What I'm Growing - Onions, Sprouts and Leeks

Yesterday I started my first seeds of the season. I planted some onions, brussels sprouts and leeks. Though I will say I'm not expecting too much, as I decided to try to use up some of my old seed instead of buying a whole new bunch of seed packets in an attempt to keep the costs of restarting the garden to a reasonable amount. So instead of new seed, I sowed thickly and am keeping my fingers crossed!

Onions - Southport Red Globe

These seeds were supposed to go in my 2012 garden, but I unexpectedly ended up without garden space that year. There is widespread agreement that onion seeds are only good for a year and any that are not used up should be thrown away. However, I say bollocks to that! Mostly because I don't yet need the seedling tray they are currently occupying for anything else. So why not try and see what happens?

Brussels Sprouts - Long Island Improved

Despite using old seeds (again from the 2012 garden that never came to fruition), this is a new plant for me and of course I am already experimenting! Hopefully, these seeds should be fine. Based on my research most sources estimate a viable life of 3-5 years for sprout seeds.

It appears that most people only plant sprouts for a fall harvest. But…. I say why not try for both a spring and fall harvest? I'm not expecting the spring harvest to work, but it will certainly be a nice surprise if it does. Plus, it gives me a practice run at growing sprouts before my "real" go at them this fall.

Leeks - American Flag

This is another new plant in my garden - well, kind of. I started growing these for the 2012 garden, but they were never planted. I'm not quite sure what to expect from these. It looks like opinions tend to vary about the longevity of these seeds. Some places I looked categorized them with the short-lived onion seed, but others gave it a 1-3 year range. I sowed thickly and am hoping that the 3 year range isn't just dreaming!

What has everyone else started so far? Has anyone had any experiences using old leek and onion seeds?

Seeding and Seedlings

Welcome, and thanks for following my blog DeanO and Cassandra!

Well, I finally got around to seeding my spring veggies. (Most of them anyways...) I planted 12 cells of Little Gem Lettuce, 12 cells of Fordhook Swiss Chard, 6 cells of Organic Broccoli Decccio and 6 cells of Broccoli Waltham 29. I still need to start my cauliflower and spinach and get going on the summer veggies. I have to pick up a few more seed starting trays from my mothers house this weekend and then everything will be set!

My Walla Walla onions seedlings are doing well! I separated them out of the little bunches that popped up here and there. The only frustrating thing is waiting for my Red Burgandy onions to start coming up... Especially since they got sent late as a replacement for my backordered Southport Red Globe onions. We'll see how they do with the shortened season.

Before separation, this is the seedlings.

Now they have room to grow and even got a haircut!

My Orange Sun bell pepper plant from last year is showing new life.

And I know spring is on its way when my chives start coming back... Can't wait for warmer weather!

What I'm Growing: Onions

Now that the seed list is done and all of my seeds are here, I've decided to do a detailed rundown of all the varieties I'm growing of each vegetable this year. If nothing else, it will help me plan! First up is.....onions!

These are Southport Red Globe Onions, which many think to be the best keepers of the red onions. It is a medium-sized, long day onion and supposedly has a crisp and mild flavor. This is an heirloom variety that can be traced back to 1873 and originated in Southport, Connecticut. Its earliest known seed catalogue appearance was in Nebraska Seed Company's 1898 catalogue where it was sold for a nickel a packet. I'm pretty excited about this onion mainly because its original roots are so close to where I live now. One of my closest friends lives in Southport and it's only about a 3 hour drive from my apartment.

The second variety of onions that I'm growing are Walla Walla Sweet Onions. These were chosen mainly because there's almost nothing I love more than a sweet yellow onion. They aren't the best storers, but I know I'll be able to easily use them up before they start to go bad. This cultivar originated on the island of Corsica, off the west coast of Italy and can be traced back to the 1800s. It is said that a French soldier found the sweet onion seed and brought it to Walla Walla Valley in Washington state (hence the name Walla Walla Sweet Onion). These yellow onions are supposedly about 90% water and have half the sulfur content of most other yellow onions. The sulfur is what normally causes people to tear up while chopping onions, so it'll be interesting to cut into these later in the season.

First Planting of the Year

I finally got around to washing my seed cells and pots and carved enough time out of my day to sit down and put some seeds into soilless seed-starting mix.







I planted two 6-packs of Large American Flag Leeks, one 6-pack of leftover Celery Tango Hybrid seed and a small pot of Green Onions. I also broadcast sowed some Walla Walla Onion seeds in one half of the black tray. The other half will be planted with the Southport Red Globe Onion seeds I'm currently waiting for. Currently the tray is sitting on a heat mat by a window and the others are all sitting on a shelf right above one of my radiators. Can't wait to see some green sprouts poking their heads up!