Your Onions Will LOVE You For This: 3 Tips To Grow GIANT Onion Bulbs!

In this video, I share 3 tips to grow giant onion bulbs! These onion growing tips have made a big difference in helping me grow onions with enormous bulbs in my garden, and your onions will love you for doing this. These small changes produce big results!.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 Introduction To Growing Giant Onions
1:18 Onion Plants In My Control Group
2:05 High Performance Onion Bulbs
3:22 Tip #1: Companion Planting Onions
4:42 Tip #2: Fertilizing Onions For Optimal Results
7:33 Tip #3: Drip Irrigation And Drip Line
9:30 Other Onion Tips And Make A Difference
10:26 Onion Harvest! Look At This Big Onion!
11:10 Don't Make This Mistake Growing Onions!
12:43 Adventures With Dale
If you have questions about how to grow onions, are looking for more onion growing tips, have questions about growing fruit trees or want to know about the things I grow in my raised bed vegetable garden and edible landscaping food forest, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and "garden hacks" like this, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and "how to" garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!
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Zone 8A
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#gardening #gardeningtips #garden #onion #onions

[@GizmoFromPizmo]

One of the things we've learned about industrialized farming is that they look great but are nutritionally pretty shallow. Always remember to add plenty of copper, iron, magnesium, etc. to the soil so that the vegetables you eat will be more than just good eye-candy. Plants turn elemental minerals into minerals we can absorb and use. The best minerals are plant derived minerals.

[@chipsramek3868]

@Hypergamous Wife WRONG...completely...sounds like you also believe you get useful minerals from tap water...lots of mis-info out there people. I 'am married to a Doctor with degrees in Nutrition & Food Science and is also a RD....Facts are Facts.

[@zevonp4907]

How do you add these things to the soil? I'm trying to start a brand new garden right now, and I literally have NO IDEA what I'm doing.

[@GizmoFromPizmo]

@@zevonp4907 - That's a good question for your garden store. They have the traditional NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium), which is about all that farmers put in their soils. Miracle Grow contains these minerals in varying quantities. This is the eye-candy that turns cardboard quality vegetables into picturesque beauty queens. But there are the other minerals that you can add to the soil to bring them up to speed. Don't ignore iodine if you live in the midwest. Soils on the coasts of oceans are loaded with ocean spray and, therefore, contain good amounts of iodine but by the time the winds get to the heartland, they aren't carrying much (if any) iodine.

[@zevonp4907]

@@GizmoFromPizmo I'm in Florida, so I guess I don't need to worry about iodine thing. But yeah, thanks, I'll check that out. I don't know if I want to use Miracle Gro because, I assume it's not 'organic'? But after looking into it a bit more, I think I can use bone and blood meal and that should cover the nitrogen and phosphorus at least.

[@reginasplot]

@@GizmoFromPizmo I grew up a farm girl in west central Illinois. Dad used a manure spreader from our cows and probably from our chicken coup when we had chickens. A good soil tester. Could give you the info you need to see what's in your soil. Especially if you live in a new home or new community because new homes usually have soil brought in from different places. In Illinois where the soil is so rich with nutrients. We could grow almost anything. It's a bit different in Kansas. The first time I used espoma and opened the bag, it smelled just like what my dad used many years ago. Even tho it's much more expensive than miracle grow, I used it this year. But you can never, ever go wrong brining in some good manure dirt from a farm. It lasts several years. The tomatoes, onions, and everything else was amazing. Huge and amazing.

[@sharono297]

Had my husband do that a while ago. Onions peppers and Tom's are great companion plants. I ha e been gardening since I was a kid with my mamaw. She taught me organic gardening. And so happy she did. I'm in my late sixties so I've been at it for many years. This fella gardener has it right on.

[@ebazileyes1475]

That's excellent

[@VioletUpton]

Love it! 😎

[@Peachy08]

Another good tip is to remove the dirt from around the top of the bulb once they are established good. I learned that tip from Hollis and Nancy's channel. As soon as I did that I started having success.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I plant mine pretty shallow. I haven't moved any of the dirt away, and you can clearly see 40% of the bulb. Maybe you're planting the starts too deeply?

[@imaspacewoman]

yes thats called spooning.

[@queserasera1674]

Thank you for this tip. Spooning is new to me.

[@imaspacewoman]

@@TheMillennialGardener That and depends how compacted the soil is around the onions I think. I imagine your raised bed custom soil is pretty loose.

[@chichestermaritime8174]

I made a mistake with straw mulch. I now use a different mulch and much less of it so that the bulbs get sunlight all the time. I wish onion seed packets would indicate whether they are short, intermediate of long day onions. Greetings from S. Portugal.

[@artport7]

I love the idea of companion planting.... BUT I have to say that the huge onion bulbs are the result of the 20-20-20 fertilizer... That is the biggest difference.. I have seen this before... onions are very heavy feeders... next year try planting an onion only bed and feed it heavily with the 20-20-20... you will see the difference. Love your videos and all the wonderful information and of course , everyone loves Dale!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Onions are heavy feeders, but I don't think one or two additional feedings are going to make that big of a difference, especially with the peppers sucking up much of the nutrients. Keep in mind I still did feed the other beds. They just didn't get as much water, since I run the drip irrigation for the peppers more often. I think water has a lot to do with it, since an onion is, what, 75-80% water?

