Just thought today I would share a few things I have learned along the way. Well for one, OK Sheri you can laugh, I don't know shit about growing onions and they don't do well with being neglected. But my friend Sheri gave me really good planting tips and I did most of em with one small exception. I didn't put drain holes in the bottom of the seed trays. The seeds sprouted and came up fine, I moved them to the summer kitchen in front of a sunny window and it was about 65 degrees in there. I think the onions are damping off. The soil is cool and damp, and the lil onion plants are kinda limp. So yesterday I went to the store and got a spray bottle to mix peroxide and water in to spray for the damping off which is a fungus. I mix about 1/8 cup of hydrogen peroxide with about 1 quart of water and mist the soil well with this. I have had excellent results in past years with this treatment. The trays now also have drain holes in them to drain out excess water so I am hopeful this will save them. Although we know onions will grow in cooler weather they don't do well with wet feet. Just to be on the safe side I am gonna start another flat of onion seeds to make sure I have enough onions. It really don't matter if they are big or small, I do dehydrate most of my onions any way. So lesson learned.
The grape vine cutting I took when we pruned the grape vines a few weeks ago look good. The buds have opened up and to me that is a good sign. It means they are taking up water so they should make roots pretty soon. If so I should have about 50 new grape vines to plant this summer. Also the creeping and spreading juniper that I did cutting from are still green and pliable so it seems they are getting water thru the stem also. Hopefully they will root and we will have some new plants to use for erosion control. These plants will all get moved to the greenhouse as soon as the weather drys again so we can get the plastic cover on it. Maybe this will provide a lil more climate control for them and give them a better chance. It will be several days till we are past the rain here. We are forecast to have rain till mid week and then warmer and dry. So I guess next weekend will be my window of opportunity to get the greenhouse set up and start sowing all my seeds. I really am looking forward to being able to get outside and get started on that. Dang I am tired of being in the house.
Not much else happening on the homestead this weekend, so till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.
Stella
3 comments:
Stella, If that's the only mistake you make in planting, that's a minor one indeed! You'll do just fine. I'm sure that you would have noticed the damping off taking place sooner if it weren't for your absence during the time you were helping your aunt with her store. Fun at yourself if you will, and I'll smile, but no,I'm not going to laugh at you, my friend. Better safe than sorry, if you feel necessary to replant a second batch, so I'll wish you better luck with the misting treatment, and perhaps your next onion seeding (WITH holes).
Keep smiling,
Sheri
I have never had success with onions. Maybe it's because of where we live. I have never had one get better than 2" around in diameter. I dehydrate my onions too, and I love just grabbing a few out and throwing 'em the recipe.
Even here in the south my onions have rarely gotten very big--but I like green onions--and you're right--I dehydrate mine too--so who cares if they're big? I buy my sets--Don't have space here to start seeds really this year like I did last year. I've got 3 beds all filled outside now, and one full of garlic--that I have to clean out- I want to go to the house and get my dehydrator first--I'm going to pull all the larger ones and dehydrate and leave a small section of smaller ones--then I can put other stuff in the rest of the bed. In a few weeks I will get my rows tilled and then plant more stuff--but for now its all cool season stuff.
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