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Show Pays to Know Your Onions In Planning Victory Gardens ' - ) v '.--.:.('" , . r. - - - ' S" ' -' ' j --' V. ', ; . .. . .' . V. ,- f -. -. ; t" - - ' - ; -V'- - - : j ' v K ... a-r '- . , V Large Onions Grown From Onion Sets, Harvested in August. Most Victory gardens grow onions from sets. These are merely mere-ly dwarfed onions, grown last year in crowded rows which prevented them from developing normal size. They are grown from the same seed that produces'large onions. Their advantage over seed is in the time they take to grow to usable us-able size. They will produce green onions in three weeks, and mature onions in three months. From 15 to 30 pounds of large onions can be grown from a pound of onion sets which do not average over three-quarters of an inch in diameter. To grow large onions, sow small sets an inch deep; and to grow spring or green onions, to be eaten before bulbs begin to form, sow larger sets two or three inches deep. Spanish and Bermuda onion plants are started in the southern states, pulled up when as large as a lead pencil and shipped north to be planted in pavcVr-. They should be fresh and " "hen you plant them and should not be set out for a week or two after your first seed crops have been planted. To grow mature onions, space these plants four inches apart, in rich soil. Green onions may be grown from seeds, sown with the first crops. It takes much longer to produce either green or mature onions from seeds than from sets. Sow fairly thickly, and cover half an inch, and thin out the young plants early. If , you are growing for green onions, space them an inch apart. As they attain a usable size, they can be used, and plants may be left standing four inches apart to mature. When the onion tops grow limp and fall over, it is a sign that the bulbs are mature. They need not be pulled at once, but when they are harvested they should te dried several days in the sun and stored in a well ventilated place. A rich soil is required to grow large onions from seed. A balanced plant food should be applied at the rate of a pint to 25 feet of row. |