[@marybrownlie8476]

@@TheMillennialGardener l

[@georgebowers5371]

i think it is likely at least both factors, but wondering why you use both OG and petro ferts?@@TheMillennialGardener

[@ncexnyc4466]

Every time I watch this channel, I feel like I want to go out and add something new to my yard.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That’s outstanding! It’s all about the motivation! The only dangerous amount is “none,” I always say 😃

[@francescaurban8985]

Right! Me too! He makes onions and shallots so much more manageable and possible

[@rachelkorrompoitvkorrompoi]

Just do it...you will eat it one day😊

[@thegiftlady1]

Me too! Love this guy and the wisdom he shares.

[@ElvisAronPresleybyRustyMartin]

@@TheMillennialGardener I've just discovered u. This video is a hook in my jaw ...May I ask ? Do u have a set up tut.? From frame to soil prep ? I'm zone 9. How do I know if I'm a long day or ?

[@Mstymntntop]

An aha moment I had with onions this year was that onions need that green leaf growth before they reach their bulbing day length. The leaf growth is the factor in how big the bulbs get…..the carbohydrates are pulled from the green stems and transfer the energy to the bulbs. I never had an issue getting nice green onions, but did have trouble getting the nice bulbs. Got them out earlier this year and am getting nice bulbs going now. Happy day from Carteret County NC!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Strong nitrogen fertilizers when they're young to get them growing quickly is definitely beneficial. I planted them alongside fish emulsion and 24-8-16 to get them going like a rocket. After the greens got very thick, I tapered off the fertilizers and mostly relied on the 5-5-5 granules that had been decomposing for months. I just tossed a few handfuls here and there throughout the season.

[@kevinmartin5448]

Each greenstock correlates to one ring on the onion Carteret County rocks

[@doglover7675]

I have always failed at onion seeds. However, have been watching your channel and others. I do not recall what sort of fertilizer I put in the soil months ago. Seems like I have green "leaves", and small little globes. When do I change to no nitrogen, but phosphorus? When the green thickens up? So I might have a few weeks yet. I have been using fish emulsion, and every few weeks the 24-8-16. Perhaps will need to start adding phosphorus since I am sure I had not put much for granular phosphorus in before planting. Thank you.

[@mrmgsap]

Thanks for that tip!!!

[@nataliramirez6497]

Thank you so much for your tips and sharing your experience! I'm so grateful as a novice planter to have advice from a grower with so many observations + trial & error

[@lisabruce5181]

I have been growing for years and I have been viewed numerous channels. YOU are by far the most informative individual I have viewed to date. You are very clear and precise with your information and skip all of that ridiculous"fluff" .

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! I really appreciate that.

[@gregdoh]

After 12 years of gardening, I finally have a great grasp on the nutritional needs of all of the plants I grow. Last year was the first year I switched from all purpose fertilizer (10-10-10) to using different fertilizers at different times for different plants (I've added other things too such as azomite, dried kelp, compost tea, mycorrhiza, etc.). My root veggies did much better than usual last year due to switching from higher nitrogen early on to higher phosphorus when their tops are nicely formed and need more energy directed towards their roots. I still like to watch a "how-to" video every year for each plant I grow to keep learning, and my takeaway here was companion planting the onions and other alliums with nightshades- thank you!

[@JamesWhite-tg4kw]

Care to share what you do and what an when you use. That's for your help 👍

[@Process-ug7bp]

👍

[@antonissiaknight3304]

I just use grass fertilizer on all my plants , everything grows huge

[@laurajoseph7131]

I love your videos. You do a fantastic job conveying a ton of information in a clear, straightforward way. My onions are terrible this year. But now I am armed with all sorts of knowledge for next year. Thank you!

[@pamelaremme38]

What state are you in? I am in Wi and am hoping to get large onions. Last year.....smaller ones.

[@bettypergerson1070]

im seventy ninenine and as a child i helped my grandma spoon the onions and brade them. things have changed so much as the years go by

[@catherineevans7291]

Col.Ga.

[@francineperreault9373]

I never have luck with my onions. They always get attacked by onions maggots no matter what I do. 😭

[@DebrasBeautifulMusic]

So thankful we found you esp. since your teachings are for our area. You are truly an excellent teacher. Also, I like the way you show from start to finish.

[@leeannekaden2600]

Thanks. I have 2 beds planted with sets. Most went to seed. I have several r spots planted singly with starts. Next year I'll intermingle with peppers, etc. I'm in Oregon so it's long day here. I'm 82 and have gardened 20 years. Still learning.

[@drippingspringsollas1236]

Ollas would do the same as a drip line, giving constant water, as needed...love the advice on fertilizer timing. It makes so much sense! Beautiful !

[@MarigoldsintheGarden]

Hi from Australia, I have only started watching your videos, and I can't wait to see the rest! Thank you so much for the wonderful, practical, and very informative information. I haven not grown onions in years, and never in the subtropics. Use to grow them in a cool climate. I am looking forward to giving a go over our autumn - winter period.

[@joangreen200]

Thanks for showing the correct methods of growing onions

[@davidgray5764]

Excellent video. So useful, I’m off to write all this down for next year.

[@stevegwisdalla6394]

Fantastic video. I saved the tops of my store bought onions and planted them last year. This year they are seeding and I watched your video on onion seeds. You are a great help to us wanna-be growers. Thank you for what you are doing!

[@lightscenters111]

Last year I compared onion sets to seed starts for producing yellow bulb onions.. My onions (with a drip system) were absolutely huge.. at least 3x a big as the onion set onions. It was a huge reveal for me. I also let savory grow with the onions.. and they did very well.

[@adelfomarrero8723]

Thank you.very well explained, you always learn something.

