Onion and Garlic

How to Get Rid of Onion Maggots and Carrot Rust Flies: Organic Methods

📌 Editor’s Note: Combating Root Flies 🌍 The Pests: The Onion Fly (Delia antiqua) and the Carrot Rust Fly (Psila rosae) are notorious pests that lay eggs near the base of your crops. Their larvae (maggots) burrow into the roots, ruining the harvest. 🛡️ Organic Controls: This article covers traditional Eastern European organic remedies, including … Read more

Overwintering Garlic Guide: When to Plant, Feed, and Harvest

📌 Editor’s Note: Hardneck Garlic in Cold Climates 🌍 Climate Context: This article is written by a grower in St. Petersburg, Russia, which corresponds to USDA Zone 4/5. Fall planting is the absolute best way to grow large, flavorful hardneck garlic in cold winter climates. 🌱 Key Takeaway: Hardneck garlic requires a period of cold … Read more

Planting Fall Onion Sets for an Early Summer Harvest

📌 Editor’s Note: Growing Context & Varieties 🌍 Climate Context: The author of this article is gardening in Belarus, which is roughly equivalent to USDA Zone 4 or 5 (similar to the US Upper Midwest or New England). Fall-planting onions is a great strategy in cold climates to get an early jump on the season. … Read more

Overwintering Onions: Choosing the Right Set Size & Avoiding Bolting

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Fall Planting Onion Sets 🧅 Size Matters for Fall Planting: A great discussion on planting overwintering onion sets (севок). Pro Tip: For fall planting, it’s always best to use the absolute smallest onion sets (under 1 cm / 0.4 inches in diameter). Larger sets are much more likely to bolt (go … Read more

Fall Onion Sets vs. Spring Seeds: Multi-Sowing & Overwintering Tips

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Onions & Late Fall Flowers 🧅 Fall-Planted Onion Sets: A detailed guide on planting winter onions (like the Radar variety). Key tips: plant 3 weeks before hard frosts, mulch heavily, and choose a spot where winter snow lingers to insulate the bulbs. 🌱 Starting Onion Seeds (Advanced Trick): A fantastic method … Read more

Does Planting Bigger Garlic Cloves Yield Bigger Bulbs?

Quick Summary of the Garlic Debate 🌍 The Core Question: Does planting the largest garlic cloves guarantee the largest harvested bulbs? Growers debate whether genetics and clove size matter more than the physical structure of the soil. 🌱 Soil Structure is Key: A grower noticed that “volunteer” (self-seeded) garlic growing in ultra-fluffy strawberry beds grew … Read more

How to Grow Huge Onions from Sets: Planting & Care Guide

Author: Pomidoroved | Originally published: May 3, 2013 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) Choosing Sets: Bigger is NOT better. Buy small onion sets (about 1 cm / 3/8 inch). Large sets are prone to bolting (going to seed) instead of forming a bulb. Storage: Store your sets in a dry, warm place (like a shoebox on … Read more