Onion Upgrades

[@jamescanjuggle]

this channels great for me for many reasons, but mainly that its in my opinion the best most thorough channel that ive found that grows literally in my home country but also matches my own way of thinking

[@REDGardens]

Thank you so much for that comment! I’m really glad you find value in my efforts!

[@hazelkraft5073]

One thing I would LOVE to see is how and where you store all your harvests! I'm sure we can learn a lot from you about the storage ;)

[@REDGardens]

I have been thinking of making a video like that. Most of these onions will be sold to neighbours, but we will still be storing about 1/4 of them for our own use.

[@h.s.6269]

I love that structure you got for it. So simple and functional, plus easy to take down out of season for space

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, I am pleased how elderly it works.

[@alisonburgess345]

I did the Charles Dowding multisown method last year and got a massive yield. They're seed grown in soil blocks (which is way cheaper) - and Australia's best storage variety, Creamgold. I'm about to get this year's plants going....Wow, what a crop! Great video - it's just constant trial and problem solving when you're a market gardener!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! I want to do a proper trial of the multisown method next year!

[@skittles9970]

How far apart did you plant your blocks? And how many seeds per block? Thanks!

[@gertwolmarans6974]

Hi. I can vouch on the Charles Dowding multisown method. Works like a charm. Your onions are big and healthy. You can be proud of yourself improving each year.

[@alisonburgess345]

@@skittles9970 I had beds 2m wide (about 6 feet). I had 5 blocks across (40cm/20") spacing and 20cm/8" along the rows. The ones that did best had 3 strong seedlings per block. The singles and doubles were often TOO big - a really huge onion is actually not something I'll let happen again! I used his no-dig method too - just compost on top of undug soil. Adequate water is important, without overdoing it. And there IS a difference between storage and non-storage onions - this year I'm growing Creamgolds for storage and immediate use and some reds for salads. Spring (green) onions I grow separately. Charles' video is terrific - highly recommend it if you haven't seen it.🧅🧅🧅👏

[@skittles9970]

@@alisonburgess345 Thanks! I love Charles Dowding and love to multisow in soil blocks. However, I did not attempt my onions using the multisow method, but I sure will next year!

[@olafwilhelm4684]

Great update again! One of the best gardening channels out there!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!!

[@AlmostOrganicDorset]

I had a fantastic crop of onions this year, grown from sets in a good layer of well rotted cow manure. I started them off as multi sown in fairly large modules, once the roots were showing they were planted closely together.

[@REDGardens]

That is great, it is so nice to get a good crop of such useful vegetables. How old was the cow manure?

[@AlmostOrganicDorset]

@@REDGardens it must have been 2 years old, kept in the old cow stalls so no weed seed contamination, should have a trailer load of similar arriving this week for top dressing the beds.

[@shyamlynn243]

I love this channel. This is my fourth year gardening and my results have varied greatly each year. Your project is very informative and helpful. I thank you.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks, really glad you found my efforts useful. Hope you have a great season next year!

[@priayief]

Your experimentation has inspired me. I've always (fairly successfully) grown onions from seed that I germinate indoors then transplant in spring. I think I'll try purchasing some sets, grown them the same soil and then compare the results. Thank you.

[@REDGardens]

Cool. Hope your comparison/experiments go well. I'm doing the opposite, exploring growing from seed.

[@fxm5715]

I've been growing onions for three years, now, without much success and I feel like I still don't understand them. I think I've been wrongly treating them like garlic, which has always been pretty foolproof for me. I'm also trying to grow with a multiplier variety, so that i don't have to put so much work into growing from seed, or money into buying sets. It seems like it usually takes me five or six years of growing a particular vegetable before I really learn what works for me, in my climate. This was a particularly helpful video for me, so extra thanks, Bruce!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks, glad it was useful! I do find it interesting that we can have success in one crop and really struggle with another crop that is so similar. And I am also frustrated that it can take so long to learn!

[@fxm5715]

@Andy Maxwell Thanks for the input, Andy. I plant my garlic in late October, early November, and my onions in early April. Yes, the garlic is definitely ready to harvest earlier than the onions. But other than that, I've been treating them the same, as far as spacing, watering, soil, daylight, etc. I'm experimenting with multiplier, or "potato" onions, which seem to have their own particular quirks.