[@kenbellchambers4577]

I use the more recent onion greens as if they were spring onions. I cut off one or two for an omelet or soup. The large onion greens are as tasty and tender as spring onions or chives. It is great to see the results of companion planting so clearly. Thanks for an outstanding presentation.

[@calrowland9803]

What a great job explaining your onion growing method. Last year I interplanted my onions and garlic together, and because I stopped watering them when the onions were ready to be pulled I felt my garlic suffered some. As soon as the onions were pulled I put the water back to the garlic for a couple of weeks. But we were up in the upper 90's by then. This year I think I'll intercrop the onions with peppers. Hopefully, with the peppers having a deeper root zone, they will not suffer while I'm harvesting onions. Thank you for the info!

[@robertantolik2146]

I'm in zone 8b so I have to overwinter my onions which doesn't allow companion planting with peppers or tomatoes or much of anything really but I give my onions high nitrogen fertilizer all the way until they start bulbing. I never feed them anything else. The leaves are what creates your bulb. You want all the veg you can get

[@philipjacob1979]

Excellent tips and very logical. Thank you. Keep up the good work.

[@Eric-gi9kg]

Just recently found your channel. Super impressed!! I am just getting back into it after a major life disaster of 5 years. I'm remembering more and more each day and learning even more with your channel. May not be able to do everything this year... but will log it and set reminders for next year. My best years 2015/16, produced approximately 2,000sq ft of produce in less than 700sq ft. This year, I am putting in a 240sq ft greenhouse

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

Nice onions and garden man…. I’ve been growing them in Toronto since I think 2013, surpassingly one of my favourite crops, plus early planting in our cold climate. I’ve also done best in loose soil, that is the only factor that’s worked for me with a complex fertilizer program, but I’ve always grown sets because of circumstances, although I’ve heard too seeds are better, cheers.

[@papablueshirt]

I have always planted onions as companion plants, especially with my peppers. I did it a a space saving method, it is nice to know there are other benefits as well. Thanks for sharing

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Alliums and nightshades to great together! You can interplant garlic, onions, shallots and leeks with your tomatoes, peppers and eggplant and they make excellent space-saving companions.

[@practicallyheidi8505]

It has taken me 4 years to prefect growing onions from seeds. This year I am growing my first seed from onions that I started from seeds last spring. I love having big onions but sometimes you need a small onions so it is nice to have a variety of sizes. My onions harvest makes me the proudest. Thanks for the info. I learned new things.

[@DaughterofGaia1979]

You can tell how excited and proud he is that he figured out the Perfect combinations for growing these Beautiful Onions👏 I only wish I'da seen this a few weeks ago, I would've held off till the late fall to plant mine.

[@DyesubDave]

Perfect timing! I'll be planting my onions out very soon. I was thinking of interplanting with tomatoes but now I'll add some with my peppers as well. Thanks for this very informative video!!

[@phungtransimplehappiness]

I plant onion too

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome! The onions do great next to peppers and tomatoes. Just make sure you give them adequate space. I have 18 inch spacing between my rows, and I plant my onions in the center of the space, so I have 9 inches on either side of the onions.

[@brehpotsirhc]

@@TheMillennialGardener Does the same apply to 🧄 GARLIC 🧄⁉️

[@ebazileyes1475]

@@TheMillennialGardener I'm a new sub to your channel thanks for the onion, tomato pepper tips. I'm excited to get started on my garden journey.

[@nshue23]

@@brehpotsirhc i don't know your growing zone, but most garlic is planted in/around October and harvested the next july.

[@magni1308]

Watched first 2 minutes and subbed, your channel is brilliant, clear and concise, fast and to the point

[@The_King_ReadiesOurWings]

Glad I found this channel, I’m in central N. Carolina and starting my first raised beds, better late than never, thanks for the help and God bless!

[@user-jr9wv5pj9v]

Your videos have helped me so much, I watch each video more than once. Your attention to things that new gardeners need to know in order to be successful is much appreciated.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm so happy to hear that! I hope they're helping increase your success!

[@phungtransimplehappiness]

I followed you and have learned great tips for plants. I like companion plants . It's helpful in any season. Thank you very much. Blessing all!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Not only does it look good, but it helps resist pests and maximizes yields! Thank you for watching!

[@digsindirt4490]

Perfect timing. I harvested mine and they were pretty small. Granted, it was first time growing onions so I was proud of myself for even growing them. But now I want to know how to increase their size next time.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

These tips should help. As always, make sure you're growing the correct day-type onion for your latitude, too.

[@brehpotsirhc]

It's still early enough to try for your "Next Time" To Be NOW!!

[@donnavorce8856]

Some beautiful onions! I'll exercise your suggestions. From your presentation I learned right away I've not been using enough plant food/soil food. Will up the levels next spring. I've been rapidly moving away from mono-cropping - just naturally happened. Simulating a meadow or forest is the way to go. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. It's lovely to know there are so many accomplished good gardeners in our community around the world. Cheers

[@janefranzen7051]

Loved this! Great job! I have a pruduction ag degree from Shasta College and did not ever know until your video that day length determines what varieties to grow. Thanks so much and happy gardening !

[@larryellis2218]

The main reason for small onions vs. large onion results is spacing. I plant them 6" apart and they do very well along with the rest of your tips.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I've heard mixed reviews on this. Some say even if you plant them closely, they just push each other apart. I put fairly even spacing of around 4-6 inches, so my spacing was fairly consistent. I make sure to allow 4-6" spacing, because a bulb will be about 3-5 inches.

