Northern Growers - Comparison of Onion Varieties

greenthumbomaha · December 27, 2017

Does Dixondale rename their plants from the original seed provider- I couldn't match many of their catalog offerings with the trials below.

Onions size depends on day length for proper growth. This thread is for northern growers with summer daylight hours of 14 or more hours. Southern growers may want to start a different thread with appropriate university research for their area.

This onion trial spans several years:
http://extension.wsu.edu/grant-adams...emoResults.pdf

A few common ones here:
http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/vi...riaes_bulletin

Sweet comparison only. Short day in PA?
https://extension.psu.edu/2012-sweet...-variety-trial

I hope this is helpful as personal accounts on onion growing and storage vary widely. I'm not buying new seed this year but I will buy plants if they are available locally. Please add any other growing and storage comparisons for long day onions to this thread.

- Lisa

clkeiper · August 30, 2018

I really have no idea about northern varieties of onions. as I am researching some to grow from seed for next year... what have you grown and regrow every year. I am leaning towards australian brown?, New York early, bronze D'amposta and or yellow flat dutch. they all have good reveiws where I have looked but was wondering from you what you thought. the charts on the above pdf's are fairy uninformative for varieties we would grow as gardeners..

zipcode · August 31, 2018

I guess they just don't carry those varieties. Those are probably expensive seed (hybrid?) and they seem to have more heirloom types.

whoose · August 31, 2018

Ask if the re-name their onions. I would think not. They are the best place I have found for reliable high quality

greenthumbomaha · September 3, 2018

carolyn k, northern growers meaning long day. This year , due to space constraints, I grew only Candy Red and Candy purchased from Dixondale via our local nursery that buys the plant bundles and resells them. Candy is not a storage onion. I decided to try something that I could not buy in the supermarket, and I was pleased with the milder taste they had.

In the past, I've grown Copra and a few others from seed (can't remember at the moment). I used to grow storage onions but I will no longer continue to do that and instead devote space to varieties not available at the grocery.

- Lisa

clkeiper · September 10, 2018

I wasn't very clear on that statement... I know nothing about growing onions... not just northern onion.

December 27, 2017	#1
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	Northern Growers - Comparison of Onion Varieties Does Dixondale rename their plants from the original seed provider- I couldn't match many of their catalog offerings with the trials below. Onions size depends on day length for proper growth. This thread is for northern growers with summer daylight hours of 14 or more hours. Southern growers may want to start a different thread with appropriate university research for their area. This onion trial spans several years: http://extension.wsu.edu/grant-adams...emoResults.pdf A few common ones here: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/vi...riaes_bulletin Sweet comparison only. Short day in PA? https://extension.psu.edu/2012-sweet...-variety-trial I hope this is helpful as personal accounts on onion growing and storage vary widely. I'm not buying new seed this year but I will buy plants if they are available locally. Please add any other growing and storage comparisons for long day onions to this thread. - Lisa

August 30, 2018	#2
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	I really have no idea about northern varieties of onions. as I am researching some to grow from seed for next year... what have you grown and regrow every year. I am leaning towards australian brown?, New York early, bronze D'amposta and or yellow flat dutch. they all have good reveiws where I have looked but was wondering from you what you thought. the charts on the above pdf's are fairy uninformative for varieties we would grow as gardeners.. __________________ carolyn k

August 31, 2018	#4
whoose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b Posts: 333	Ask Dixondale Ask if the re-name their onions. I would think not. They are the best place I have found for reliable high quality

September 10, 2018	#6
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	I wasn't very clear on that statement... I know nothing about growing onions... not just northern onion. __________________ carolyn k

August 31, 2018	#3
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	I guess they just don't carry those varieties. Those are probably expensive seed (hybrid?) and they seem to have more heirloom types.

September 3, 2018	#5
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	carolyn k, northern growers meaning long day. This year , due to space constraints, I grew only Candy Red and Candy purchased from Dixondale via our local nursery that buys the plant bundles and resells them. Candy is not a storage onion. I decided to try something that I could not buy in the supermarket, and I was pleased with the milder taste they had. In the past, I've grown Copra and a few others from seed (can't remember at the moment). I used to grow storage onions but I will no longer continue to do that and instead devote space to varieties not available at the grocery. - Lisa