Hi,
We grew white and red onions in this field which was 4 km from Clonakilty Co Cork. We picked specific varieties that suited our temperate climate in West Cork and would give enhanced taste and flavour. Our onions were planted on the 31/03/20, please find below a youtube link to how we plant our onions
Please find below some pictures of our 2020 growing season from planting to harvesting.
ODE TO THE ONION
by Pablo Neruda
Onion,
luminous flask,
your beauty formed
petal by petal,
crystal scales expanded you
and in the secrecy of the dark earth
your belly grew round with dew.
Under the earth
the miracle
happened
and when your clumsy
green stem appeared,
and your leaves were born
like swords
in the garden,
the earth heaped up her power
showing your naked transparency,
and as the remote sea
in lifting the breasts of Aphrodite
duplicating the magnolia,
so did the earth
make you,
onion
clear as a planet
and destined
to shine,
constant constellation,
round rose of water,
upon
the table
of the poor.
You make us cry without hurting us.
I have praised everything that exists,
but to me, onion, you are
more beautiful than a bird
of dazzling feathers,
heavenly globe, platinum goblet,
unmoving dance
of the snowy anemone
and the fragrance of the earth lives
in your crystalline nature.
Hi and welcome to our first news update on our new website. We will be regularly updating this post with general market information and how the crops are progressing through out the growing season.Overall the growing season throughout Europe has being extremely difficult with yields expected to be down between 40-50% throughout Northern Europe. The average acreage of onions growing in Ireland is down 27% this year. Yields will also be back per acre due to only some growers having access to irrigation.Our current best estimate for spring drilled crops is that yields will be down by 30% giving an average yield of around 30-35t/ha dry ex. store. The rest of Northern Europe is in the same situation with record breaking temperatures recently seen across Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.
The below pictures was taken of an Irish crop of Onion Sets on 12th of July 2018. These
were planted on the 06th of May 2018.
The 30,000ha of onions grown in the Netherlands has been particularly badly affected with temperatures close to 30°C since the beginning of July – peaking at 38.2°C last Friday (dubbed ‘Furnace Friday’ in the press). Even with 40% of the Dutch crop being grown on the Polders, where soil moisture levels can be relatively easily raised, yields are forecasted to be 40% down on normal.
Health expert Dr. Mercola lists onions amongst the most higly recommended vegetables. He writes that:
“Onions are loaded with numerous health benefits, and scientists are still discovering how beneficial this vegetable really is. They’re a very good source of vitamin C and B6, iron, folate, and potassium. The manganese content in onions provides cold and flu relief with its anti-inflammatory abilities.
Two phytochemical (plant-derived nutrient) compounds in onions – allium and allyl disulphide – convert to allicin when the bulb is cut or crushed due to enzyme activation. Studies show these compounds to have cancer- and diabetes-fighting properties, while decreasing blood vessel stiffness by releasing nitric oxide. This can reduce blood pressure, inhibit platelet clot formation, and help decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular diseases, and stroke.
Significant amounts of polyphenols (another phytochemical in onions) and an antioxidant flavonoid called quercetin (which has proven anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic functions) account for the reputation onions have for disease prevention.
Luckily, cooking onions in soup doesn’t diminish their quercetin value – it simply transfers to the broth. The flavonoids in onions are more concentrated in the outer layers, so discard as little as possible.
Onions are one of Dr. Mercola’s most highly recommended vegetables.
James Kilkelly writes in his Irish garden blog that:
Onions are claimed to have anti-cancer properties and many believe that the evidence is stacked in this theories favour. They contain vitamin A and C, phosphorus and potassium.
As well as being beneficial for our health, alliums are also good companions for other plants in the garden. They are usually planted next to roses, carrots, beet and camomile to give them protection from disease and pests; if they are good enough for plants they can surely do a lot for us too! Therefore growing onions is immensely satisfying as they are so useful.
In cooking they are used as a condiment or seasoning; few main course dishes would taste quite as good without the addition of either onions or garlic.”
James Kilkelly writes in his Irish garden blog that:
“Onions are members of the Allium family and a popular crop for those of us who grow our own food. There are three main groups of onions: salad or spring onions, which are sown in the autumn or spring, the autumn sown varieties for early bulbs, and the early sown kinds for late keeping.
Their flavours range from mild to strong and extremely strong or real tearjerker. All parts of the plant are edible but we generally restrict ourselves to the bulb.
Top tips from garden know how tell us that:
“It is just one of those onion facts that the key to growing big onions is early planting, with fertilizer or compost. Seeds can also be sown in trays and left in a cool location until the seedlings reach about 1-2 inches tall, at which time they can be placed in deep biodegradable pots filled with loose, composted soil. Place seedlings at the top and keep pots somewhat dry to encourage more extensive rooting as they move down in search of moisture.
Plant the pots in the garden in early spring, and as they absorb moisture from the soil, they will eventually decompose, encouraging a secondary root system near the soil surface, which will produce larger onions.”
Read more at Gardening Know How: Onion Info – Tips For Growing Big Onions https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/onion/onion-info-tips-for-growing-big-onions.htm
2020 Onion Harvest
ODE TO THE ONION
2018 Onion Season
What are the Health Benefits of Onions?
Growing Onions in Ireland