[@milkweed7678]

WOW! Excellent onion video. I've had constant problems over the years but don't grow the volume of course like you. Certainly learned some things to try different. Thanks!!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! Glad it was useful!

[@Picci25021973]

Birds love to search worms in mulching compost. I have the same issue and netting is the only solution I found. Nice onions, bravo!

[@REDGardens]

I have the same issue with the compost, it seems the blackbirds love making a mess of things in search of worms.

[@Picci25021973]

B.B.B. Bloody Black Birds!!! :-)

[@anarquios8152]

Your videos are extremely good and informative. You've heard it so many times, but I want to thank for the work you've been doing. The way that you explain things is extremely amazing, beacuse I can understand it clearly. Sorry for any grammatical errors, I'm not the best at english.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks you so much for that supportive comment. I appreciate that, especially from someone who is not a native English speaker!

[@thrivinginamber2642]

The onions look really good! Some things do well every year, as the weather is perfect for those particular things for that season. One spot has some green onions grown from seed, it isn't much but if they establish then hopefully we'll always have them. Oh, I've noticed that polyculture planting is often grown with the spacing of ornaments on an xmas tree, but in nature the plants go to seed in clumps, with spots of high density here and there. So we'll try to make more large clumps instead of every food in one garden bed or just one food in an entire garden bed, as we do with peppers.

[@FarmerTonto]

Watching you trim the tops of the onions was So satisfying. I how efficient that is. Definitely doing that next year

[@REDGardens]

It was great task to do, really enjoyed it!

[@gailwarrington3841]

Great video Bruce. Just shown my husband the next steucture I need for next summer -love the onion dryer 👍

[@walbiramurray5762]

I really enjoy your channel and appreciate your sharing of your knowledge. I grow vegetables in the Central Australian desert, and even though our growing conditions are very different I learn a lot. Thanks

[@REDGardens]

Thanks. That is really different conditions, and it is really great that you still get something out of my videos!

[@brandoncaughron2786]

Great video, thanks for always posting things like this.

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@robertobrenes5283]

My family are mid-scale growers of onions and potatoes here in Costa Rica (tropical climate, totally different situation) but the weed management is very very important to get good yield results, we seed the onions in beds at a very high density in rows and when the stem has about 5mm after two months or so we transplant them at about 8cm-12cm to each other We dry them in plastic tents like the one you show but we cut the leaves and roots and only dry the bulbs in the floor that has a plastic layer, up to 4000kg per tent

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. A very different context, and interesting to see that the growing density is still quite high. I think I might start trimming the leaves when harvesting, to allow the top part of the onion to dry out a lot faster, as I have had a fair amount of loss through rotting from the top this year.

[@robertobrenes5283]

@@REDGardens thanks to you for making such great work and videos, I've been watching and learning a lot from your experiences. Yeah, it's an intensive method, in 70000m² we have a yield of around 120 000kg to 160 000 kg. If the bulbs are to wet we turn them once or twice to get them dry, the tents let the air get thru and we can enter to turn the bulbs, here we have relative humidity higher than 85% so problems can happen.

[@mirandaf2112]

I have really struggled to get a good onion yield. Thanks for sharing! Your drying rack is awesome!

[@REDGardens]

👍🙂

[@eggcluck]

Onions sets are basically second year onions which are a biennial plant so it makes sense they woudl try to set seed. Starting onions from seed will tend to have less bolting if any because they are in year one of the two year cycle.

[@REDGardens]

It is fascinating that most onion sets don't bolt, even though it is in the second year.

[@eggcluck]

@@REDGardens Onion sets often get heat treated to prevent bolting. There is plenty of evidence to suggest this is very effective, less evidence for the use of first year seed.

