Planting Onions When the Maples Bloom

April 20, 2013 · Filed under Garden Experience, Plant Suggestions, plants · Tagged folk traditions on onion planting, Old time garden cues, old time onion planting advice, planting tips for onions, Southport Globe Onions

The bloom of the Red Maple tree heralds onion planting time.

The Red Maple blossoms are falling and (according to old-time New Englanders) it’s time to plant my onions.  My husband has rototilled the garden and the soil is all ready to transplant the seedlings I started in late January.  They now have their second true leaves and are large enough to handle without damaging them.

The soil is all prepared and the job goes quickly.

I space them about 5″ apart in a  wide row about 30″ across, sinking them in up to the juncture of the two leaves.  I have them in a flat with small cells and now discover that the tiny trowel in the garden tool set I bought for the Grandchildren fits perfectly and I can lift the seedlings out without damaging the roots.

This tiny trowel is perfect for the job.

I have let a few of the Southport Globe onions I planted last year winter over.  They have come up and look healthy.  I am hoping they’ll go to seed and I can develop my own seed stock for this onion that was the foundation of my town of Southport’s economy for a century (See this post for more on the history of our onions in Southport.)

I hope these left-over onions from last year will go to seed and yield me seeds to get my own seed stock.