Onions, Chives, Shallots

Onions

Onions are rugged enough to withstand temperatures below freezing, and in most areas of the country longer days and warmer temperatures trigger onions to begin forming bulbs. The sooner they're in the ground, the larger and better the onions will grow.

Onions require full sun, and although they prefer sandy loam, they'll grow reasonably well even in clay soil. When preparing a planting bed, be sure to remove all the weeds. Onions need plenty of moisture during their growth phase, but once they start forming bulbs, they prefer dry conditions. It's best to plant them in an area of the garden where the amount of water they receive can be controlled.

Onions can be planted from tiny seeds, from sets of immature bulbs, or from transplants, which are simply young seedlings. Growing onions from sets or from transplants is preferred.

There are long-day and short-day varieties of onions. Long-day onions need between 13 and 16 hours of sunlight a day to produce good bulbs. Other onions will produce top-sized bulbs with only 12 hours of sunlight and are called short-day varieties. Long-day varieties grow best in northern latitudes, and the short-day versions grow best in southern climates. If you live in the middle of the country, you should experiment with both varieties.

The planting process is almost as simple for transplants but a bit more time-consuming. Because these plants are taken out of the ground a few weeks beforehand and shipped to a store, it pays to give them a little extra attention before placing them in the garden.

Transplants can be planted in several different ways. If the soil is soft, use a finger, a stick, a golf putter or a dibble to make a hole in the soil, then place the onion in the hole and firm the soil around it (figure E). Transplants may also be planted in blocks or in straight rows, spaced four to six inches apart. To plant a lot of transplants, make a shallow furrow in the soil, then place the onions in the furrow and firm the soil around each transplant.

Regardless of the planting method, make sure the onions aren't planted too deeply to avoid restricting the root formation. Barely cover the transplants so they nearly topple over in the wind. If they do fall over, simply put them back in the ground and cover with a little more soil. To tidy the area, use a pair of scissors to cut 1/4 inch or so off the top of each transplant, then water well to ensure good soil-to-root contact.

Spread compost about an inch deep on onion beds and spray liquid seaweed approximately every week or so during the growing season. When the weather warms up and the bulbs begin to swell, apply straw mulch to control weeds and maintain even soil moisture.

Shallots and Chives

Shallots have a mild, onionlike flavor and are prized by chefs the world over. They're extremely expensive, selling for up to $5 a pound, but they're also easy to grow.

Chives are slow to start from seed, so it's best to buy transplants. They will tolerate some shade, but they prefer full sun. Space the clumps about eight inches apart, plop them in the ground, and water (figure G).

Chives thrive on neglect. They don't need fertilizer, they tolerate drought, and they rarely suffer from pest or disease problems. They do, however, have a tendency to get overcrowded, so dig and divide them every three or four years. To do this, stab a shovel in the ground a few inches from the base of each plant, and lift the whole plant out of the ground. Separate each into clumps containing at least six bulbs, and transplant them elsewhere in the garden or into containers.