What I've learnt this year from growing onions in South Otago.
1. Start the seeds in the tunnelhouse in May/June so they are big enough to plant out in spring.
2. Don't plant them to early. The ones I planted in July/August thought they had been through their winter and went to seed or got to much moisture and rotted. I will be planting between mid September to late October
3. Use peastraw as a mulch once they are established and big enough. This will help retain moisture meaning less watering and bigger bulbs.
4. If you don't have much space then plant them in gaps anywhere around your garden, even the flower garden. Just make sure the green part is able to get sun. They are the onions solar panels.
Onions store amazingly and if done right can last up to 12 months. So if you are wanting to become more self sufficient in veges this is a good one to try. We worked out we need about 4 onions a week so around 200 a year give or take. My 11m x 1m gardens in the paddock garden will be able to grow 400 onions per garden so next year I will be doing 3 rows all planted 1 month apart just incase we have issues with weather. I will also have enough onions to sell locally.
The picture above is of the last of the onions I harvested out of one of the strawberry patches. The strawberries didn't do to well interplanted but the onions did. I will be intercropping them with other plants again next year to make use of any bare ground/soil I might have.
The variety above are Pukekohe Long Keeper. The purples onions I grow are Californian Early Reds and Brunswick. Red onions do not store well like the long keeper varieties so if you have an abundance you might need to look at different preserving methods. I chop mine in the food processor and freeze to use at a later date. You could also caramelise them for a relish or make an onion pickle.
Gardening does require a little forward thinking so get a gardening calendar, stick it on the back of a cupboard door and start writing notes of when you need to start preparing, seed sowing, planting starts etc. This will help keep it fresh in your mind.
Good luck and happy gardening!
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