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Post by binnylou on Jan 16, 2019 23:26:18 GMT -5
Anybody have experience with onion variety Dakota Tears? If so, what was your experience with it?
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 18, 2019 3:58:30 GMT -5
Started them 1-16. Only about 900-1000 this year instead of 1800. 4 2/3 flats. The rest of that last flat got some romaine lettuce seeds.
White Sweet Spanish, Yellow Sweet Spanish, Patterson and Red Wing.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jan 18, 2019 7:20:27 GMT -5
That's a whole lotta onions! How do you water all of them? DO you just bottom feed them?
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 18, 2019 7:54:12 GMT -5
lilolpeapicker, I have them in a flat with holes in the bottom. I put them in another flat to catch water. I water from the top carefully, too messy to try and take them out of the bottom flat every 2-3 days. Works well! No trouble at all.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 18, 2019 13:13:42 GMT -5
This is what High Mowing has to say about Dakota Tears.
Medium-sized hard round bulbs with very attractive reddish/gold tinting.
Continuously selected for vigor, size, storability, disease and insect resistance. A great open-pollinated variety from breeder David Podoll, Dakota Tears was honored as one of Organic Gardening magazine's ten outstanding varieties in their 2010 trials.
Long day
Bulbs up to 1 lb
Stores well
3" bulbs
I'm not concerned if the onions don't produce huge onions. I'm more concerned about storage. Pungency might be an issue for me, but hubby would like that. I rarely eat raw onions, and typically, when cooked, onions sweeten up a bit.
And since it's OP, I could be saving seeds.
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jan 18, 2019 18:52:57 GMT -5
I'm not concerned if the onions don't produce huge onions. I'm more concerned about storage. And you are in a cooler climate than I am. I have given up on storing onions. My father couldn't; brother-in-law's father, the son of a truck farmer, couldn't. I've had bushels of onions rot. It's too hot and humid here. Too much disease and too many insects. Instead, I have learned how to grow and use green onions, and think that I am better off for it. I should be harvesting green onions by the end of this month. |
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jan 18, 2019 19:03:13 GMT -5
I will be starting onions tomorrow, all set up to start. The onions will be a few shallots and onion blush both from Pinetree left over from last year and Ailsa Craig and Cortland F1 from High Mowing. In March or April I will be doing stuttgarter yellow and red from sets. Trying all seeds inside last year and failing drastically, I missed having onions on hand. This year I am doing both. tom 🕊 , isn't your cellar cooler? There is a crawl space under my house so I don't have a cellar. But I use the garage until it gets too cold but then they survive in a closet. my coolest being near my back door with the wall that is nearest to the cold without freezing. Holds well until about beginning of February. But an alternative would be freezing them. |
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jan 18, 2019 19:31:33 GMT -5
isn't you cellar cooler? There is a crawl space under my house so I don't have a cellar. But I use the garage until it gets too cold but then they survive in a closet. my coolest being near my back door with the wall that is nearest to the cold without freezing. Holds well until about beginning of February. But an alternative would be freezing them. No cellar, and the vents to the crawl space have to be open during the heat of summer because of the humidity. Anyway, I like green onions. |
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 19, 2019 3:48:35 GMT -5
I always store onions in the bottom drawer of basement fridge kept at low temp. Never have a problem with them, but along about February I find an infrequent one wanting to sprout. So we eat those first. I'm not planting Walla Walla this year, they have such a short storage life of only 2-3 months.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jan 19, 2019 21:21:57 GMT -5
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Post by binnylou on Jan 19, 2019 21:40:54 GMT -5
For watering the tiny onion starts? I’ve found that an old restaurant style catsup bottle...remember the ones that were red for catsup, yellow for mustard?…lays the water very gently at the roots without getting the tops wet. I have an old one, but new ones can be purchased for a buck. Unfortunately, the new ones leak at the neck, while the older one does not leak.
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Post by lisaann on Jan 20, 2019 19:27:52 GMT -5
Mine are sprouting erratically. I'm in that some up and some in that bent and working on coming up stage.
I bottom water my plants.
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 20, 2019 20:04:32 GMT -5
Mine are starting to sprout after 4 days!
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Post by lisaann on Jan 20, 2019 20:20:11 GMT -5
Mumsey, Yep, fresh seed! But I always have stragglers.
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Post by tendingmygarden on Jan 22, 2019 22:49:03 GMT -5
binnylou , Mumsey , lilolpeapicker , tom 🕊 , lisaann , Hello everyone! Just happened by and saw the onion thread. Regarding Red Wing - I’ve grown it in past year. Beautiful and nice onion. Kept well. Regarding Dakota Tears - I grew them some years back. They were smaller than some other varieties I grew. If you want a good storage onion (and one that is now open pollinated; originally Copra was a parent) try Clear Dawn. A GREAT onion! You might have to Google around to find seed. Another great onion — although a hybrid — is Highlander. It’s a long day onion (also good for intermediate areas) but matures early. Delicious and keeps for 5 months, although I have some in storage now that were harvested at the end of June before I broke my leg and they look great. 7 months! For those readers in NC researching to see if they can store onions in that state — yes you can. There are a lot of factors that have to do with whether or not an onion stores well and for how long. How and when it’s harvested, how it’s cured, how big it is, and if it’s a variety that is known to store well among other things, and storage conditions. Also, keep in mind that it’s always normal for some to go bad. I live in Virginia and we are very humid. I’ve been storing onions for almost 40 years in less than perfect conditions. I have many readers who live in NC and they too have stored onions for winter use. Toms option of green onions is a great idea if you don’t want to be bothered with curing and storing. I plant some seedlings as well as some sets that I've grown in the fall for spring onions during fall, winter, and early spring. As Lisaann mentioned, you can plant close together (especially for spring onions) so you get a lot in one bed. Wishing everyone a great growing season. Theresa
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