Unusual Weather, Unusual Harvest

In most years, we are blessed with a bountiful harvest. Usually by now we have an overabundance of cucumbers and tomatoes, along with beans and potatoes. In past years we haven't done well with Bell Peppers and have had trouble getting our onions to grow very large.

This year is very unusual. The main season tomatoes are very late and we have only had a few good cucumbers. On the other hand, our Bell peppers and onions have been amazing!

We have well over 100 large onion bulbs drying right now.

To grow large onion bulbs you need many growing days of warm but not "hot" temperatures. Usually here in Northern Kentucky,our weather is not condusive to growing large onions because we typically go quickly from a cold Spring to a hot summer. This year has not been typical. Our Summer has been unusually cool. July 2009 is now officially the coldest July ever recorded! Our "normal" average high temperature for July is 85 degrees. This year's average was 69 degrees. That kind of weather is not great for growing tomatoes, but oh how the onions love it!

And of course we love the onions! I guess in a way the vegetable garden is like the stock market - it pays to diversify.

The other vegetable that has been unusually great this year are the Capsicums. The weather explanation doesn't fit here at all. I do have a theory about why we have harvested about 75 large peppers from one 4'x12' bed. I will share that theory and some pepper pictures in my next post.

Happy Gardening,

- Marc

Comments

[Daphne]

My onions haven't been doing nearly as well, but we got not just cool weather, but also wet weather. I don't think they liked it. My chili peppers are coming in like crazy. I'm surprised they grow so well in the cool weather. They don't get very hot, but they still are tasty.

[Matron]

Yes, my tomatoes are extremely late this year too. Blogging is a great way to log when the first tomato, the first potato etc. I checked back to my dates in previous years. Not just you Marc, it's here in England too. Spooky!

[Tiffany N]

Marc, I am a fellow Kentuckian (a bit further South than you - in Richmond), and I have enjoyed reading about your garden. What are those bins you are using for your onions? I don't have anything nearly as well suited for my harvest.

[Marc]

Daphne - your chili peppers sound great. I am only growing Bell Peppers this year.

Matron - yes, I have heard that it has been an off year for many gardeners when it comes to tomatoes. Where I live, it is because it has been cooler and much more cloudy/rainy than usual. I wonder if it is the same for England?

Tiffany N - I forget how blessed I am to have those bins. My father-in-law worked at a nursery where they get those crates and he has given me many of them. I think they get bulbs of something delivered in them. I use them for many different things. They work well for drying onions because air can get in and around them. You can't tell from the photos, but I have the bins of onions sitting on other empty bins turned upside down. That way the air can get under them too.

[Dennis]

Well my tomatoes didn't do so well either, though not because of the cool weather......it was the rainy weather! In one week we had about 15" of rain. And it's rained virtualy every day since! Not good for tomatoes.

[Selina]

I hear ya! It's taking forever for my tomatoes to ripen. Yesterday was the first hot day ALL summer and it was only 93 I think. Though my peppers are doing pretty well so I can't complain too much!

[Carla]

Hi,
I garden but I've never planted onions that make nice cooking onions. I've only done the little bulbs from Rural King and then eat them as small green onions.
Can you advise me on what kind of onions I should buy next year to get pretty, white, yellow and red ones... and how close together should I plant them.
~Thanks so much! ~Carla
Evansville, IN

[Marc]

Hi Carla,
I grow white, yellow and red onions. The key to growing larger bulbs for me is to start with plants (or from seed if you are able and willing to raise them under lights beginning in late winter). I like to start from seed but sometimes I buy plants. These onions were plants from Pinetree Garden Seeds. There is a lot written about long day onions vs. short day onions. For your area, long day onions are probably better. Sometimes you can find what they call intermediate day varieties which may be the best for our areas. The two varieties I grew this year were intermediate to long day types.

With long day types, the bulbs don't start forming as early but because there is more top growth by then, the bulbs get larger. It seems that they get extra large when we have mild summer weather like this year, but even during hot years you get good sized cooking onions.

My yellow variety was Walla Walla (Alisa Craig is also good). My white variety was Super Star, and if I would have grown red ones, I would have grown Red Mars.

As for spacing, I put them about 6 inches apart planted in blocks so I get almost 200 onions in 1 4x12' bed.

I hope you have have much future success with growing onions!