[@kansasgardener5844]

@@TheMillennialGardener I don't think spacing has anything to do with it it's all about how soon you can get them in the ground how much fertilizer you give them and how much sunlight they get.

[@kathyley5661]

Lots of great info. Thank you.

[@fionalanglois6927]

@@kansasgardener5844 & water 💦

[@shayewilliams7735]

@@TheMillennialGardener can you eat the onion tops like green onions?

[@necoxus1061]

I wonder what would happen if you did an over winter planting, probably an earlier harvest, but perhaps bigger even still. I've read that the taste improves significantly as well. I live in a 6B zone near the mountains in Western VA, I haven't grown onions before (first year gardening) but my plan is to over winter them in a raised bed. Now I'm thinking of mixing some of these techniques in as well.

[@nothingtoseehere5760]

Wonderful. Thank you!

[@lindawilliams2298]

🙏Oh, my what a great gardener you are!!!thanks for all the tips!!🌈

[@nineteenninetyfive]

It's very interesting to see how a multiplicity of factors can impact on the growth of crops. Of course it is great to get big onions, but I grow a lot of onions and store them through the year. I find that the smaller ones store better, I find that sometimes I want a small onion and sometimes I want a big one, and also I am more interested in harvesting the most weight of product per square metre as opposed to harvesting fewer but larger onions, so I wonder about that as well. I would like to try growing some onions next to my tomatoes next year, so thanks for that suggestion. I use some fertilizer but I try to limit its use, and use an annual mulch with compost and manure to add nutrients to the soil. Here in the UK we get plenty of rain, so irrigation systems outside are not necessary.

[@lilolmecj]

I haven’t ever grown any large ones, just a bit larger than a golf ball. One thing I noted is if they don’t get enough water they will be super hot.

[@imaspacewoman]

Yes, I wish mine were smaller for sure! I think it is the variety of onion you plant that may make a big difference in the size.

[@hazelbrungard1623]

Last year, I planted a white sugar onion plant and golf ball size is all the bigger I grew.. Need to fertilize better. Watered them all the time plus sat out in clear area for rain water 💧 I plant in large tubs containers

[@Grubbdub]

This is so interesting. I planted onions along the perimeter of all my raised beds. The ones with the peppers and tomatoes are massive. The others look so sad!

[@bc-guy852]

Great advice. Much I knew, much I did not, especially the 'correct variety for length of day'. Your presentation and production efforts are appreciated. Top notch there as well!

[@lindabullock6159]

I love your channel. Your videos are always so informative and your delivery so enthusiastic! And since I also live in NC I’m sure the information applies to my garden. Thank you.

[@sylvia10101]

Your garden looks amazing! Thank you for sharing the great information on onions😊👍

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! Every year, it gets a little better. Gardens age like wine as long as they're maintained!

[@theorangevestarmy4255]

Outstanding video, beautiful garden, as an aging gen. Xer, I am very impressed with your expertise & ability to translate that to your viewers. I've been gardening since I was a kid in the late 70's, early 80's, only on rare occasions have I succeeded with growing large onions, kudos!

[@bwghall1]

try Kelso seed. plant on boxing day in pots. Kelso is in Scotland. look it up for the address UK.

[@nonamalone5260]

Your tips are easier to follow than anyone else I watch,thank you so much.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! I try hard to streamline things and keep it simple in chapter-form.

[@neelamsingh1986]

You are so thorough and I can tell you love gardening.

[@Big88Country]

Onions are one of the plants that absolutely LOVE water! It's almost as if you can't give them enough, if your beds are well drained. Got an idea for you, use a tennis ball as a comparison to show the size of your onions, everyone knows how big a tennis ball is. Also, I always plant my peppers and my tomatoes side by side. Pepper and tomatoes are both plant members of the Nightshade or Solanaceae, so they grow well together. Beautiful onions!! I have found that if you plant onion sets, you can have success with long day onions here in NC, a short day climate. Next year, I'm gonna try walla walla onions, a large very sweet variety that is a long day onion. I will try the onions and peppers in the same bed next spring, thanks!!

[@pintsizestories196]

The best video I've seen on growing onions.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@pameliadobson4349]

Impressive harvest!! Thanks for the info. I DEFINITELY needed it.

[@theemmanuelswife]

I start our onions (Expression) from seed and we feed our onions here in East TN as you do. Next year however, we'll plant our onions on the opposite side of the drip irrigation, of the 90 paste tomato plants that we grow on cattle panels; about 200 ft worth. Thanks for the tip!

[@katherinecornette5315]

I’m growing the same variety here in Raleigh zone 7b. I hope mine are as beautiful as yours. Great tips!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

They should do well for you. I don't think the extra 1.7 degrees latitude south will make that big of a difference. They really love it down here in Wilmington.

[@kiwikeith7633]

I recall an old gardener who grew great onions - but I see nobody finishing them like he did. He crushed down the tops in summer. I never asked him why - but I imagine it put the plant's last energy into the bulb, and probably started the process towards readying them for keeping.

[@RonHelton]

That is exactly how my mom used to do them. Crush the tops. And the only fertilizer she used on the garden was cow manure. She paid a local farmer to spread manure over our one acre garden and till it in right before winter set in. In the spring, she would have him till it again with his tractor and she would use a hand cultivator to make her rows. We always had a very productive garden and we were doing it on red Oklahoma dirt.

[@ajmckinney1490]

​@RonHelton another Oklahoman here. I'm a beginner to gardening. Do you have any suggestions or tips for which vegetables and plants are successful gardening in our Zone?

