Diane,
Are the bundles over packed again this year or could you tell? Just curious what to expect in another 6 weeks. Jay

Jay, I just did a really quick count and looks to be about 80 in the short day sampler bundle and at least that many in the intermediate day sampler bundle. Will do a more accurate count later.

Diane

Diane,

I remember that all my Dixondale bundles last year had at least 140 plants per bundle, so it sounds like this year's bundles are back to the normal count.

Im glad my Dixondale order isn't due for another two weeks because we are really way too cold and way too wet for onion-planting right now.

Jay, Wouldn't GoneFishin' be proud? Look at how many folks we've convinced to try Dixondale. He's the reason I first tried them several years back and I don't know if I'd ever switch to a local supplier now, even if they did have the varieties I want. Dixondale's quality is just too good.

Dawn

MIne came today too, and I am lamenting the fact that I didn't tell them to wait 2-3 weeks. the whole place is a swamp. Nice plants though, and I like the smell. LOL
Mo

Sounds like a little less than last year. I think some of mine had around 100 last year. One bunch was probably around 70-80 which I remember them being in the past.

I will have to check but sure I scheduled mine for around March 15th. The garden is ready. And if we can continue to get a little moisture on it all I'll have to do is plant them.

Was another nice day here. Worked outside till dark. And grilling now. Hope everyone is getting to enjoy the nice weather. The snow is 85% bare groundl at my station and about still close to an inch of cover here at home. Jay

How long will the onions keep before they have to go into the ground? My garden is still covered with snow and a cover crop that needs to be tilled under.

OK, I am convinced! I just ordered one bunch each of Candy, Superstar and Red Candy. I will go ahead and plant my seeds this week, but I don't have room under the lights for this many plants. Their prices had put me off until I realized how much they reduce multiple bunches. Too bad I don't have close gardening friends so we could comine orders.

I know the plants Dawn shared last year were beauties and made large bulbs. I am excited. That is one less thing I have to put under the lights.

glenda

Roger,

Most sources say that dormant onion plants can survive for at least 3 weeks because there is enough stored energy in the bulb to sustain them for that long. With onions that are pulled and then shipped quickly like Dixondale's I'm willing to bet they could go 5 or 6 weeks.

The most important thing is to promptly remove them from the box as soon as you receive them. If you leave them in the box, there's a greater chance they'll rot or develop a fungal disease due to poor air flow.

Keep them in a cool, dry location. Don't keep them in an unheated building like a shed, barn or garage if that building will go below 45 degrees. Don't keep them in a location where they'll be exposed to great fluctuations in humidity. I usually keep mine in the tornado shelter, but if you don't have a tornado or a dry cellar/basement, you can keep them in an unheated closet or pantry.

Onions should be planted 4-6 weeks before your last frost date. Planting them significantly earlier than that increases the chance that they will reach a large enough size (1/4" in diameter) that repeated exposure to temperatures between 40 and 45 degrees will cause them to bolt (flower and set seed). If your onions arrive much too early, hold them as long as you reasonably can and then plant them following the directions in Dixondale's Onion Planting Guide, which is included in each order or can be found on their website.

If your ground is still pretty cold and you're also still having nights consistently below 40 or 45 degrees, you can mulch them to keep them warm or you can put a low tunnel over them using either coathanger wire or PVC pipe to form curved supports over your row/rows of onions and putting 4 to 6 mm plastic over those hoops.

Glenda, I've never had a bad crop from Dixondale onions even in some very difficult weather years. I hope they grow as well for you as they have for me.

Dawn

I'm such a proud mama!

Here is a link that might be useful: My babies

Dawn,

thanks for the info. Looks like I have a pretty good window of time to get them planted properly. Mine are due to ship Feb. 15th. Hopefully this crazy weather will cooperate and let the ground dry out.

Diane, Your 'babies' look precious and sweet...and so green! Makes it feel (and probably smell) like spring. Got a target date for planting them?

Roger, You're welcome. I have no idea what the weather will be doing in mid-Feb. but that's always when Dixondale ships to our zip codes in much of OK so the weather conditions 'should be' in the right range then.

I'm hoping to get my plants in the ground as soon as possible after they arrive....assuming it isn't raining, hailing, sleeting, snowing or some combination thereof.

I have planted onions here in southern OK as early as the first week in January (it was a very warm and very dry winter) and had them make a good crop. Unfortunately, the last three springs have had a lot of cold nights hanging on much later than usual so I haven't even considered planting early in recent years.

Our Wal-Mart has had onion plants in since the second week in January and every time I walk by them I have to fight the urge to buy 'just one bundle' and plant it.

Dawn