curing and handling costs.

Onions waiting to be pulled. We planted over 10,000 (by hand). Most are over a lb in size.

We sell our produce roadside at the farm. My wife takes care of the sales and even drives the AC 170D and produce trailer to the corner everyday. I think I have converted her from her JD ways....the 520 just rests in the shed these days....

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day as we are overloaded with green beans. Two fer Tuesday, pick one 5 gallon bucket of beans, pick the second one for free! That should keep her busy LOL!

D beatty · Jul 13, 2015

Those onions and some new potatoes fried in butter would go over real good right now.

larry@stinescorner · Jul 13, 2015

how much for 5 gals? Do you have yellow beans too?Your onions are beautiful,and very weed free,

Eldon (WA) · Jul 13, 2015

(quoted from post at 19:24:44 07/13/15) how much for 5 gals? Do you have yellow beans too?Your onions are beautiful,and very weed free,

We normally sell our beans for $1 a lb or $8 a bucket U-pic. This year we can't keep up with picking them, so we are having a one time special to get them picked. I do plant a couple of rows of yellows every year. I started with a 99 cent packet of seed 7 years ago and just saved the seed from year to year. They are the hardiest and best plants!

Eldon (WA) · Jul 13, 2015

(quoted from post at 19:24:40 07/13/15) Those onions and some new potatoes fried in butter would go over real good right now.

These are yellow candy onions. We use them for just about everything....I had a big slice on my ham and hot mustard sandwich for lunch. I also like green beans and onion steamed with butter, salt and pepper, fried beets and onions, and of course new potatoes and onions fried in butter. OK, now I am ready for supper.....

larry@stinescorner · Jul 13, 2015

two buckets of beans for 8 dollars ,that is great,they freeze well,,I Have canned dilly beans in the past,they are tasty too,also like them in whats called CHOW CHOW,a PA dutch sweet sour type vegetable pickle mix

fixerupper · Jul 13, 2015

I'm not going to brag about my onions after seeing yours. They are so clean!

sd pete · Jul 13, 2015

(reply to post at 03:17:59 07/14/15) That is a clean onion field

teddy52food · Jul 13, 2015

Are those onions ready to be harvested? I wait until the tops all kink over.

JD Seller · Jul 13, 2015

You say you "pull" all these onions by hand. As fine as your dirt looks, would a potato digger do the same thing???? Just wondering out loud. The spade shovel would lift them out and the chain would sort the dirt out. Would the cross bars on the chain burse the onions???

Nice field of onions.

Eldon (WA) · Jul 13, 2015

(quoted from post at 20:14:12 07/13/15) Are those onions ready to be harvested? I wait until the tops all kink over.

We do to, this pic was taken last week, they are really starting to stick out of the ground now. I think they will start flopping in the next week...we have a lot at the 2-3 lb stage. In our soil we can just pull them by hand, which is a great time saver.

Thack · Jul 13, 2015

Very nice Eldon. Be sure to post pics of the harvest and curing.

Eldon (WA) · Jul 13, 2015

(quoted from post at 20:17:32 07/13/15) You say you "pull" all these onions by hand. As fine as your dirt looks, would a potato digger do the same thing???? Just wondering out loud. The spade shovel would lift them out and the chain would sort the dirt out. Would the cross bars on the chain burse the onions???

Nice field of onions.

We have a gravel bed with some dirt mixed in for topsoil. We can't grow a carrot in it because it corkscrews around the rocks. Fortunately, beets and onions love it and can be pulled just by grabbing the tops. I get about 5 in each hand, carry them to an open area and lay them in a row. The tops of the next bunch go over the previous onion to shield it from the sun. Next bunch does the same. After a couple of days we load them on the trailer, tops down, onions on top to dry. These onions are only rated at 2 months storage, but with my slow cure we are still eating them into March most years.

JD Seller · Jul 13, 2015

Way smaller scale but my Grand Parents on both sides branded the tops together and hung them in the hay barn to cure an then moved them to hang in the cellar. They stored until the next harvest that way.

Your fields are neat and well kept. I know that is a challenge in vegetable production.

Eldon (WA) · Jul 13, 2015

(quoted from post at 20:47:10 07/13/15) Way smaller scale but my Grand Parents on both sides branded the tops together and hung them in the hay barn to cure an then moved them to hang in the cellar. They stored until the next harvest that way.

