Onion plants

[jher77]

I've never put out onion plants this early but I thought I'd go ahead and plant them. I usually get mine at Lowes (Bonnie Plants brand) in "bunches" for $3.98 per bunch. Well I go there and instead of bunches (50-60 plants) of onion plants they have around 5 plants in a 4" pot for sale for $3.98. No bunches to be found. Looked at Tractor Supply and the local hardware store and same thing (same brand), same price.

There is no way I'm paying $3.98 for a handful of onion plants. Are they crazy or is this something that happens real early in the season, then they sell bunches later, and i just haven't noticed it? Anyone else have this problem?

I like the plants because they bulb out better than the onion sets. I went ahead and bought a pack of onion sets but they never bulb out for me. I'll just eat those as green onions before I pay that for onion plants.

 

[hysop]

No idea but I wouldn’t doubt prices are going up along with everything else.

 

[jher77]

That's kinda what I'm wondering but I've never seen or noticed them sell onion plants in a pot like that. It's always been in bunches. Several onion plants in a 4" pot makes no sense to me. If they bulb out then they are all too close to one another unless you pull them out of the pot and replant them a few inches apart.

Everything else seemed to be the same as last year from the same brand and I even bought some cabbage plants but it's only the cool season plants out right now.

 

[RoseHawke]

I get my onion plants from Dixondale Farms in Texas. I've had very good luck with them, planting their Texas Super Sweet. I usually plant around the first or second week of February to give them as long a growing season as possible. Current price is $13.45 for a bunch of 50-75.

ETA: I'm pretty much stuck with short day onions, depending on where in Tennessee you are you might could probably get away with intermediate or even take a chance on long day.

 

[jher77]

That is expensive for a bunch of onions. Are they always that high were you live or just this year? They usually sell for $4 here.

I looked that up one time and I'm right on the line for short day and long day onions but I use the red short day onions. They don't have a name for some reason but I can also get Georgia Sweet, Texas Sweet, or Walla Walla types.

 

[BoogieWight]

Try growing from seed. Its way cheaper, and you will a lot of green onions to eat as you thin them out.

 

[RoseHawke]

Try growing from seed. Its way cheaper, and you will a lot of green onions to eat as you thin them out.

Something I keep meaning to do, but you really have to start them here in something like November and I always forget.

 

[BoogieWight]

Something I keep meaning to do, but you really have to start them here in something like November and I always forget.

Wo.. why so early..

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I was in Arkansas, about the same latitude as Tennessee, I'd set the onion and garlic bulbs in the fall, two or three weeks before the first frost. They'd set roots and be ready to take off as soon as spring hit. Most years I'd mulch them a little but nothing extravagant. Some years I'd plant them about now and they'd do OK but I preferred starting them in the fall.

I'd get those bunches from a local Mom 'n Pop gardening store, often not much of a selection for variety but the best price around. They may say 50 per bunch but most I got had closer to 70 sets. When they gathered then they just grabbed a handful, never counted them.

Here in Louisiana I have the same issues you do with Bonnie Plants. Everybody seems to get their plants from Bonnie. So they all have the same thing and the same shortages. Some things they don't even mark what variety they are, just call them Cauliflower or Broccoli. Frustrating.

With the pandemic a lot of people are getting into growing stuff. That has totally disrupted the supply chain, it can be challenging to get seeds mailed to you let alone find starts. Many mail-order sites are out of seeds.

I don't know where in Tennessee you are but look around for a co-op. I've had some luck with those. And look online for a mom 'n pop type place, not a big box store. The big chains are all probably ties to Bonnie or the equivalent.

Good luck with it.

 

[alwaystj9]

I have ordered mine from Dixondale farms for 12 years. Always get the short day mix, always have lottsa great yellow, white and red onions...
I have friends who always get the Candy onions and they even do well despite being an intermediate day onion.