[@ralsharp6013]

The method behind the madness is, If you give the onions a haircut, they grow thicker green tops. ​@RonHelton For each leafy spike on top, you get another onion ring, meaning larger onions.. 😊

[@user-hz7kv6js6l]

I always love your gardening tips.

[@VioletUpton]

I love how so organized your garden is👍 I'm new to your channel so I haven't seen every thing yet, but I am so jealous of your beautiful garden!!!! 💯👍

[@tomjones4318]

My second year with onions and finally had real success. Did seed/transplant against same variety mail order plants. Seed did way better. Lots of water and fertilizer. Water every day when hot and dry. But if they are in an area that floods they will fail completely. Strange. I was always skeptical of ringing but I tried it and saw a difference. I think it helped water get to the roots better and not the stress relief everyone thinks. Now I need to find the best varieties for my soil. Dramatic improvement year to year.

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I’ve had big problems with carrot root fly, since last winter. I was thinking about growing those interplanted with my alliums to see if they keep the pests away. This video makes me determined to try out this combination, this year!

[@zdenkobiuk3517]

My suggestion is to buy garden net for small areas for this fly. That is how I resolve a problem.

[@donaldduck830]

@@zdenkobiuk3517 Well, if you only have a small play area, nets will work. If you have enough onions, garlic, carrots for a year for a family, you need half a dozen nets and more. So a big nope!

[@donaldduck830]

My grandfather has been doing it this way for decades: Plant garlic & onions together with carrots. This keeps all kinds of pests away and they all grow better. Put some woodash (clean ash from untreated wood only) on top of your rows. Works like a charm. You can also improve your plants health with "nettle soup" or similar plant based "tonics"

[@FeatheredBangs]

Excellent video! Tried this and it worked like a charm!! Thank you!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome!

[@jessemarquez4093]

I definitely agree with why you're onions are doing better with other plants. They are getting/sharing nutrients with other plants. Plus happy microbiology aswell. What kind of soil do you have in your beds plus what are the sizes?

[@ctimms417]

This year, I interplanted my onions in the extra space between my immature hascap berry bushes. I haven't planted out my peppers yet and am hoping to do so this week after I install my drip irrigation system tomorrow. You've got me thinking that I should put some left over onion seedlings between the peppers as you did. Maybe the onions will keep away the pepper maggot fly that attacked my peppers last year. I garden in S. Ontario, Canada.

[@sifisosithole7656]

Wow thank you for sharing such valuable information. Much appreciated ❤.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@smas3256]

First time for onions here in my zone 6b. Thank you. Dale seems well behaved. Great guys.

[@conniealmeida3373]

Wow 🤩 beautiful onions 🧅 and I love the end of your videos with an update of your handsome boy Dale 🐕 💙

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! Dale is the star of the show. He always gets his own feature 🐕

[@three2267]

Thanks for this video! Also the one on what you can plant year around if you don't have freezes. Vine Boreres got to my spring-planted Summer Squash & Zukes. 🤬 It's late June & hot but I'm planting more tomorrow! Also going to plant more beans in July!

[@gofigure4920]

I believe KZbin had a home remedy for those nasty vine borers by painting on Elmers glue. Do look it up. I believe this was what i found cheap and natural solution. I would stay away from BT. It has been found to cause disrupt stomach, leukemia, etc. Heard they stopped selling the product in the U.S.

[@gofigure4920]

I found her video 🎉. How to Prevent Vine Borers, by Hester.... She uses 1/3 white glue, 1/3 the Dematiaceous Earth and 1/3 water. I would only make enough for the sesson in a glass jar because it may get spoiled or just do for 1 application at a time. She uses a small sponge brush and applies it to the main stem and fruit stems. I found them borering 2 summers ago on the vines a few feet up and on leaf stems, too. It discourged me to plant squashes but I will try again! She says this solution can last from 4 to 6 weeks. Just keep applying and very effective in prevention. You can use it on any other vegetables like cucumbers, summer squash, pumpkins, watermelons, cantelopes, etc. ✝️

[@terrywepner4002]

Excellent…. Thank you for the straight forward recommendations. Best wishes and happy harvest!!

[@bsweat9230]

This video was WONDERFUL!!. You answered questions that I didn't even know I needed to ask! Bravo!!! 💋💋💋

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful!

[@rulistening7777]

Great Job ! Can you do a video on curing onions for storage ?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I can add it to the list. The good thing about onions are you can leave them in the ground for a little bit and harvest them over time, so keep that in mind. You don't necessarily have to pull them all at once.

[@thehippiegardener]

One difference between the control bed and the inter-planted bed is that the control bed has no mulch. The peppers in the inter planted bed provide a cover crop mulching the onions. Onions need a mulch or a over crop in the early stages and into hot weather to conserve moisture in my experience. Nice video on onions.

[@lizxu322]

Good observation.

[@dennisd6527]

First time watcher. Liked & subscribed. I always tried growing onions from sets. After watching yourself and other gardening channels, I now know why I had no success. I will try from seeds now. I'm in central Fl. and have bought " short day Granex seeds". I just planted them and hopefully will be good to go into my containers by October. I'm in zone 9B, I believe

[@angelasistrunk3158]

Thanks for sharing the info about growing larger onions . Will try this method and see if we can get better results too

[@Doc1855]

We plant Walla Walla sweet onions. They are so sweet that we pull them up, wash them and eat them like an apple. Once pulled out they don’t store for very long, so we dice them up and freeze them. They are sweeter than a TX sweet onions. We have found that if we leave them in the ground throughout the winter months, ( we average 4-5 feet of snow every winter) and harvest them the following year, they are sweeter.

