Onions!

Finally, after weeks of waiting, drying, and curing, I have a firm total of onion's harvested.

5lb and 6oz.

Wow. I've tried growing onions in the past, but I've always had miserable luck. I've planted seeds for the 'Copra' variety at least twice but was never able to keep the plants going past August. If I got plants at all. My first attempt to grow yellow multiplier, or potato onions, was abortive. When planning this year's garden last winter, I decided to give sets a try. Previously I'd avoided going this route, since it's more expensive than buying seeds and a lot of books say that sets are more prone to disease. But I figure you should try exhaust every option before calling it quits.

So I purchased a set of 'Stuttgarter' onions from Pinetree Garden Seeds for a mere $5, certainly the cheapest you'll fine. In early spring I received a pound of tiny yellow onions, which I promptly planted, and in less than a month was entreated to nice healthy onion leaves. Not the spindly little things that wilted once June hit. Of course, I waited patiently for the leave to yellow, though we ended up stealing a few spring onions here and there out of desperation. As each plant started to go dormant, I removed them from the soil, let them dry on a screen for a day or two and then stored them in the mudroom to cure.

The flavor of the 'Stuttsgarter' variety is good. It has a good bite that's not too overpowering, making it good for fresh eating or cooking. The bulbs themselves are almost perfectly round and prone to flattening around the root. My onions did not get too big; the largest is maybe 2"-3" in diameter. According to one site I found, this seems to be normal. One onion of this size is just enough for two servings of most any dish (barring onion soup), but your mileage may vary. Sadly, a good lot of the onions I harvested are smaller, closer to shallot size. A few didn't grow to a useable size, so I'm planning to save these and experiment with planting them in fall.

I think that 5lb of this variety of onion will last 2-3 months, but it's hard to say. If I decide to make a big batch of French onion soup, they will certainly not last that long. We do get a reliable supply of onions from our CSA, which helps.

So...my first successful onion harvest. Truly, this is my most productive year.