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.

New Worm Bin

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My old worm bin is looking pretty full and processed so I decided it's high time to add a second one to the mix! It just took a trip to Lowe's for a new container and a few hours of separating out my worms.



The ripped up newspaper
Now its moistened and the worms are working their way down!

I'm starting this bin with about a half pound of worms since I left about a pound and a quarter in the old bin to finish off the compost for this spring. Since there aren't a ton of em, the plan is to feed them slowly and in small amounts that have been pre-blended.

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!