Onion plants

[alwaystj9]

I stopped at our local Home Depot (Monday 1 pm) and they had no onions or cell packs of plants. Only single potted herbs and veg at $3.98/each. The seed section was a mess. As a matter of fact, the whole garden area was a dirty, disorganized not-shopping-here-no-more pit.

 

[jher77]

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.

Unfortunately everyone here sells "Bonnie" plants. No other brand that I've seen as far as vegetables goes. I get most my transplants from farmers, but they don't have onion plants. I'm hoping Bonnie gets her head out of the sand and puts out the bunches of onions before long. If she don't, I'll be planting mine this fall from seed and overwintering them.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Unfortunately everyone here sells "Bonnie" plants. No other brand that I've seen as far as vegetables goes. I get most my transplants from farmers, but they don't have onion plants. I'm hoping Bonnie gets her head out of the sand and puts out the bunches of onions before long. If she don't, I'll be planting mine this fall from seed and overwintering them.

That’s all I’ve ever seen either even the mom and pop stores and coops stock them. Some of their stuff is good like tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, etc. I haven’t had good luck with they’re squash, watermelon or cucumbers though. Once you get enough of those in the pot to make it worth the money they are overcrowded and can’t be transplanted well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That’s all I’ve ever seen either even the mom and pop stores and coops stock them.

The Mom 'n Pop I used in Arkansas was in a small town and had been in the family for generations. They started a lot of their plants in their own greenhouse and had a supply chain that was not Bonnie. I think I was lucky to find them.

Some of their stuff is good like tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, etc. I haven’t had good luck with they’re squash, watermelon or cucumbers though.

I've always found the squash, melons, and such hard to transplant if you disturb the root system. They often don't handle it well. I always direct seed those. If I lived somewhere that I had to start them inside because of growing season I'd probably use a pot that can be planted without taking them out, like make a pot out of newspaper. The roots will grow through the newspaper if it is wet.

On the other hand, tomatoes, cabbage and such transplant really easily.

 

[alwaystj9]

Check in with your local High School - ours has an FFA and often sell bedding plants.
A locally based nursey group, Clegg's, in Baton Rouge has great garden plants (not Bonnie)(they grow their own) and they have onions, shallots and garlic starts/bulbs by the pound.
Also, check with any University that offers ag classes. They usually have greenhouses and plant sales provide $.
Oh, I almost forgot, our downtown farmer's market has plant/seedling people but they sell out really early.

 

[alwaystj9]

Went to the local TSC for a goat block and looked at their garden plants: all Bonnie & all in 3" pots . These chain stores are really cashing in on the home gardening!
OMG - a 3 gallon fig tree is $50!

 

[jher77]

Went to the local TSC for a goat block and looked at their garden plants: all Bonnie & all in 3" pots . These chain stores are really cashing in on the home gardening!
OMG - a 3 gallon fig tree is $50!

I wouldn't have thought they sold Bonnie plants that far away from me. Thanks for looking.

I got a feeling it's going to blow up in their face because alot of people that jumped into gardening last year because of the grocery shortage, aren't going to garden this year, while the real gardeners will source their stuff elsewhere.

 

[RoseHawke]

Wo.. why so early..

How to Grow Onions from Seed

"Onions take a while to develop from seed. Sowing inside in January or February under growing lights then transplanting to the garden in early spring is the only way that I can grow onions from seed and have them mature in my zone 5 garden. If you live in more southern areas, you can plant onion seeds in late summer to early fall, overwinter, and they will begin growing when the weather warms."

It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[BoogieWight]

I cover my leftovers with leaves most of the time during winter, then I rake what is left off when i see the wild onions and garlic pop up.
I would think this could still be possible further north, but I will admit that I do garden a little differently than most folks.

 

[alwaystj9]

Seedsavers sells some seedlings: heirloom tomato & pepper and maybe a few others but they sell out early and they ship them too late for Louisiana tomatoes. I ordered some a few years ago just to see because of the limited varieties available here. They really suffered in the heat before they died.