What did you do in the garden today?

[BReeder!]

Same here. Then the spring rains will come.

But, I’m starting seeds so hopefully I can get larger transplants out -especially if peppers, and get the onions in the ground earlier than last year.

Are you starting onions from seed indoors? If so, can you please educate me. I want to try walla walla, but don't want to pay the price for ordered sets. I can get walla walla onion seeds at the store, but have never grown onions by seed. I did try leeks before and failed, and am trying again this year (if the seeds are fertile still that is).

 

[Sueby]

I'm not starting anything inside - I don't have the room or the time. I direct sow beans & squash, the rest I buy starts. It's just not worth it for me here, I don't have any room. I need a greenhouse.

 

[BReeder!]

I'm not starting anything inside - I don't have the room or the time. I direct sow beans & squash, the rest I buy starts. It's just not worth it for me here.

That's fair. I could see if your garden is smaller how starts make sense.
It pays off for me because ~60 tomato and 32 pepper plant starts would cost me a small fortune here. The cost savings from last year alone paid for the seed starting rack I setup with grow lights. I do still check out the starts at the nurseries and stores come Spring and may pick up a few for variety.

 

[Acre4Me]

Are you starting onions from seed indoors? If so, can you please educate me. I want to try walla walla, but don't want to pay the price for ordered sets. I can get walla walla onion seeds at the store, but have never grown onions by seed. I did try leeks before and failed, and am trying again this year (if the seeds are fertile still that is).

The first 2-3 years, we tried onion sets and had disappointing results -some grew, but never very well. Now I know that onions are day light dependent or neutral. But sets never seem to be labeled with this info. So, on a whim, I tried seeds last year. A long day and a neutral day. Bc I was ill for awhile last spring, things were started and planted a bit late. So, unsurprisingly the neutral day onions did a bit better than the long day. But both outperformed the sets I had used in all previous years. Onion seeds are supposedly only viable for a year, but probably the viability just drops off quite a bit after a year, and some are still good depending on storage.

I’m using the pointy-type cells -72 cells per tray. I plant 1-2 seeds per cell. They will grow and it’s my understanding I can plant before last frost date, but I need to check that. If you grow seeds and the onions are tall, cut them back to 5” tall before transplant. If you have 2 viable plants, tease them apart. Because an onion is actually a modified leaf, and it is sunlight that causes the bulb to grow , they are not as affected by transplanting or being in a cell a little too long. Not like actual root veg which really need to be direct planted or direct seeded. Even though mine were planted quite a bit after last frost, I got some nice sized bulbs for use.

When you plant, you can start a lot of seeds, plant them close and then thin to get some small onions/green onions for fresh use. Or plant a distance apart and let them grow.

From experience last year, the ones that received more shade (due to being in closer proximity to another plant) grew less or just shriveled/no growth/death. So-put in full sun.

 

[Acre4Me]

@BReeder!
Here are me seeds/cells and soil used this year.

 

[BReeder!]

The first 2-3 years, we tried onion sets and had disappointing results -some grew, but never very well. Now I know that onions are day light dependent or neutral. But sets never seem to be labeled with this info. So, on a whim, I tried seeds last year. A long day and a neutral day. Bc I was ill for awhile last spring, things were started and planted a bit late. So, unsurprisingly the neutral day onions did a bit better than the long day. But both outperformed the sets I had used in all previous years. Onion seeds are supposedly only viable for a year, but probably the viability just drops off quite a bit after a year, and some are still good depending on storage.

I’m using the pointy-type cells -72 cells per tray. I plant 1-2 seeds per cell. They will grow and it’s my understanding I can plant before last frost date, but I need to check that. If you grow seeds and the onions are tall, cut them back to 5” tall before transplant. If you have 2 viable plants, tease them apart. Because an onion is actually a modified leaf, and it is sunlight that causes the bulb to grow , they are not as affected by transplanting or being in a cell a little too long. Not like actual root veg which really need to be direct planted or direct seeded. Even though mine were planted quite a bit after last frost, I got some nice sized bulbs for use.

When you plant, you can start a lot of seeds, plant them close and then thin to get some small onions/green onions for fresh use. Or plant a distance apart and let them grow.