[@TheCrystalice4]

Are Walla Walla onions similar to Vidalia's?

[@Doc1855]

@@TheCrystalice4 That I don’t know. Their sweeter than Texas Sweets

[@jackgraham3393]

Love growing Walla Walla onions. Plant 75 to 100 starts each year. Have found by drying them good after harvest, they can be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for a long period of time. We have just finished the last of last year's crop at the end of March. No idea how they compare to the sweet ones grown in the south.

[@Doc1855]

@@jackgraham3393 The Texas sweet onions are sweet but the Walla Walla are by far the sweetest onions I’ve ever tasted. Yes they do last longer in the fridge but we grow enough vegetables to sustain us through the year. The extra veggies we cook and then freeze dry so later all we have to do is add water and heat. During the canning process, the food looses up to 60% of its nutrients, but when freeze dried it looses only 3% of its nutritional value. We also freeze dry our meat. Once food is freeze dried, and stored properly, it’ll last 25-30 years.

[@swannoir7949]

@@Doc1855You don't lose 60 percent of nutrients during canning.

[@MrSymbolic7]

You will never have big onions without soft / sandy soil , I grew the same onions at my home and at my Mother-n-Laws across the street , I grew hers in a in the ground on a raised bed that had soft easy to dig soil and I had a raised bed with compacted soil and her onions where 3 to 4 times bigger and received very little fertilizer / water maybe a quarter of what I applied and had less growing time to harvest, lesson learned !

[@lisapfeiffer2266]

I knew there had to be somebody out there who could explain onions. Thank you so much. Now I know what was missing. Water and fertilizer. Looking forward to some good-sized onions in Canada. 🤗

[@queen.mama.slots.5977]

Thank you for all the valuable information. I appreciate your channel.

[@shineyrocks390]

That's awesome! You and James Prigioni are the sh it!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I love James & Tuck! They're one of my favs! Thanks for watching!

[@shineyrocks390]

@@TheMillennialGardener trust me kid it ain't the dog it's the garden skills you both possess. Now if I could just convince 🤔 James to make a tuck shirt in his merchandise??? Maybe you should put your pup on a Tshirt. My wife would buy several. Thanks again for sharing all you do in the garden! You are knocking it out of the park!

[@Tritone]

I've never thought about gardening, but I enjoy his passion for what he does.

[@michaelsecrest7183]

I’m from Monroe NC transplanted to south central Texas. Still enjoy all garden programs from NC. Your info gives me ideas that work well with a little modifications for this area. Thanks

[@TheMillennialGardener]

We have similar heat and dew points, so a lot of what does well here where I live will probably do well for you, too. You have the benefit of much drier summers - or a curse of drier summers, depending on how you look at it. I certainly envy your summers for figs!

[@michaelsecrest7183]

@@TheMillennialGardener 👍👍👍

[@effieinglish]

Fantastic results! Would be interesting to see what you get when you plant double or tripple bulb groupings between the peppers.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thanks! I intend to follow up once the double and triple bulbs mature versus the singles. We'll see how they do. If they do just as well, I may consider that for next year. I must admit I greatly prefer the look of the single plantings, though.

[@WeatherNut27]

Right, double/tripl bulb next to the peppers would be a good comparison test, Also a soil test pre planting to show the soil has similar ph, nutrients, ect. Peppers would shade the onions so kinda surprised they did grow better.

[@johnbesharian9965]

@@WeatherNut27, I believe he said he started the onions three(?) weeks ahead of the peppers. That, perhaps, would help explain their ability to grow taller than expected, even though they were more shaded by the peppers as time went on.

[@WeatherNut27]

@johnbesharian9965 maybe but 3 weeks in beginning of season there's not that much growth but that may definitely have an affect. Nice catch. But still, being shady during most of growing season is still interesting

[@johnbesharian9965]

@@WeatherNut27, Well, what grows best under Shade Trees"? Shade loving plants, maybe some plants grow better after their first few weeks of full exposure to the sun and then are able to keep up with the other types of plants around them that may start at a faster rate than they do.

[@notagain1952]

For those that don't know, southern onions should be planted in November because of mild winters and hot summer days. Most common way to plant is with sets, not bulbs or seeds.

[@robertl.fallin7062]

short day onions for the south, long day for the north.

[@terryanderson4366]

Onion sets are not available in central Texas until mid January. 1015y sweet is most common. Am guessing suppliers know not to plant in the fall. Out last freeze here is about early March. Have complete loss with snow/ ice in February. How could they survive planting in November?

[@joyceparrott2264]

​@@terryanderson4366 I planted my onions (Sapelo from Hoss) in November here in West Central GA and they are currently beautiful and bulbing. We had several hard freezes this past winter and my onions and soft neck garlic overwintered fine. Farmer Froberg (Texas) turned me on to Hoss (here in GA).

[@patcharles3336]

Thanks for your help with understanding the science behind growing shallots. Right now there are som3 sort of varieties in my yard. I sometimes use them for cooking. Right now I noticed that they are growing the flowering at the tops, so now I know I have to cut them off. Idk have a nice shallot in my fridge that is growing.Put it in water, next day a beautiful root system. Planning to plant it next to a sage plant that comes up for the past 3 summers.I thank you for your advice.I’ll see what happens?

