Fence Post Onions!

Fence Post Onions!

What's this you say? You can actually grow onions on an ordinary fence post? A stick of wood? A perpendicular onion crop? Bunions on a barricade? Shallots on a shield? Of course you can! Would I lie to you?

Stay tuned for the book! "101 Easy and Simple Steps to Grow Onions on Fence Posts." Which would be a big waste of money. Although I have written a book, it's not about growing onions on fence posts. You cannot grow onions on fence posts. Yes, I am lying to you. Despite the visual evidence presented to your immediate right, I did not grow onions on a fence post.

Yes, I did grow onions. No, I did not grow them on a fence post or any other type of wood. However, the onions pictured on that fence post are, in fact, the onions that I set into the ground as young plants on a cold and dark day last February.

2022 Onion Crop

That said? Ye olde fence post is serving a valiant purpose. Besides it's primary function to keep garden-thieving rats out of the garden, it's also a great spot for CURING onions. That's exactly what is taking place right now, at this very moment. My fantastically large onion harvest (featuring red, yellow and white onions) has entered the "cure" stage following this weekend's harvest.

What is The Cure? It's an English rock band. But this isn't the cure you're looking for, nor is it the process I'm describing.

Curing is the process that takes place AFTER the onion crop is harvested. It's a period that can last for as long as two to four weeks and the end result is an onion crop and harvest that will last for months without spoiling. Onions that haven't been properly cured still taste fine. But, even after cooking, they can also be a bit rubbery. I know this from experience. I used two of these small onions in last night's garden soup creation. Even after simmering them for 30-minutes, they were still a tad rubbery.

Enormous Onion

But they still tasted great! Plus, they will taste even better after they've cured in our hot California summer weather for a month or two. That's the nice thing about onions. I can leave them right where they are and they will last until the next crop is planted.

The process of curing dries the onions out a bit. The skins that make up an onion change during this process and get a bit tougher. The sugar in a home-grown onion gets a tad sweeter. The longer these onions sit and cure, the better they get. These are all good results.

There are roughly 140 onions in this year's harvest. Am I going to eat 140 onions? Heavens, NO! That's what neighbors are for. Fortunately, I'm blessed to live around a number of families who all share one thing in common. They all love onions.

Rat Hunter Inspection

Thank goodness they all love Yellow Crookneck Squash as well, otherwise I'd be in trouble. They are all getting squash at the moment. Soon, they will all get onions. Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and bush beans will soon follow. I keep my neighbors well stocked with fresh produce. I kind of like this role.

This crop of onions is the end result after planting one or two Intermediate Day Sampler packs provided by Dixondale Farms in Texas. These packs arrive as small starter plants, maybe two to three inches in length. They are planted in early to mid February. Once planted, they grow like gangbusters. Or, onions. By early to mid July, it's time to harvest.

I never really did experience a tremendous amount of success with growing onions until I finally followed the advice of others and turned to Dixondale Farms. The fact that this one operation has been providing onion plant starters to backyard growers large and small since 1913 should be enough to tell you that they are doing something right. If the act of growing onions is an art form, they are the American version of a da Vinci or Van Gogh.

Onions Will Make Him Cry

It's a fairly simple task, actually. Just use the Dixondale Farms map to determine if you live in an area designated for Long Day, Intermediate Day or Short Day Onions and place the appropriate order for the area of the country you call home.

How good are these onions? Very good. So good that they just might convince Robert Smith that he needs to do a rewrite on one of the key songs that made him famous.