tel: 512-280-1192 Nov. 11, 2011
Nursery notes: Big news: the onions have arrived. Read an excellent
guide by Chris Winslow below on how to grow them in central Texas,
and if this inspires you, we have plenty to choose from at the nursery.
Apologies for the mix-up with Caroline Foley's talk last Sunday.
Caroline sends her apologies, and thank you Chris for filling in at a
moment's notice!
FREE LECTURE THIS SUNDAY: 2 p.m. To Bee or not to Bee:
presented by expert Jack Mills. A guide to backyard beekeeping
in central Texas. Please join us! (Free)
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On Central Texas Gardener (KLRU-TV): .Lisa Berdoll from
Berdoll Pecan Farm goes nuts with tips for cultivating pecan trees.
On tour, visit a hillside garden terraced for fruits, vegetables, and
perennials.Noon and 4 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m or click here:
Top 5 Onions for Austin
by Chris Winslow
1. Texas 1015y “Super-Sweet” Probably the most popular onion
inTexas. The 1015 is globe-shaped, yellow, and can grow up to 6
inches in diameter. It’s so sweet that it can be eaten like an apple!
2. Texas Early White A new, sweet, white onion that just won
the2012 direct gardening “Green Thumb” award for its flavor, ease-
of-growing, and disease resistance. Matures in 105 days and is globe
shaped. Mature width: 5 inches.
3. Southern Belle Red A large, globe-shaped, sweet onion that
grows to 4 inches in diameter. It’s the sweetest of the red short day
onions.
4. White Bermuda A flat, sweet, white onion that grows to 3 to 4
inches. It’s an excellent onion to harvest early for scallions. This
heirloom onion originated in the Canary Islands.
5. Creole Red A pungent, new red onion that is globe shaped and
reaches 3 to 4 inches across at maturity. A strong flavor that’s works
well for Cajun cooking.
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For many of my friends, the arrival of November signals the start of
the deer and wild turkey season. For me, it’s onion planting time.
While Baker and Oliver hone their hunting skills over at the ranch in
Brackettville, I’m in my backyard planting this season’s crop.
I am often asked about ‘the key to success’ with onions, and I always
tell gardeners that they first have to know which variety is best suited
to the area where they live.
Here in central Texas, we plant short-day onions. These grow during
the short days of winter and are ready for harvest when the days
become longer in the spring. Short day onions mature in roughly 120
days, and you can plant them from the middle of this month through
late winter. It’s important to know that the earlier you plant them, the
bigger the onions will grow.
These onions need a sunny garden location with loose, well drained
soil. Mixing lots of organic compost with our native soils is a must.
For fertilizer, they like a lot of phosphate to start. Organic bone meal
(0- 10-0) mixed into the soil before planting work well. As they start
to grow, add a higher nitrogen fertilizer as a top dress. Blood meal
(12-0-0) or Ladybug organic fertilizer (8-2-4) is very effective.
Plant your onions 1 inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. If you like to
harvest green onions early, plant them 2 inches apart and harvest
every other onion as they grow.
Rows should be at least 8 inches apart so that there are enough
nutrients to go around. Onions like water, so keep up with a regular
watering schedule. (They will not grow in dry soil.) If the leaves
begin to yellow, that’s probably a sign of too much water.
You can harvest your onions in the spring when the tops turn brown
and begin to fall over. This should be somewhere between mid-
April and mid –May.
Finally, onions are easy to store. My crop from May of this year is
still holding up well in the crisper. Take advantage of the season and
try your hand at onion gardening. I know that’s what I’ll be doing!
Happy Gardening Everyone!
Visit the website: www.itsaboutthyme.com Visit the nursery:11726 Manchaca Road, Austin 78748