[@kathyressler4764]

Great advice. I planted my short day onions, as we are in Florida, near the cucumbers. They are doing well. We believe they helped keep insects off the cucumbers. The cucumbers are almost done so getting ready to plant out eggplants.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If you found this video helpful, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Introduction To Growing Giant Onions 1:18 Onion Plants In My Control Group 2:05 High Performance Onion Bulbs 3:22 Tip #1: Companion Planting Onions 4:42 Tip #2: Fertilizing Onions For Optimal Results 7:33 Tip #3: Drip Irrigation And Drip Line 9:30 Other Onion Tips And Make A Difference 10:26 Onion Harvest! Look At This Big Onion! 11:10 Don't Make This Mistake Growing Onions! 12:43 Adventures With Dale

[@asmith8898]

You have a click bait logo

[@brehpotsirhc]

⁉️🎣 let's go to NC! I wanna meet Mr.Dale❣️

[@gaeaw8189]

I'm trying to plant slowly as I kill almost everything. Just had to harvest a sweet onion because I read if it flowers it's "ready" but the onion was so small. It smelled ready but was slightly bigger than golf ball. Hoping the rest do better.

[@TreyNitrotoluene]

Onions and bell peppers, my 2 favorite food groups.

[@sodalitia]

The tip 1 and 2 are kind of similar. I guess the companion planting robs the bed of excessive nitrogen later in the season as the big tomatoes or peppers foliage uses it up. . I've got 2 questions though: lets say its tomatoes planted with onions. Do you put them around the same time, or when the tomato plants are already well established? Also: how do you change fertilizing regiment for onions without altering it for the companion plant? Will tomatoes or peppers be happy with "backing of entirely" from fertilizing even when fruiting?

[@rrichards1210]

If you do a follow up of this trial, I would be really interested in hearing the results of the peppers you interplanted the onions did. Did both crops benefit from the interplanting and irrigation? I am watching this video in early spring and my seed sown onions are very slow to get going because of the cool, wet weather.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Peppers are one of the few things that are easy to grow where I live. The peppers are thriving and doing great. I still harvest them daily as I need them.

[@susanc-c7817]

Thank you for your insights and knowledge hello from Ireland

[@wagonwheelfarm3092]

I planted from seed for the first time. They are the best onions I have grown. They look a lot like yours. thanks for the tips. I mulched mine with leaf mulch.

[@imaspacewoman]

I can tell you are so proud, and rightly so, of your onions. This is my 2nd year trying to grow them myself. Last year they were golf ball sized. This year my Vidalia's are greater than softball sized and I'm so proud. I do think the 20 20 20 extra feeding of your peppers contributed to their size. I have used some as they were growing and quite tasty, but they are huge and I am wondering if I should pull them up even though they are not yet bent at the neck at all? Wondering if I risk ground rot if I keep these monsters in the ground too long?

[@digsindirt4490]

Did you fertilize them on a particular schedule (weekly, monthly, etc)?

[@imaspacewoman]

@@digsindirt4490 every 7-10 days. started with making row with 10-10-10 plus light sprinkle of 15-0-0, blood meal, bone meal a light sprinkle of espom salts bagged composed manure in the row under my landscape fabric. Then Miracle grow tomato alternated with Miracle grow general purpose plant food plus Fish emulsion diluted in 2 gal watering can to top feed. The onions are half under the landscape fabric and I will have to remove it to get them out of the ground in places because they are bigger than the hole they were planted in. At 10 weeks started spooning them which I did 3 times.

[@hanginlaundry360]

@@imaspacewoman What's spooning? Thx

[@ddognine]

Really big onions don't store as well and typically aren't as tasty either. Instead of waiting for the necks to bend over on their own, bend them over by hand.

[@imaspacewoman]

@@hanginlaundry360 When onions are about 10 weeks old you take a spoon and gradually remove the dirt from around the base of the onion, leaving the roots in the ground. I do this process 2-3 times while they are growing. It allows the bulbs to expand bigger by removing the dirt from around the growing bulb. I never heard of doing this either until I watched videos about it. Search you tube for spooning onions. It also has another name for doing this, i just can't remember it right now.

[@williamweaver6003]

I'm 70 yrs old because of my disabilities I can't prepare a place to have a garden I wish there were p4ople who would help seniors have a small garden here in East Tennessee I would love to watch a sm garden as well as enjoy eating out of it

[@tonybucca5667]

Think about growing in 5 gallon buckets. They are easy to move and maintain.

[@Sow_Reap1838]

I love how you explained every single way in your garden

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching!

[@Laceylady111]

I’m glad I found you! You are real! Great presentations.

[@hazelbrungard1623]

The number of green stems on an onion means how many layers of onion in the plant. I cut my green stems & dice them to dry and use in my cooking for flavor and color. Like chives I can powder them also and use for flavor especially on a baked potato. The flavor is there for sure.

[@gofigure4920]

Do I cut back the flowers from my onions and garlic to let them continue growing and multiplying in my garden bed? 😮 thx

[@Bella-oc1lz]

This was the first time I get onions and they were all small. I obviously did everything wrong! Lol! I will try doing this next season!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Make sure you're planting the proper onion day-length type for your climate. You have to grow the proper day length for your location, which is a common problem. Long day onions for the north, intermediate day for the mid-latitudes and short-day onions for the south. I explain it in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5iup4Kuardmb6M If you have the day-length type correct, then this video will help. These changes I made made a big difference. I strongly recommend growing onions from seed, not sets.