[@tomjones4318]

Beautiful structure and consistent crop. Nice to have the crop organized and near by to watch. I have a large welded shelf frame that can be either racks, vented shelf, or solid shelf that could be used this way. I keep a pile of straight sticks around 3 to 4 feet long and a pile of stakes around one foot long. They are always handy for many different uses. I think a set of plastic sheet panel frames would also be just as handy if sized correctly. I'm getting the fiberglass rods soon. They come in many different lengths and a few diameters. Harvested my first crop of onions this year. Used the small plants mailed in. Where there were low spots they and the shallots tended to rot. Have my own seedlings started now they'll be ready to transplant in a month. Hope to get a crop like yours: Large and consistent.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks. I really do like seeing all those onions drying out! And it is great to have the materials around to be able to use in various ways around the gardens. Those lids of the cold frames have seen several uses since I built them. Hope your onions grow well this year!

[@lkhfun6575]

Congrats on the onion progress!! 💖🧅✨

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@deanwatt]

Birds seem to dislodge less of my onions now I plant the sets a good few inches deep and firm down the soil. By the time they break the surface, they are bigger and have more roots to hold them in place. Might be worth a try!

[@REDGardens]

Yes, might be worth a try.

[@NazarAziz]

Thank you for a super informative and empirical based gardening tips video. I've been thinking of being self sufficient with onions and this is my favourite video in terms of experimentation and reporting of results be they good or bad. I'm going to have a go at your recommended set variety and i wish you a bountiful harvest this season.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks. Glad you found my video useful! Hope you have a lot of success with onion growing.

[@joefization]

Beautiful onions

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@pangtou9733]

Wow I never knew downy mildew was the problem I had with my onions. Thanks for the great info

[@REDGardens]

Glad you found it useful. Good luck with next years crop.

[@heron6462]

A very full and interesting report. I’ve been growing onions for a long time, too, most recently with autumn planting, with results that vary year by year. I’ve learned that fertilizing should be done no later than three weeks before the sets are planted. Never while they’re growing, as it makes them susceptible to disease. After a thorough weeding in January, I mulch them with a two-inch layer of bramble cane chips. These decay slowly so don't release a surge of nutrients. They act mainly as a weed suppressant and slug deterrent. I think that the soil in your no-dig onion bed might have been too rich and microbiologically active for healthy onion growth.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for sharing your experience about the fertility, and especially about the mulch you use. Very interesting. I agree that the on the No-Dig compost may be too rich for onions.

[@kendo2377]

This was first year I had any success with onions. In the past I relied on Fall planted sets in a mulched bed. Last Fall I bought locally grown starts and overwintered them in the ground. The past bolting, mildew and onion maggot problems from didn't happen.

[@AbidAli-bv2gl]

Excellent video

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@bikelife4808]

This guy is the GOAT

[@REDGardens]

😀

[@davidpolak5607]

Thanks for these videos, you're great at explaining things. This is the second year I've been growing onions, both from sets and seed. The onion from sets have grown really well but the ones from seed weren't so great- I had two heirloom varieties and one of them unfortunately bloomed. The other one was fine, but onions were small -around 60 grams. It was due to the variety, though. Next year I'm doing a variety trial. Wish you good luck!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! That is interesting that you had different success with seeds and sets. Variety choice can be an issue. I haven’t spent the time to grow good onions from seed, but hope to do a lot more next year, including a variety trial.

[@davidpolak5607]

Wish you good luck

[@kgarden8960]

@@REDGardens I grow my onions from seed (in modules). Seems to me to be a lot more varieties available as seed, compared to Sets.

[@Brendan_O]

Your no dig could be a problem of nitrogen fixation from the high carbon compost. This is a known problem and it may take an addition of manure, fertilizer, or a high nitrogen fixing cover crop over winter to allow for the compost to allow for nitrogen mineralization over the next few seasons.

[@REDGardens]

I think you might be right. I noticed other crops grow better later in the season and suspect that there was nitrogen limitations earlier on.

[@Brendan_O]

@@REDGardens you might want to look for a calculation sheet from a local ag university. They should have a whole program there on nitrogen and there are ways to get a rough estimate of how much nitrogen is being freed up and how much you may need to add to bring yourself back out of a deficit. I know UC Davis has one but I don't think there data for california will work for Ireland.

