Remember that old song, “I Love Onions”, by Susan Christie recoded in 1966?
The lyrics went something like this: I don’t like snails, or toads, or frogs. Or strange things living under logs, But, mmm, I love onions.
I, too, love onions, especially spring onions and I planted three rows in my garden last Sunday.
Can you believe this weather – planting stuff in your garden on a balmy day in the 70’s – in February?
If this is global warming, bring it on!
Sometimes in my garden the squash do well, and sometimes they don’t. More often than not, my tomato crop is a bust, and often I’ll have a good stand of green beans coming on and the deer or a groundhog will mow them down.
But one thing I can grow in my garden that always turns out well, and something the critters leave alone, is a crop of spring onions.
By spring onions, I mean that I pull them up when they are about a half-inch in diameter and eat them raw with lots of salt or in salads. In the spring, Nancy and I eat spring onions with most every meal, as long as they last, and I truly love them. Freshly plucked out of the soil, spring onions are bursting with flavor and are a true delicacy
Some gardeners grow onions from seed, but I buy onion sets and get a little head start. I have found that many suppliers like Southern States don’t get their onion sets in until early March, but I saw some in Wal-Mart and bought three bags. With the weather we’re having, I expect my onions will be peeking up through the ground in about a week and by mid-March, I’ll be pulling and eating them as soon as they get fat enough.
Onion sets come in white, yellow and red. I have experimented with all varieties but find that plain old yellow onion sets work best – and they really don’t turn yellow until much larger. They are green and white when they are young plants – perfect for dunking in a little salt and nibbling away.
Next week, if the weather holds up, I’ll sprinkle some lettuce seeds in a few short rows and see how that goes.
In the meantime, fellow gardeners, take advantage of this amazing weather. Get out the shovels and rakes and get your garden underway.