I have onions under grow lights. Would you start hardening them off with this forecast?
Mine have been outside for at least a week, maybe 2. I have been bringing them in nights if I know it is going below freezing, but it has been a few degrees above freezing a few nights when they were out and they are taking it in stride. Depending on the forecast I may plant them out this weekend.
I would if I believe next week will not be much colder.
Sunday looks chilly.
I almost thought about putting mine out in a low tunnel… I can always cover with b lankets… They can handle cold pretty well?
The bigger concern is bolting rather than freezing.
Too long of a cold snap can cause them to “vernalize” (the plant “thinks” it’s been through winter) and bolt.
Once I planted them out early and they were through the week of 28-34 with rain and snow after couple weeks of nice weather. I had to cover them with plastic low tunnel. When finally I could take it off, they got a sunburn due to been too long under snow covered plastic. They looked terrible, but recovered and not a single one bolted. But I start mine from seeds, not using sets.
I start mine from seed too. I plan on putting them in the ground as soon as i can work the soil.
I found this article about starting them in the fall in the northeast under low tunnels.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150107101151.htm
Last year, I had some rows of onions planted that I had started from seed. We had planted them in the spring. Well, sadly, our barn burned down in July and the onions were close enough to the barn that almost all of the tops were burned to the ground. All was not lost though. Thankfully we had insurance and we got the barn rebuilt. Also, around September, I noticed that the onion tops had re-emerged. We left them alone and they all overwintered in the rows where we planted them with no protection. They are now growing again! But wait, there’s more! I also had some seeds that I had started in a hoophouse last spring. I thought that I had gotten all of the onions out of that hoophouse, but when we went to clean the house up (there were weeds everywhere) last week, I found about 20 perfect onion sets that had been left in the soil! I was really excited. I planted them outside in a raised bed. I’m really curious to see how well they all grow.
I will try to take pics and post them this week and throughout the season. I also started some seed indoors in Jan and Feb. They are doing well. I will probably plant them out in late April or May.