[@REDGardens]

@@Brendan_O Unfortunately we don't have anything like that kind of advice or service over here. The agriculture industry is dominated by cows and dairy, with little or no support for vegetables, especially a the scale I am going at. But your point about tracking nitrogen availability is an important one.

[@benrabahmohamed9657]

Well explained Thanks a lot Please for garlic you do same thing Concerning curing ?

[@funnywolffarm]

Interesting that the polyculture yield yr1 -> yr2 was such a great delta. Makes me wonder if there are stages that could be worked in. Polyculture year one to intensive year two, for instance.

[@Aermydach]

If I remember correctly, Bruce has been changing strategies and what not in the polyculture garden quite a lot. Things like adjusting planting groups, densities and timing. Hmmm. Now I need to go back and watch the polyculture videos again.

[@REDGardens]

The biggest leap for 2019 to 2021 is that so much of the 2019 crop was affected by downy mildew. And @aermydach is right that I have also been changing methods quite a bit, so I wouldn’t assume any possible sequencing from that.

[@poodledaddles1091]

thanks

[@REDGardens]

:)

[@g.y.o5419]

Another great video sharing your Journey while educating people. You're an inspiration. I have not heard of Boga or Santero. Your harvest looks good. They look the same kind of size as Aisla Craig, or maybe Aisla might be just slightly bigger. After reading up on which varieties store the longest, last year I did my own trial of 7 varieties of onions on my Allotment in the middle of England. 4 white, 3 red varieties. White: Aisla Craig, Sweet Spanish, Sturon, Bedfordshire Champion. Red: Red Baron, Red Brunswick, Red Amposta. All varieties were started from seed. The reds were not great, and also tasted really strong, way to strong for my liking although they were supposed to be sweet. If I had say which grew the best and tasted the best out of the 3 and stored well, it would be Red Amposta. This year I did not grow any reds as I was not impressed overall by the previous years trial of reds. Out of the white varieties The clear winner for me was Aisla Craig. I pulled the Aisla Craigs up in September last year, stored them in hessian sacks in an outside shed. They stored well and only started to go bad at the end of April/early May. I now only grow Aisla Craig. This year, again it did not let me down. I am also on heavy clay, so maybe Aisla are more tolerant of poor soils. Your onions look great. Stick with what works best in your conditions I say, just wanted to share my own experiences. :o)

[@REDGardens]

Thanks. And thanks for sharing your own experiences with the onion trial. Excellent stuff! Very in treating to hear about the Aisla Craig being so successful. I wonder how well it would do in our sandy loam soils!

[@danielfisch655]

Great info, you may want to use a nitrogen fixing cover crop in the no dig garden, add used coffee grounds to all of the gardens and thank you for sharing.

[@REDGardens]

Nitrogen would help. I used to use coffee grounds from the local shop, but now the owner takes them all for her own garden.

[@wales123100]

Everyone should try zebrunne onion/shallot is a brilliant one for keeping and really sweet

[@REDGardens]

I haven't tried those yet, sound interesting.

[@kgarden8960]

@@REDGardens Allotment Diary raves about them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4aZqXyrrrSKsLs

[@derek38fishing]

I've grown zebrune from seed for the first time this year, I'll definitely be growing them again!!

[@nicolas-laurenbernaberry2899]

Many many thanks for the super informative video! Talking about storage from onions, you mention you have some available late spring in the polytunnels. Are these polytunnel onions overwintered, if so what is your planting date in fall?

[@nadezhdashelyagovich7772]

awesome!!!!

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@stevenarrasmith]

You, and your onions look great. Stored sunshine all winter. Do you have a goal for kg/ person for your household? Are you able to sell or trade all that you harvest?

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! It is a defiance joy to be able to store all that sunshine, as you say! Good question about the kg/person, something I haven’t quite figured out yet. It depends on how long I think they will last, or what percent will rot, as the more that rot the more I need to store. Assuming they are going to store well I think I would want at least 1kg per week for the two of us in the house. So that is 40kg for about 40 weeks (including September) but I would probably store 50kg for the house, or 25kg per person, to have extra. I can easily sell all the extra onions to neighbours through my honesty stand.

