Won't they freeze?

I recently moved from Zone 9 to Zone 8. It gets a lot colder here than where I lived before (we didn't have "hard" freezes there). Here, we've had one or two hard freezes, but nothing major. It doesn't snow here.

I have been reading about planting "cole" crops in this area, and it appears that many of these are supposed to be planted in the Fall in order to have a Spring crop.

I don't understand this.

If one plants in the Fall, won't those plants freeze over winter?

Am I missing something here? I would appreciate information from anyone who might be able to enlighten me. Thank you.

Most brassica's will stand temps in the low 20's. Kale and collards are almost indestructable, but broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga and turnips will stand until a hard freeze. I plant in late summer for harvest in October - January. Not enough cold to hurt them, but they will bolt (go to seed) in February. Spring crop is already in the cold frame and will be transplanted in March.

Thanks Farmer! I understand now.

May I ask another question?

I don't understand about onions. (Can you tell that I haven't much experience with vegetable gardening)?

If one puts down transplants (for bulb-type onions), does each littlle transpant produce only ONE onion? I don't know how they grow and am researching the Internet in order to find out if the onion plants develop additional bulbs underground (like potatoes develop tubers).

Do you know?

Aso, I have a store-bought onion here that has sprouted tops which are about 10 inches tall. If I put that in a large pot, will it do anything besides rot?

And again, thank you for your help.

Jean

Jean...one onion set (or plant) will only produce one onion UNLESS it is of the variety called "potato onion" which will divide and produce multiple onions underground.

Also, there are multiplier onions knows as "Egyptian onions" or "walking onions" that produce onions at the top of their foliage. However, you'll probably know w/out a doubt if that is what you are planting because they will be noted as such.

As an aside, allium family crops that divide will be garlic, shallots, potato onions.

As for the onion that is sprouting in your kitchen, you can plant it but you'll most likely just get green growth up top and the 'onion' itself will rot. On a good note, the green growth from it will be great picked and used for cooking! Yummy!

Shoe

Thank you Shoe.

So one plants one little baby onion and then gets one big onion. I wonder where all thosse little baby onions come from then? Will I have to purchase a "breeding pair" of onions? LOL.

Again, thanks for the help. This is going to be a real "learning" season for me, but I will love the learning (and, hopefully, some produce).

Jean

Well, if you find that breeding onion livestock, please let us know were you got them!

Those little baby onions come from seed. If you broadcast some seed in a small area (3ft x 3ft for example) you'll get quite a few onions growing closely together. Those can be harvest while small and eaten fresh OR they can be pulled and dried to be used as "onion sets" for planting out later, usually in rows and given wider spacing so they can grow into full size onions. (Or they can be grown for their onion tops. Yummy!)

And, nope, no need to purchase a breeding pair!

If you'd like to try some plants I tend to steer folks to Dixondale Farms; they really have great prices and wonderful onion plants. Their customer service and growing information is also excellent!
http://dixondalefarms.com/

Happy Growing! Happy Gardening!
Shoe

Ah shucks! I was looking forward to establishing an onion herd that would come when called.

Thats the old time potato onions or multipliers. Big onion grows dozens of bulblets, small bulblets grows decent size onions. Use to be very popular in the south, before the dried sets and later plants became widely available. Slow and take up a lot of space, but we use to keep them in a dedicated onion bed. dig them in the fall and reset in the spring. They don't increase much faster than your cow herd, but they are always there in the feed lot.