# Onions looking rough...is this normal?



## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

Like one of my previous threads, this year was my first attempt at growing onions. I planted a bunch of Texas Legend sets from Dixondale back in December. They are starting to look really bad and I am wondering if this is normal and they are about to be ready or if something else is going on. It has been extra wet this year and it seems that every time I run my drip system, it rains the next day so they have probably been over watered. Here are a couple of pics. Your thoughts?


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Sure is a lot of onions in there. I space mine further apart. But they look like there at the end of the road. I'd let them fall over & dry out before picking. No more water.
Pull them on a hot sunny day & let them dry for a few hours on the ground in the garden.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Looks like a good crop MesquiteMan and about ready to pull.RB,you sure got a pretty crop.Dixondale recommends planting their onions 4'' apart,but that's way too close for me.6'' is my spacing,but I'm no champion onion grower,yet.My garden may dry enough today to hoe and pull weeds.It looks like warmed over crapp.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

After years of trial & error I have found giving plants more space to grow & good air flow helps keep the plants healthy & a lot easier to tend to the garden. Plus, a whole lot easier to harvest the fruit. 
However, I still over crowd & find myself struggling to pick the veggies.
My spring gardens this year are spaced well with the exception of one small garden that I'm gonna have a hard time picking. Guess, I'll never learn. LOL 
Guess, my real problem is I'm greedy.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

MesquiteMan said:


> ... Your thoughts?
> 
> You've done good...perfectly normal looking at maturity. Pat yourself on the back...not everyone can get good bulbs like that.
> 
> I'm taking advantage of this "dry spell" to pull my onions and dry them for storage. Can't risk another frog strangler...would probably ruin what I have.


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## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

Thanks guys! I figured they were fine and just at the end of the road but I was concerned because some of them are very small. Is it normal to have all different sizes? My spacing is 4" apart with rows 8" apart. Maybe next year I will take out one row.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Yup! Your good to go. I've never grown mine that close together.If it works don't fixs it. I live on a farm & have lots of space. I've always heard to give the plants room to breathe. 
I grew a garden one year where I had to crawl on my belly to pick my maters. I was breaking the vines & guess I learned my lesson.
I'm getting into growing veggies in planters like I have my onions growing in . I've found that its easier to control weeds in & add more compost to the smaller area.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I reckon I've lost 1/2 of my onions.Pulled a few yesterday and the bulbs were almost clear.Even with 4 dry days,I still bog down in the black gumbo.Suppose to rain tomorrow and chances all week,so that'll finish me off.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Yes I saw that forecast also and pulled all of mine because I don't think they would store long with all that moisture. 

They are a little smaller than years past, but they had several days to dry so good chance they will keep several months now...but with the rains forecast, there would be no chance.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I hope to get at least 36 hours of drying ....and in addition to no rain the last several days these should keep in dry storage several months.

Here's part of this year's crop.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Meadowlark said:


> I hope to get at least 36 hours of drying ....and in addition to no rain the last several days these should keep in dry storage several months.
> 
> Here's part of this year's crop.


I picked the rest of mine today. My biggest was a little over 1.5 lb/ But I needed to get them out . Rain is on the way.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Raining hard here right now.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That's a smart move RB, I believe. Rain at this point could completely ruin the crop.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Meadowlark said:


> That's a smart move RB, I believe. Rain at this point could completely ruin the crop.


Ate one last night. I'm very pleased. Got half the crop on my porch & the other half hanging in the barn. 
Didn't grow as many as I usually do. Must be getting old.


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## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

Being new at the onion thing and reading you guys saying you were pulling them because of rain, I decided to pull mine too. Gonna be out of town all next week and figured they were not going to do much more anyway. Here is my harvest!

Certainly not the biggest onions in the world. As a matter of fact, I am a little disappointed in the size but I will do better next year! Don't think I fertilized enough. I used HastaGrow in my injector for my drip system but may not have used it enough or maybe I did not water enough at the right times. I have a bad habit of not thinking to water when it is cool outside!


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Great crop MM. It seems we all had about the same results.I'd say we did the best we could. I'm with you I sure would of liked more big ol slicer onions. I like them big so when I put a slice on my sammich it covers the whole sammich. 
We had a lot of cloudy days which I'm guessing that caused us to get smaller onions. 
But the bright side is we got some & they are fabulous. Thank you god above.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

You done real good MM.I planted 6 bunches this year and will be lucky to get 10lbs.They were drowning already and we just got another big rain.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Very nice MM...very uniform crop. You did good in a tough year.


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