UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa
Client's Request: My coworker brought me some red onion seeds from Mexico. I have a small garden bed in my backyard and wanted to get some general info. on planting them. Some of the questions I had were: -How deep should I plant the seeds? -how far apart? how often should I water them? and what nutrients do they need to thrive?
UCMGCC Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting the UC Master Gardener Help Desk with your question about onion seed from Mexico.
Please help protect California agriculture by not importing foreign pests or diseases!!
If the seeds did go through inspection at the border and were Ok'd for entry, then it would be Ok to use them.
Onion seed should be planted 1/4 inch deep. Plants should be 4 - 5 inches apart - you can plant the seed more closely and then thin to the proper distance once you see which seedlings are the strongest. You may also be able to eat the “thinnings”.
If you live in west county, plant between January and September. If you live in a warmer part of the county, plant between February and October.
Keep the soil moist until the plants have emerged and look sturdy. Onion is a high water needs plant. Additional information on watering and harvesting can be found here http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/CULTURAL/onionwatering.html
Fertilizer needs depend upon the quality of your soil. You should test your soil for the 3 main nutrients: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. You should also do a pH test, since if pH is high, micronutrients may not be available to the plants. Relatively inexpensive soil test kits can be purchased at garden centers. Or, if you prefer, you can send a soil sample to be analyzed by a commercial laboratory. A suggested list of laboratories can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/files/51308.pdf. You'll want to visit their websites to learn how to take and submit samples, and what the service will cost. Once you know the condition of your soil, you can determine what nutrients would need to be added, if any. If you needed further advice about fertilizing once you have your soil test results, feel free to contact us again. Additional information on fertilizing can be found here: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/CULTURAL/vegefertilizing.html.
More information about growing onions can also be found at this University of California website: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/onions.html.
I hope that this information is helpful and you get some great onions.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (JL)
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).
Advice From the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
UC Master Gardener Help Desk: I did some research to determine possible causes for the reduced production of okra in your garden this year as compared to last year. I suspect that the high daytime temperatures that we've experienced on and off throughout the summer have contributed to the reduced production. My research also indicates that temperatures above 90° F (some sources say above 95°F) can interfere with pollination of okra and cause flowers and buds to drop. You reported in your latest message that you have noticed some encouraging signs that more pods may have started forming recently, which could be the result of the cooler temperatures that we had for several successive days last week.
Of course, we also experienced high temperatures from time to time last year when you report that production was much higher. So, there may be some other factors at work. You mentioned that you were doing some supplemental watering for the okra last summer to add to what was provided by your scheduled drip system. My research did indicate that water stress can also reduce pollination rates for okra. So perhaps the reduction in watering this year has also contributed to the reduced production rate.

One other consideration could be the fertility of the soil. Too much nitrogen will encourage lots of green growth but can suppress fruit development. Also, plants need adequate phosphorous which supports blooming and fruit production. If you have a soils test kit, it might be worth checking the fertility levels of the soils in the okra bed. If phosphorous is too low, you could supply a boost with a foliar spray or soil drench of a liquid fertilizer that is high in phosphorous. Just be careful not to supply more nitrogen if the current levels are already adequate.
One other fact I learned from my research is that you can prolong the production period of okra by cutting off about 1/3 of the plant top in late summer. This pruning allows plants to send out new growth and flower and fruit for a second time in the fall.
I hope this information is useful. You are welcome to contact our Help Desk if you have further questions.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (TKL)
Editor's note: For more information on okra gardening, a Sonoma County MG article is recommended (click)... the pictures in this blog post came from that article.
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).
- Author: Richard Hornberger

For many years, I have been sowing seeds in the ground, but in the last four years, I have been moving to indoor propagation of vegetables and flowers under controlled heat and lighting conditions. Typically, I sow seeds in an open or multi-cell planting tray using a soil mix of compost, peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite. I have also used Rockwool cubes with success, but I prefer a light soil mix.
I am always looking for new information that will help improve my propagating techniques. A few months ago, while googling seed propagation, I came across an article by Stephen Scott of Terroir Seeds, about seed orientation. Scott believes that pointing the seed in the right direction (meaning with the root in the down direction) when planting will improve germination rates and vigor of the plant.
Before painstakingly planting my seeds with the radicle pointing down, I decided to research this theory a little more. One of the first web “hits” to come up was a repeat of the same article posted on the Monterey Bay Master Gardener Blog. I also found a similar article written by Master Gardener and Environmental Scientist, Diana K. Williams at SFGate. However, I wasn't able to find any UC Davis studies on the subject. Interestingly enough, the few university-based studies I did locate either did not support this idea, or directly contradicted it, such as studies with cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, watermelons, and cucumbers) that showed higher germination and vigor rates when the radicle is planted in the upward direction. While this is not a widely studied subject, most folks who have studied the subject make it clear seed orientation does not affect germination or vigor.
Although a little let down that the seed orientation theory came to naught, I nonetheless enjoyed my on-line sleuthing, and for now at least, I'll continue to plant my seeds without worrying about orientation.
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