Old Onion Seed Germinated

[GoDawgs]

A few years ago I started a "seed vault" in the big freezer to stash seed I wasn't going to need because I was switching varieties or to store excess saved seed. No more tossing out seed unless it's something that just wouldn't do well here.

One of those saved was Red Creole onion seed from 2016. I started some a little while ago when I started the fresh Australian Brown onion seed. They both came up five days after seeding.

Originally I wasn't going to plant onions this fall at all. Efforts to cure/store them successfully here in this hot climate without a root cellar haven't worked and there's no room in the house for them. So after I pulled the onions early last month, I just set them on screens under the pole shed and left them there even after they seemed dry. They were on that screen all summer in the heat and have survived just fine! No rot.

So..... I've decided to do onions once more and although the original plan was to just do one side of one bed (18') with the Browns, I'm also doing the Creole Reds on the other side. Or maybe just that one row, half and half.

[jtjmartin]

GoDawgs:

Good to hear! I thought onion seed was only good for a year or so. I skipped onions this year - no room - but will give the seed a shot this next spring.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by jtjmartin

GoDawgs:

Good to hear! I thought onion seed was only good for a year or so. I skipped onions this year - no room - but will give the seed a shot this next spring.

It's good for a year left as is, but it's been in the freezer for several years and is still viable. It's the first time I've planted anything out of the freezer and now that I know the onion seed is good, the rest of the stuff (tomatoes, squash, etc) should be too.

A lot of you probably already do this and it's no big deal but some things I just have to prove to myself!

[b54red]

I have had decent germination from some onion seed for up to three years. Bermuda was one that seemed to survive the longest and only kept in a drawer in the house not frozen. I love those Creole onions and they keep really good. Last year my red onions did pretty good and they seem to keep better than most but there are some others that keep well. It seems the best keepers are the ones with thin rings and are usually more pungent. I haven't ordered my onion seed for this next year yet. I usually start them in October in a pot of DE. I love growing them in the DE because if you let them dry out a bit before planting it is so easy to separate them. The DE just shakes right off.

I don't grow a lot of Vidalia types because they are poor keepers usually due to the amount of moisture in them I guess. My most consistent good producing onion and fairly reliable keeper over the past twenty years has been white Bermudas.

Bill

What is DE?

[GoDawgs]

DE is diatomaceous earth. It's made up of tiny fossilized organisms and silicon. The particles are so fine that they get up under scales, etc of bugs and wreak havoc. Food grade is the one to buy. If you search "diatomaceous earth", there's lots of great info on the whats, whys and how to use/not use.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by b54red

I don't grow a lot of Vidalia types because they are poor keepers usually due to the amount of moisture in them I guess. My most consistent good producing onion and fairly reliable keeper over the past twenty years has been white Bermudas.
Bill

I've tried the Vidalia type (yellow granex) and not had much luck either. They don't germinate as well for me. Why? Who knows. And then when planted out, they're sloweer and just don't perform as well.

And you're right about storage, IF I ever get enough that they'd need to be stored longer than a month or two. They've been booted off the island!