[@carolinebrett2634]

We have onion fly...didnt bother growing any this year.

[@rufia75]

I've never heard of birds pulling up onion plants. Interesting!

[@ximono]

I've experienced it. Crows and magpies are the suspects, but I haven't caught them in the act yet.

[@REDGardens]

@@ximono Yeah, we have a lot of crow family birds around with a big Rookery just beside the gardens! I suspect either the rooks or jackdaws, but haven't caught them in the act yet!

[@RogerSmith-tk1up]

Just put up a Polytunnel on the Dingle ‘peninsula - all raised beds. I will need about 9 cubic meters of soil to fill. What do you think about Envirogrind Veggie mix?

[@REDGardens]

I haven't tried that mix, so can't offer any advice. I have heard mixed reviews from others. Hope whatever you get works well for you.

[@derek38fishing]

"Underground barrier"? I'm interested in this for a number of reasons. I've been thinking of using various materials as a barrier, what have you been using?

[@david111davies]

Sadly the Boga sets are rare in the UK. I can only find one supplier "organicpotatoes" and they are over £10 per kilo plus postage so rather expensive.

[@simonbuttigieg8390]

Hi there. Malta here. Normal practice here to let the leaves dry up whilst onion is still in the ground. They mature in temperatures of 30celcius or more. Asking,would the leaves dry up if you leave the onions in the ground?

[@REDGardens]

Here in Ireland, we generally end up with enough rain and humidity that the leaves will just rot, and a lot of the onions will be damaged and not store. So I bring them in under cover.

[@Myxlplyk]

Why do you choose sets rather than seed or transplants? Is there a company in Ireland that grows transplants?

[@Itsabeautifuldayalways]

I've not tried growing onions.. Can you eat the top growth of the onions instead of drying them out and cutting them off? Like spring onions? Australia

[@REDGardens]

Yes, I eat them when I they are still green and crisp, when I harvest the immature onions for eating fresh and whole. But to get the dried onions, I generally wait until the tops start to die back before harvesting, so that all of the goodness and nutrients in the leaves are pulled back into the bulb. once they start to mature, the tops are not worth eating, in my opinion.

[@timobreumelhof88]

Wow amazing results! Our onions this year where pretty useless. I have somehow never had any success growing onions, no idea why tbh.

[@EdbbieRosado]

You should write a book of what crops had the best yields with what methods.

[@REDGardens]

I have been thinking about that.

[@shinaid2584]

Wow!!! How efficient. Which variety have you used this year? Thank you!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! The variety this year was called 'Boga'.

[@aibell4800]

RE: “bolting” onions.... onions are a biennial. From everything I’ve read and heard, growing from sets can often trigger the plants to think this is their second year of growth (because in essence it is) and try to set seed. If you grow starts indoors from seed you will avoid this problem.

[@REDGardens]

I have heard the same, and am trying seeds this season. Bolting seems to occur more some years than others, and in some gardens and not others, so it seems other factors are also involved. Perhaps any kind of stress prompts the plants grown from sets to bolt, but the seed started plants are more resilient.

[@Tomhohenadel]

Question for you, my onions grew well, few weeds, harvested early August when the tops were bent. Dried , trim the roots and tops. Lost 10% that were soft and another 10% with fungused roots. Any advice would be appreciated. I’m envious of your onion harvest. Thanks for the video

[@REDGardens]

Sorry to hear about the loss of onions. I often experience the same, but don’t know why, so not sure I can be of much help. Do you have a lot of compost or other sources of fertility added to the soil?

[@Tomhohenadel]

Yes, added good compost from local supplier. Add commercial fertilizer as well.

[@REDGardens]

@@Tomhohenadel It might be too much fertiliser, as apparently onions don't deal with too much fertility.

[@Tomhohenadel]

Thanks, I was not aware that could be a problem.

[@OrtoForesta]

Great video as usual. What model of Draper cart do you use? Thanks

[@REDGardens]

Thanks. I think it is the Draper 58552 Steel Mesh Gardeners Cart

[@OrtoForesta]

@@REDGardens I thought so, but it looks a bit bigger in video. Could it be the draper 85634? How long is it? Thanks for helping with this, we would like to get one and would benefit from having more info.

