If at first you do n’t follow , seek , try again . This erstwhile saying fit the Peed family unit well , who lead off growing yellow onion on their farm , Flatland Ag , Inc. during the seventies . , near Aurora in the other ’ 90s . The Peeds had been farming other crop , like corn whiskey and soybean , for more than 100 long time , but this one was harder than the others . For example , it was hard to get rid of sens , they did n’t have the proper tools , and they had to harvest the crops by hired hand , which was a lot of work . So they put onions on the back burner for a while – with every intention of trying again .
Jeff Peed is a fourth - genesis farmer who runs the family business with his wife Barbara , his father Floyd , and his brother Scott . “ We said we ’d get back into them when we had the money to buy the equipment for a mechanical harvest , ” he says .
When they found onion plant again in 2008 , their circumstances look much different . Peed says it cost a raft of money to grease one’s palms the planting and harvest tools call for for a successful onion crop , but it was the only way to be successful . “ Parts work together so well from top to bottom that you ca n’t just pick one and say , ‘ I ’ll jump by getting this , ' ” he says .
Onions are a darling vegetable in many cuisine and recipe . If you experience in North Carolina , you’re able to easily grow your own onions right at home for freshman flavor and plenty of economy . This comprehensive pathfinder will learn you everything you call for to know about successfully growing Allium cepa in North Carolina ’s climate .
Why Grow Onions in NC?
There are many great reasons to try your hired man at uprise onions in North Carolina
Onions turn very well in NC ’s clime and grease . The land pop the question ideal coolheaded temperatures need for bulb formation .
you may harvest onion in NC before other regions , fetch premium prices at grocery store in June / July .
Homegrown onions are more flavorful and pungent than store - buy miscellanea ,
onion are expensive to buy so growing your own saves money .
Many unlike Allium cepa varieties can be grown , include sweet-scented , reposition , and ruby-red types .
Onions can be grown from seeds , transplantation , or exercise set for flexibility .
Long summertime days in NC are perfect for cure onion plant after harvest .
When to Plant Onions in North Carolina
Onions can be planted in either spring or fall down in NC :
Spring :
Fall :
Fall planting give up onion to develop roots before wintertime dormancy . Spring planting is best done with graft or sets .
Selecting the Best Onion Variety
Choosing short - twenty-four hour period onion miscellany is key for North Carolina ’s long summer daylight hours . Look for varieties that protest bolting .
Here are some excellent options :
I also recommend assay some new long and intermediate twenty-four hours varieties like Sweet Sandwich and PrimaVera .
3 Ways to Plant Onions
1 . Seeds : Sow seed 1/2 inch deep in rows in nightfall or spring . tenuous seedlings to 2 - 4 column inch apart .
2 . transplantation : idealistic for leap planting . Set transplantation 1 - 2 in deep and 2 - 4 inches asunder in dustup .
3 . Sets : Immature onion plant bulbs . Quick choice for either time of year . blank space 3 - 4 inch asunder in rows .
I prefer come or transplantation over bent for best bulb caliber and yields .
Providing Proper Care
care for your onion crop involves :
free , fertile grime with lots of constitutional topic and pH of 6.0 - 6.5 .
coherent wet , about 1 - 1.5 inches per week . head off overwatering .
fertilize at planting and again when onions are 1/3 grown .
ascertain weeds and cuss like thripid , maggots , and wireworm .
let the top to fall over before harvest bulbs .
Harvesting and Storing Onions
crop when 75 % of the tops are brownish and fall over .
Pull bulbs and let them to dry out out of verbatim sun for 1 - 2 days .
rationalise top 1 - 1.5 inches above medulla and trim roots .
heal bulb for 3 - 4 weeks at 80 - 100 ° F to the right way dry neck .
storage cured bulbs in a nerveless , dry place . They will last 2 - 3 months .
Avoid give onion in the ground too long or they may moulder . commence check bulbs 2 - 3 week after tops fall over .
Common Onion Growing Problems in NC
Growing onion in a raw region hail with some potential pitfalls . Here are solutions to some potential issues :
Bolting – Plant tolerant potpourri at indicate times . avert very other crepuscule planting .
Diseases – meliorate air circulation . apply preventative antifungal if needed .
tan – Do n’t leave harvested bulb in direct Sunday . treat gently .
neck opening rot – Cure bulbs soundly before storage at right temperature .
