Am I Really A Yankee?

20 years ago

As noted earlier this year, I've been experimenting to see what would happen to long day-length varieties down here.

My expectation was that I'd get bulbs, but they'd be on the small side. Uh, huh.

Although they're just starting to fall over, I couldn't stand it anymore and randomly dug up one of the Boretana Cippolini. It measures 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and a full inch from the bottom to the start of the neck. That's a pretty good sized cippolini.

The Red topedo Tropea are standing tall, with bulbs exposed about halfway. Many of them are exposed 2 1/2-3 inches, and about 1 1/2-2 inches in diameter. Those are estimates, not measurements. But I'm certainly not going to be unhappy with performance when I get to lift them.

Now, here's the killer. The Stockton Sweet Reds, which are an intermediate day-length (supposedly where I am) are doing the worst. They're on the small side, and many of them have not bulbed out at all, or very little to speak of.

So now I'm wondering. Next year Alicia Craig?????

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Comments (10)

coho
20 years ago
The Stocktons get big and fat here, Brook.
gardenlad
Original Author
20 years ago
Yeah, go on. Rub it in. :>)
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coho
20 years ago
I think that in addition to intermediate day length, Stocktons like the hot strong sun of CA. No Rub!
gardenlad
Original Author
20 years ago
Just as an update, I lifted the cippolini today. I am very impressed with the performance of what is supposed to be a long day-length variety.

I had planted one bundle, from Dixondale. Supposedly this contained 60 plants. But there actually were a hundred; some of them, it's true, on the very small size.

At any rate, I harvested 92 onions. 64 of them were the same size or larger than those I'd been buying in the market; 15 of them 2" or more in diameter. 28 of them were smaller than the commercial size, some no bigger than scallions, others up to an inch.

If the rains hold off another day or two I'll lift the Torpedoes to see how they actually performed.
negi
20 years ago
Way down here in Texas, about 99 miles North of Houston, about 1 in three of my Alsa Craig from Dixondale became huge. It may be global warming, but I will replant the largest 10 of them to try and select for ones that grow big down here in the Deep South!
gardenlad
Original Author
20 years ago
Lifted the Torpedos today. Overall there is more of a size spread than there was with the Cippolini. But the overall average is still on the larger size; larger than I expected, at any rate.

Typical bulb is 3-3 1/2 inches tall, and 2 1/2-3 inches in diameter.

I am not unhappy. Confused, yes. But pretty pleased with the results of this experiement.

Negi: How huge is huge on the Alisa Craigs? Grown under ideal condtions, they typically reach 5 lbs each. Are yours anywhere near that size?
snider1946
20 years ago
For the Tropea, Johnny's says Adaptation: 35Â°-48Â° latitude.
So you are in the right range there.

Robert
gardenlad
Original Author
20 years ago
Well that's part of the confusion, Robert.

According to Dixondale, long-day extends from the Canadian border to just about the Ohio River. Making me marginally long-day. Intermediate-day extends north well into Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, which puts me solidly in that zone.

But the proof of the pudding, as they say, is what happens out in the garden. And what happened is a good thing.
nanelle_gw (usda 9/Sunset 14)
20 years ago
gardenlad; when did you put in the cippolini? What spacing did you use?
gardenlad
Original Author
20 years ago
I started with plants, from Dixondale, which were planted in mid-March on 4-inch spacing.