This weekend I received some help getting onions into the ground. My neighbor, Jacob, and my girlfriend , Marcy, made the trek from Eureka to Orleans. The conditions were great for our spirits (sunny and a cool breeze), altho a bit warmer than ideal for transplanting onions(around 70 degrees F).
We started several waves of onion seeds in the greenhouse in early and mid February. Our method was to line a square planting tray with newspaper, then fill it with moist soil. We then made five furrows and sowed about 40 seeds per furrow, or 200 per tray. We repeated this about a hundred times over for a total of approximately 200,000 seeds sown. The seeds like to start at a temperature of between 50 and 70 degrees F, so I checked the in-greenhouse thermometer a few times a day so I knew when I needed to cool or warm the greenhouse atmosphere. Once the seedlings had a good start on my 5 foot high benches I lowered them to the 2 foot shorty benches to chill out the growth a bit. Around 6 weeks after sowing I started moving the plants outside for hardening off in anticipation of transplanting.
A brief note on soil: Since I had not used Peaceful Valley potting soil before I wanted to compare it with some other bagged potting soil. I chose Organic Gardener from McClellan Mountain and Ocean Forest from Fox Farm as the challengers. Both Peaceful Valley and Ocean Forest had uniform growth, while the Organic Gardener seedlings sputtered along. Things looked pretty even between PV and OF, but PV pulled ahead when the OF showed signs (yellowing leaves) that the fertility had been exhausted. The Organic Gardener plants are still alive, but I think that they just flat ran out of juice, so I have been foliar feeding to see if they can turn things around.
Ok, on to the planting! After disking the soil and shaping beds with my 3-point toolbar, I spread pelletized chicken manure, rototill to create an fluffy, even planting surface. I take the seed hopper off of my Planet Jr and use it to mark out four lines in the bed so we can think as little as possible when working (I do enjoy a good thought now and then, but I try to set up a situation where workers need not worry about making mistakes and can enjoy making a connection with the farm).
I had been planting by myself when weather would co-operate. I start by wiggling my fingers into freshly wet onion trays, loosening the soil between furrows. Then I separate them a row at a time, ending up with a bundle in my hand. I trim the roots to about 2.5 inches, place the bundle in an empty tray, cover the roots with soil, and get several more bundles ready so when I start transplanting I can just go and go. Bundles are dipped into a bucket of water mixed with Maxi Crop which hydrates and provides vitamin B to lessen transplant shock. The moistened bundle is wrapped in a wet cloth which should completely cover the roots to prevent them from drying out. The “dropper” then lays out the onions two lines at a time, with six inches between plants. Two planters would follow behind, each of us working one of the lines.
In talking with my farmer neighbors I have found out that the farmers here before me would never need to irrigate their onions or much of anything they got planted by around mid May due to the abundant ground water running under the farm. I am much too pessimistic to think it will be that blissful all the time, so I bought T-tape, mainline and connectors. I will give you guys a peek at the drip system I set up if and when the need arises.
Organic Gardenig FAQ 