[@yallowhill]

Downy mildew on my onions I know all about. What starts out as a very promising crop shrivel to nothing in June. And it seems to be getting worse. Please tell me where I can get these resistant sets. My usual suppliers in Ireland don't seem to have these varieties.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, I have had a few crops like that! I got my sets from www.fruithillfarm.com/seeds-and-propagation/organic-onion-garlic-shallots-sets.html but they don't seem to be stocking that variety at the moment, hopefully it will be back again next year.

[@yallowhill]

Thanks a million

[@SimpleScienceandMaths]

Hi Bruce, have you ever grown onion sets from seed? A few onions that I grew this year are no bigger than the sets you'd buy so I'm going to try grow them next year as sets. Have you any experience doing this? Thanks.

[@REDGardens]

I have not train that. It will be interesting to see if it works for you.

[@derek38fishing]

I'd imagine you'd have a lot of them bolting if grown for a second year...

[@SimpleScienceandMaths]

@@derek38fishing yes I also thought this but I have had this problem anytime I have grown from shop bought sets anyway, that's why I have only grown from seed the last few years.

[@Thathumanoverthere1701]

Do you get or receive analysis of your compost nutrients? Would be enlightening to see the data and compare it to outcomes 😗

[@REDGardens]

I didn't get an analysis on this compost. The company I get it from lists typical analysis on the website but the details are really variable.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

Your soil is definitely improving too after all these years…

[@REDGardens]

Yes, its seems to be getting better!

[@critterjon4061]

Question, do you head or not head off your onions during growing

[@REDGardens]

I haven't tried picking off the bolting part of the plant, but it is worth a try if I have batch with a lot of bolting plants.

[@Finnnicus]

How long did it take you to dry the onions this year?

[@REDGardens]

I harvested them on Aug 12, and they were mostly dried about a month later, but I have left them a bit longer to be sure, about 6-7 weeks.

[@kitsurubami]

how many of these do you sell and how many of them do you eat?

[@REDGardens]

Good question, as I am just trying to figure out how many to store. I think we will store about 40-50kg, and sell the rest.

[@MM-ig3qy]

How long do onions keep after harvesting and Drying?

[@REDGardens]

In a good year I can still be eating them in May of the following year, so more than 8 months.

[@davidbooth2395]

When I was a market gardener I used to store onions for our personal use in our refrigerator drawer till the next crop was ready. The perfectly round small to medium/large onions with tight necks were selected for this. Jumbo and oblong onions were stored elsewhere and used first. We used plants from Texas or our own plants. I let mine grow on a bit longer than you did here, knocking down tops as necessary and harvesting when mostly died back. Of necessity, I clipped the tops in the field and dried on bread trays. So many variables with onions. Your yield and consistent size are impressive. Well done!

[@curtiscarnes2245]

Do you use the green tops for anything?

[@REDGardens]

Not with these ones for storage. I let the plant draw all of the goodness from he leaves into the bulb. With plants that I harvest for fresh eating, we usually eat the green tops, often chopping up the whole plant for cooking.

[@selinanguyentv5125]

vườn hành tôt qúa ạ

[@REDGardens]

cảm ơn

[@bolton368]

You must be channeling the Onion Johnny

[@REDGardens]

Haha

[@_NikkyD_]

technical comment: the overlay at about minute 8, where you show the different gardens, it distracts me a lot to see the text right in the center. Top or bottom placement could be better.

[@REDGardens]

Ok, thanks for the feedback.

[@nickthegardener.1120]

I use a Mr bean dvd to keep birds away. Works well.👍

[@REDGardens]

👍

[@curtiscarnes2245]

I wish I could grow onions I can never make them grow

[@REDGardens]

Do you grow them from seeds or sets?

[@Badger1776]

Same. Corn too for me.

[@curtiscarnes2245]

@@REDGardens always tried sets but never any luck

[@Cris-nr1kv]

First

[@Cris-nr1kv]

First

[@REDGardens]

Yay!