Design

Encouraged by Randy's comment , and looking forward to spring-like weather this weekend, I'm going to plant at least half of my onion sets.  The soil is ready, so it'll be easy to tuck them in. I have intermediate day-length samplers from Dixondale Farms --collections of red, sweet, and white onions that should do well in our daylengths in the Piedmont of South Carolina.  I thought I had ordered a short day sampler, too, but apparently not, checking the bunches that are waiting in the mud room.  But my intermediate samplers should do well  -- I've enjoyed our fresh onions in the past -- and we're solidly in the intermediate daylength zone. dormant onion seedlings ( farmersandplanters.com ) Yes, onions are cheap to buy. But fresh, juicy onions directly from the garden are definitely a treat.  And maybe I'll even have some to store this year.

Woo-hoo, my onion plants arrived today from Dixondale Farms, perhaps a bit early, given the recent weather. I had ordered the short-day sampler along with some Lancelot leeks in late January , for delivery this week, so I've got plenty to put in the ground here and at the kitchen garden at work , shown in this post in summer guise. Hmmph, I see I was enthusiastically writing about planting early peas at that point. Not much chance of early planting this year -- I haven't checked the soil temps but I'm not hopeful that it's warmed up enough even for cool season vegetables. At least I can hold the dormant onion plants for several weeks, if necessary.