Show HINTS H I. I TS HOM GA Onions Grown From Seed or Sets This is the sixth of oC ofa a series of ot exclusive cx- cx elusive articles on vegetable garden rarden ing ng prepared for NEA Service and The Telegram am D B By DR W WM WM I R. R BE BEATIE ATI E Bureau of Plant Industry U U. U S. S Department De Dc of A Agriculture Home gardeners are arc in the habit of f going to the store and getting a aquart aquart quart uart of ot onion sets ts and planting them in n their gardens and their chances are re fair for making makin a crop of ot onions Onion nion sets are all right for tor growIng grow grow- Ing ng carl early onions but if H commercial onion nion growers of ot the countr country were to o depend entirely upon growing all allf allot ot of f their crops from sets they would have lave great reat difficulty in getting enough nough sets As a matter mailer of ot fact tact the bulk of ot the onions appearing on our markets arc are grown from seed Take Bermuda onions for tor example the of oC f October onion growers of ot south Texas plant hundreds of ot pounds of of LL 7 Onions from seeds or sets grow row I vigo onion nion seed In beds where they can irrigate them and grow plants for setting citing in their tt fields Later in the theall all fall when the onion plants are large largel enough t to handle they are arc taken up and transplanted to fields where they grow into mature onions I TWO WAYS OF GROWING i Onion growers of oC the muck lands I of New York Ohio and Michigan fol fol- low ow the practice of oC sowing the seed right in the rows rO where the onions arc are to grow but the onion growers I of the far west sow the seed in beds and transplant the little seedlings just the same as Bermuda onion growers of south Texas Gardeners who are located anywhere anywhere any any- anywhere where from the central states southward southward south- south ward vard can an grow onions by the transplanting trans trans- planting banting method and even gardeners living iving well vell to the north can grow them hem by this method if th they will start r a-r 1 the he plants in a hotbed or purchase plants slants that are arc grown in the south Carloads of these southern-grown southern I onion plants are shipped to northern growers The transplanting method of growing grow- grow in ing ng onions is especially adapted for tor forthe forthe the production of ot those fine lan large e straw-colored straw Valencia or Spanish onions such as 15 farmers are arc growing in the irrigated sections of ot the west vest YIELD IS HIGH A bundle of ot onion plants that you youcan youcan can hold In your two hands if it planted plant ed on good soil and well cared for may produce anywhere from 2 to 4 Bushels of or mature onions but re remember remember remember re- re member it takes rich soil and early Wanting planting to lo make a big crop of onions Onions need plenty of fertilizer and even cven on good ground a pound 10 pall of high grade fertilizer to feet Ceet of row is not too loo much Sow the fertilizer broadcast and thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- mix it with the soil before you plant plan t. t Dont Don't plant onion seed too deep One half inch or even cven a quarter of an inch is deep enough if you keep the bed fairly well watered Where the seed is planted directly in the rows in the garden It should be ov- ov ered about three-quarters three of an Inch deep If the soil is heavy it may be necessary necessary nee nee- essary to break the crust over the rows to let the he little plants come up Tuesday Garden greens |