[@jessicaeiss2541]

1st video I'm watching. Your garden space looks wonderful! Thanks for the info too.

[@Experiment.626]

I’ve never researched how to grow onions so this was very educational ty!

[@jeniferwall2444]

Loved the great onion growing tips! I do have a question about the weed suppressant fabric used in between your raised beds. I have always used mulch but it is so hard to maintain and can be expensive. If anyone can give information on what works well I’d greatly appreciate it.

[@imaspacewoman]

Unfortunately I don't have raised beds just native soil. I use a good grade of Dewitt Weed Barrier Fabric ordered off Amazon. This is my 2nd year using. NO WEEDs and makes gardening a pleasure after you get your ground fixed. I am getting older late 60's so makes successful gardening easier. I put lime out 2 months ahead as my soil pH was very acidic, and tilled it in, then put down rows of 101010, blood meal, bone meal, mag sulfate, wood ash from our fireplace and light application of composed cow manure. That was all put in trenched rows. Used my little electric garden tiller to mix it in down the rows. Marked my row ends and put down my weed barrier fabric. Bought a little hand held propane blow torch to make my holes in weed barrier fabric. The prep for the garden and putting down the weed barrier fabric is the hardest part for the year. Be sure and order at least 200 6 inch landscape fabric staples to hold it in place, they are reusable. The rest is planting seed and your plants and tending to them as needed and enjoy. I use miracle grow and fish emulsion as Milliennial Gardener suggest in many videos this year. You got to try it. Initial investment was $133 for 6 ft x 300 ft roll of weed barrier and $20 for the staples that you must apply about every 4 feet and overlap the weed barrier 1 ft over each row you roll out. My garden is 26x60 ft. I have learned so much from Milliennial Gardener, who is in my neighboring county. Hope to meet you someday and see your garden in person. He has the best You Tube Channel on the internet which gives the best step by step information. Also I like to watch Deep South Homestead, Hollis and Nancy, and Living Traditions Homestead.

[@loresemorgan1787]

@@imaspacewoman thank y .can the green top be use as green onion

[@imaspacewoman]

@@loresemorgan1787 no they are too tough

[@charlanpennington3989]

Jennifer Wall, I didn't get the cover pulled up before the wind did. Lost placement for the staples. Danger for rototiller. Use rocks or bricks to hold down instead.

[@spookyvoncheezelstein8243]

We put down layers of cardboard, give it a good drenching with water and then cover the cardboard with a thick layer of woodchips. The cardboard works very well. As it’s an organic material it breaks down over time and you do have to replenish it (we just put more down over the top and cover it again with more woodchips), but it saves you from having to go out and buy anything synthetic. As for woodchips, you can obviously buy them in bulk. Alternatively, depending on where you live, you can register your details with a local tree lopping company and they will deliver mounds of the stuff for free as a by-product of their work. A win/win for all involved.

[@shekharmoona544]

We tried growing red onion and only grew one out of the whole seed pack. Spring onions are easy to grow. I will probably look for yellow granex next year.

[@Sam-lj9vj]

Same here. For some reason my onions won't germinate, but the spring onions are doing fantastic.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Yellow Granex is a short day onion, so be sure you’re under 35-36 degrees latitude or so. I’m at 34.1 degrees and they do excellent here. It sounds like you got bad seed with the red. I grew 4 different seed packs and they all had 100% germination. Maybe order from Baker Creek. I have always had great luck.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@Sam-lj9vj onions are cool season grasses at germination, so make sure you’re germinating when it is cool. They may not do well if it is too hot. I’ve tried germination during hot weather and actually transferred the tray into the fridge a couple times to help. Also, make sure you have a good seed source. Maybe you got bad seed. I got shallot seed from Baker Creek and germination was close to 100%.

[@sternistellaris]

@@TheMillennialGardener I live in the tropics since over a year. I have a nice garden and built raised beds with sun protection, have a greenhouse too and normal beds. So far I have some nice results, but I can not grow onions and Chives. I really like to have onions. Do you have a hint for me? A special kind of onions that could germinate here?

[@bulletproofpepper2]

My grandfather loved onions. He grew yellow, white, red, and purple onions. He used onions as a defense to keep unwanted pests away from more succulent crops. Thanks for sharing.

[@brookeclark2219]

Definitely going to use this education on my onions!

[@jamyelangley3740]

Thank you this was very helpful. This was my first year growing onions and we’ll see how they do. How do you know when it’s time to harvest the onions??

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Same as radishes, beets and carrots - pull them when you’re happy with the bulb size. Onions will continue to grow until they go to seed, so you’ll have to determine when you’re happy with them.

[@rea8755]

Hey! On my second year. When the tops flop over they're done. This can happen from wind damage. Hollis and Nancy great vids

[@ramz1455]

When onions flop over as Rea B said they're good to go, and they're good for storage. The ones that haven't flopped over yet are ready to eat or cook right away.

[@nobodyreally8441]

@@ramz1455 I noticed my onions “flopped” over. I never grew onions before and wasn’t sure what this meant. The problem is, they haven’t been in the ground less than a month. We’ve had a lot of rain. There is no way they could be ready to pick?

[@ramz1455]

@@nobodyreally8441 did the whole "neck" flopped over? Or just the leaf? And no, onions are not ready after a month. That would be amazing awesome if they could lol

[@GrowingSouth]

Yellow Granex, and Texas granos here down in the deep south. Blood meal is dead on the best fertilizer for baby onions 100% agree!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It's all that nitrogen. Blood meal is around 12-0-0, usually. Baby onions love it!