• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

Moldy onion sets!

 
pioneer
Posts: 84
Location: Douglas County, WI zone 4a 105 acres
13
fungi pig solar
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
They were in my house in the closed, plastic shipping bag for about 1 week until I opened them Monday.
Seemed almost wet in there - certainly very damp. Almost ALL the root ends are blue moldy. Sorted out the some that were obviously spoiled/soft, and put into a new mesh bag on my potting table in the barn.
Really need another week to plant them out ... still below freezing every night till then. This is my 3rd year buying sets - never happened before.
Will they be viable??
 
steward
Posts: 3679
Location: Pacific North West
1758
cattle foraging books chicken cooking food preservation fiber arts writing homestead
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Could you post a picture of them? It may help...

In my experience, as long as you can feel a bulb when you squeeze it, they’ll grow ok.

Also, if your bed you’re gonna plant them in is ready, you can plant them, even if temps dip below feezing. They’re pretty hardy.

You can also wait, if you’re more comfortable that way, or soil is not workable.

Definitely let air get into whatever container you have them in, if you will not plant them for a while.

I love onion sets. Such an easy way to get yummy onions.
 
steward
Posts: 15505
Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
4846
7
hunting trees books food preservation solar woodworking
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I'd plant them now, my onion starts (baby plants) are in the ground already.  

"The best fertilizer for onions is snow"
 - Nancy (a lady I know)
 
pollinator
Posts: 397
Location: Central Texas
102
5
wheelbarrows and trailers foraging rocket stoves homestead ungarbage
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I threw a bag of rotting onions in my compost and they survived and sprouted. Seems hard to kill them.
 
Mary Beth Alexander
pioneer
Posts: 84
Location: Douglas County, WI zone 4a 105 acres
13
fungi pig solar
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Sorry no pix, but you all have made me feel better!
I'm kinda waiting because it's been around freezing overnite for 2 weeks and until Tuesday. I've got to weed out joint-grass from this poor clay before planting in ground.
And, I'm going to plant many of them in my "grow-bags" with experimental tomatoes in cloches with black-painted water bottles!
I know I could probably plant the onions now, but they would be disturbed when I have to dig a BIG hole into the bag to bury these 2ft tomato "seedlings", LOL. Maybe 2 more weeks.
Thanks much, and best of luck to us all.
 
Look at the smile on this tiny ad!
GAMCOD 2025: 200 square feet; Zero degrees F or colder; calories cheap and easy
https://permies.com/wiki/270034/GAMCOD-square-feet-degrees-colder
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic