- Onion plants, or sets, are planted six weeks before the last average frost date for your area. This is in January or February in East Texas. Onion seed can be planted directly in the garden in East Texas in September through mid-October. Plant the seed 1/4 inch deep and keep the seed moist until it sprouts in seven to ten days. Plants grown from seed must be actively growing by the end of October so they can survive winter. Thin plants to 2 to 3 inches by mid-February to give the plants room to form bulbs.
- Onion plants, or sets, will become available in the nursery trade in January in East Texas. The sets come in bundles of 60 to 75 plants. The largest plants in the bundle should be no larger than the width of a pencil. Buy only short-day varieties for planting in East Texas. Short day varieties will form a bulb before daytime temperatures are too warm for onions to grow properly. Varieties to look for are: 1015Y, granex, southern belle and Bermuda.
- Onion sets should be planted as soon as possible after purchasing. Choose an area that is very well-drained where water does not stand after a rain. Onions need exposure to at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. The planting area should be cleared of all competing vegetation and the soil pulverized to a depth of 6 inches.
Purchase a fertilizer with a high phosphorous content. The middle number in the fertilizer ratio will be higher in a fertilizer with a high phosphorous content such as (5-10-5.)
Dig a trench 3 inches deep and add 1 cup of fertilizer for each 20 feet of row. Cover the fertilizer with 2 inches of soil. Plant the onion sets into the soil 1 inch deep and 4 inches apart. Firm the soil around the sets so the plant remains upright. - Water the onion sets after planting and throughout the growing season if the weather is unusually dry. The soil should remain moist, but not wet. Three weeks after planting, spread 1 cup of high nitrogen fertilizer, such as ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) down each 20 feet of row, 3 to 4 inches from the bulbs, and repeat every two weeks.
Stop fertilizing when the onion stems begin to become soft, which is 3 to 4 weeks before harvest. Withhold water when the tops of the plants begin to fall over, which means it is close to harvest. Do not cover the bulbs with soil as they grow and the top surface of the bulb becomes exposed. - Harvest when the tops fall over. This means the onion plants have stopped growing. Pull or carefully dig the bulbs from the ground and set in a shady dry area. Allow to cure for two to three days before storing.
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