Your fields are neat and well kept. I know that is a challenge in vegetable production.

The key to clean fields....Allis G and a custom built cultivator. I do wide single rows, which goes against all advice for veggies....but it works for me.

ShadetreeRet · Jul 13, 2015

That is the largest "patch" of onions that I have ever seen! You don't see many "G"s in action anymore either. You said they were "candy" onions, is that the name of the variety? I have never been good with onions, but have always wanted to grow some sweet onions. Thanks for the post.

Eldon (WA) · Jul 13, 2015

(quoted from post at 21:25:21 07/13/15) That is the largest "patch" of onions that I have ever seen! You don't see many "G"s in action anymore either. You said they were "candy" onions, is that the name of the variety? I have never been good with onions, but have always wanted to grow some sweet onions. Thanks for the post.

It is strange, but the candy onion (yes it is a variety - google Dixondale onions) is an intermediate day onion and we are in a long day climate. It shouldn't grow well here, but it is our best onion. We have converted a lot of Walla Walla sweets (a Washington state legend) customers to the candies. We also have red candies and grow a SuperStar white onion for salsa.

This is how they started out in late March.

D beatty · Jul 14, 2015

This might sound strange but I make raw oinon sandwichs. I take two slices of bread and butter one and put several slices of onion and put other slice of bread on that.I eat several of these in a setting.

Keith Molden · Jul 14, 2015

Just wondering, how deep do you plant your onions. We usually plant ours (ours are not sets they are the unsprouted onion bulb) about 2" deep then the onion doesn't grow to a very large size. This year they have grown to 3" to 4" in dia. and are out of the ground. I didn't plant them as deep as I usually do. I'm wondering if that's what caused the better onions or if the constant rain we've had this summer caused it. Yours look beautiful. Keith

johnlobb · Jul 14, 2015

My uncle used to eat a raw onion slice and peanut butter sandwich. He always said, "just try one". I don't have anywhere as many as you, but my Texas yellow sweet onions look really good. This is the first time I have grown onion sets.

Leroy · Jul 14, 2015

Did not know there was a yellow Candy onion, I was going to ask you what variety they are. What my friend raises are a white Candy and he also puts out around 10,000. Sells from home and also the local produce auction. Do you get sets or start from seed? He started with sets but to cut costs he went to seed. First year they planted every seed with tweezers by hand, now he goes to a neighbor that has a unit to plant the seeds. I think his will not be ready to pull till around end of august tho. This is in northeast Indiana. This summer his large possibly 2 year old produce prossing building burnt to the ground. In a week it was cleaned up and a new building was up. He also raises cultiflour, Brockley, Cabbage, Watermellons, for get name but are the small sweet seedless varaity, Muskmellons. He has some hoop greenhouses that he raises his tomatoes in, have no idea how many thousand plants he puts out but he grafts his own tomato plants, says he gets a better crop. Both red and yellow tomatoes. Last year the Cultiflour did not mature for harvest but he said the horses realy loved it. And the horses is what do all the work. No tractor or electricity. We have gotten flooded several times this year, 10,000 of thousand of acres gone. Rivers still a mile wide.

jimg.allentown · Jul 14, 2015

Very nice onions. I tried onions last year for the first time in years. They came out great! Previously have no luck with them because of the weeds. This year, I got onion seedlings from Dixondale, and all but 2 or 3 did not grow. Very disappointing. I'm thinking of starting my own from seed next year.
But, a question: I would like to raise a good yellow cooking onion with long storage capability. While the "candy" and other "sweet" onions are good for salads, burgers, hot dogs, and general eating, I need a good pungent onion for my sauces and salsas. Any recommendations? I suspect that I might have to start seeds as early as December to have them ready for planting in the spring.

yak651 · Jul 14, 2015

Look great! Also question how deep you plant the seedlings?

Eldon (WA) · Jul 14, 2015

(quoted from post at 08:12:28 07/14/15) Look great! Also question how deep you plant the seedlings?

We plant a couple of inches deep, but Dixondale says that is too deep :?

Eldon (WA) · Jul 14, 2015

(quoted from post at 19:38:23 07/13/15) two buckets of beans for 8 dollars ,that is great,they freeze well,,I Have canned dilly beans in the past,they are tasty too,also like them in whats called CHOW CHOW,a PA dutch sweet sour type vegetable pickle mix

Customers picked 60 buckets today....that's a lot of beans!

Getting ready for onions

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