From experience last year, the ones that received more shade (due to being in closer proximity to another plant) grew less or just shriveled/no growth/death. So-put in full sun.

OK, the two seeds per cell is what I did this year with the leeks. We'll see if they are viable at all. I'm going to pick up walla walla seeds though and do this with them too. I have grow lights. I'm hoping they'll be sufficient. I can move the starter tray of onions near a window if needed with a clip on grow light also. I'll play around and see.

If onions are not getting enough light would they get leggy or would they do the opposite and just shrivel because it's just a leaves connected to a crown (no stem that could get leggy)? I just want to know what's sign to look for since I'm starting indoors.

 

[WthrLady]

Hoop house new plan.
I was attaching the upper supports and two of them exploded while drilling. One was bent and under pressure, So I decided to remove that problem and drill it flat, then put it back up. BOOM. So obviously, contrary to instructions, PVC is NOT a strong enough material for this.
I do NOT want to spend another $100 to replace these supports, which I've done once already. So far I already have $400 in supplies sitting here and that's NOT counting the 2x4s for the ends, the doors etc.

So the NEW plan is to put in the beds and stake them in, and run the irrigation. If the top ever gets built, then so be it. Prices are just too high for screwing up and wacky materials. I might be better off building it our of lumber, which I MIGHT just do.

 

[Acre4Me]

OK, the two seeds per cell is what I did this year with the leeks. We'll see if they are viable at all. I'm going to pick up walla walla seeds though and do this with them too. I have grow lights. I'm hoping they'll be sufficient. I can move the starter tray of onions near a window if needed with a clip on grow light also. I'll play around and see.

If onions are not getting enough light would they get leggy or would they do the opposite and just shrivel because it's just a leaves connected to a crown (no stem that could get leggy)? I just want to know what's sign to look for since I'm starting indoors.

In the starter calls, they were pretty forgiving. It was when planted in the garden they did not do well with any shade.

 

[BReeder!]

Hoop house new plan.
I was attaching the upper supports and two of them exploded while drilling. One was bent and under pressure, So I decided to remove that problem and drill it flat, then put it back up. BOOM. So obviously, contrary to instructions, PVC is NOT a strong enough material for this.
I do NOT want to spend another $100 to replace these supports, which I've done once already. So far I already have $400 in supplies sitting here and that's NOT counting the 2x4s for the ends, the doors etc.

So the NEW plan is to put in the beds and stake them in, and run the irrigation. If the top ever gets built, then so be it. Prices are just too high for screwing up and wacky materials. I might be better off building it our of lumber, which I MIGHT just do.

Can you use a heat gun to soften the pvc as you bend it? It would certainly be a 2 person job, one bending and the other heating, but it would allow the pvc to form into the arch rather than cause excessive force to build up in to the pvc that makes it spring back.

There's a video out there also of a guy who uses hot sand he bakes in the even to heat pvc. 1 or 2 cookie sheets full of sand was enough to fill an entire length of 2" pvc. The pvc pipe soon became soft enough to easily form into a curve but held it's shape thanks to the mass of sand inside. And he just let the sand cool in the pipe and then popped end caps off and poured it out to use in the next pipe.

One more option: return the PVC and get metal conduit instead along with a pipe bender.

 

[Sally PB]

My goal for this year will be learning to collect and store seeds for next year. I've tried in the past with very poor results. I'm really making an effort this year to learn to do it right!

I'm going to save some bean seeds this year, and some more tomato seeds from my new varieties if they do well. And I better get some butternut squash this time! I'm still mad that I didn't get -any- squash at all. So, I'll save some of those too.

I usually end up getting a couple of starts, mostly because I want to try "one more thing."

I have always planted onion sets, and they have done at least ok, and sometimes really well. The two types I like are Stuttgarter (yellow) and Red Baron (red), and both are pretty pungent. I have about 200 of each coming from the Maine Potato Lady. I've never ordered from her before, so I hope they are good quality. I am going to plant them earlier than I've ever done before, and put them in the middle-end of April. I'll give them a nice bit of mulch over the top for a couple weeks.

I would like to try onions from seed, though. Thanks for the information on how to do it, @Acre4Me!