Double bulbs – Can occur when medulla oblongata commence second increase . harvest time promptly .
With proper care and well-disposed weather , you could overcome these challenges and grow a bountiful onion plant crop in North Carolina desirable for foresightful condition storage . Nothing pulsate the feeling of homegrown onion plant !
Enjoying Your NC Onion Harvest
The best part about growing your own onions is putting them to use ! Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh NC onions :
Storing superfluous onions allows you to enjoy their smack all year round in your pet formula . Nothing compare to the taste of freshly harvested onion plant .
Inner Banks Soil Ideal for Onions
The Peed family first get the thought to engraft onion plant from aNorth Carolina State Universityresearcher named Doug Sanders , who call back scandalmongering onion would grow well in the racy soil of easterly North Carolina . Sanders incur seed he believe could exercise there , and about a XII Farmer in the arena tried them .
“ It was hardest to find varieties that would make it the winter here , ” Peed say . “ But he was correct — you may get good onions here . ” ” .
At Flatland Ag , Inc. , they mostly grow the Tough Ball onion , which Peed calls “ a sweet onion with flavor . ” onion plant spend the winter in the ground because they are planted in late September and picked in late May or former June . A warm fall is undecomposed for growing plant because they get off to a good beginning . Temperatures should not deteriorate below 25 degrees . Because Aurora is near the coast , the weather does n’t get too cold-blooded most of the time , but not always . Peed says that the first year they had about a XII test plot to see what would make it through the wintertime .
“ It was frustrating at first , ” he say . “ We ’d get one laborious freeze and the next Clarence Day , [ the onions ] would be all fall through over . ” .
The Difficulty of Growing Onions
Growing onion plant is “ not for the swoon of heart , ” Peed articulate , as he jazz at first hand . Seventy - five percent of the year , the crop is in the soil , but they are in the theatre every month taking care of the onions .
“ We call them our sister harvest because they take nine months to ripen , ” Peed says .
To get the soil ready for planting in the crepuscle , they till it until it ’s very fine . Then , they employ an Oregon - made Beck Precision Planter to institute eight rows of onions . The plantation owner is pulled behind a tractor and mold in three beds at a time . It ’s slow going and takes three days to plant onions on 75 landed estate . The Peeds use verbatim cum , which be them about one-half of what it costs to grow them . They are spaced 4 in asunder and in dissimilar positions .
see dope is an authoritative part of growing plants , but it can be hard , in part because chemicals do n’t work as well in the winter .
harvest home time is signify when about one-half of the onion plant acme have diminish over . It looks like a white potato vine reaper , but the Peeds use a limited puppet that does n’t go in the flat coat . When it ’s done , it puts the onions back on the bed and packs the filth down again . This lets the onion dry for two or three days . Then they habituate the harvester to pick them up and put them in box bin to cure ( juiceless ) the necks of the onions so they do n’t go bad . For the onions to be ready to be bagged , they go through a range line , are dumped into a groundball that cuts off the tops , and are then brushed and sized .
When to Plant Onions & Garlic in North Carolina
When to imbed onion in Onslow County ?
regrettably , the onion plant set sell in big box stores are normally farseeing - daytime onion and will not organize properly in our domain . It is best to prepare ground in fall as average planting dates in Onslow County for live Allium cepa plants is February 10 through March 10 . later on planting will produce a small bulb fall in same plant stipulation .
How to raise edible onions in North Carolina ?
maturate edible onions ( Allium capa ) in North Carolina is fairly easy to do with right soil provision and garden concern . Onions need full sunlight , well - drained soil with a good amount of constitutional matter ( well - rotten compost ) , and pH 6.5 -6.8 . The expanse engraft should be green goddess free and watered as necessary during wry spells .
When do onions arise in North Carolina ?
Regardless of when they are planted , sort wo n’t constitute bulbs until the day are long enough for them to do so . Varieties that bulb in a 10 to 12 hour day ( scant day ) are desire in easterly North Carolina for May - June harvest . It is also suitable to have an onion plant that has a small neck when mature .
What types of onion develop well in North Carolina ?
Recently , long - day and medium - day - type onion kind have been developed that are well - adapted to North Carolina condition . They all have been very resistant to abscond and have produced good yield of large lightbulb when overwintered . Some of the form winter very well . Table 1 . Recommended varieties for Eastern North Carolina .
