Doc Fletcher

I was driving south on 155, just shy of the “Blue Store” when I saw them — American Gothic figures working in the fields. An old beat up tractor was dragging two people on a rusty piece of equipment. It was New Year’s Eve, unseasonably warm with rain forecast for the next day. It could only mean one thing: it was onion planting time in Noonday, Texas — home of some of the sweetest onions in the world.

A few families still truck farm in the area, but most of the old-timers are gone. Where they once grew onions, now stand new houses, stores, and pavement. With the government giving out money and plenty of inside air-conditioned jobs begging for employees, why would anybody be working in the fields like it was the 1930’s.

I was a novice Noonday onion grower in the nineties but never planted more than 3,000 plants whereas the Flanagan’s, Sulzers, Deans, Sheltons and others planted tens of thousands and shipped them all over the world. I was curious to see if the techniques had changed much in recent years. I stopped and visited with the Flanagan family and later with the Tim Buckley family and have summarized their informal rules for growing onions.

Work the ground until loose, plowing, tilling, etc.

Preferably a sandy loam — that has not grown onions in several years.

A soil test is desirable including ph. (7-7.5) with a basic level of nitrogen, phosphorus etc. but low levels of sulfur. Neither family had soil tested this year.

Can pre-treat with phosphorus 3-4 inches under your row. Neither family had done this.

Later a low in sulfur fertilizer would be applied as a side dressing or broadcast then lightly plowed-in.

Onion plants from South Texas or from local sources, obtained in bunches of 60-80 plants. The stems are preferably smaller than a pencil. Larger onions with stems greater than pencil size tend to bolt.

Plant only one inch deep. Too deep and they do not make big onions. Plant 4 ½ “- 6” apart with rows

8” – 16” apart, depending on whether you are using a tractor.

Do not plant before December 1st and no later than February 28th. Side dress every 3 weeks with high nitrogen fertilizer preferably ammonia nitrate (never sulfate). Some people just use 13-13-13, but with no sulfate.

9. Water about one inch per week minus rainfall. These 2 growers do not irrigate.

10. About mid-May, if ½ of the tops are bent then you can start to pull. If it is not raining you can dry lying in the field or under sheds if the fields are too wet. Do not let them touch. After a week move to sheds and lay on the ground and let dry more. When outer scales are dry and the neck is tight they can be stored in net bags, old stocking with knots in-between onions or screen wire, or on newspapers (not touching each other) or with tops tied together and hung over rafters.

11. Sweet onions like Noonday’s ones will only keep about 6 months, so start to enjoy right away.

The older growers are gone now and fewer onions are grown but come June, drive to Noonday-Flint area and get some or grow your own. Just remember sunshine, 1” deep, fertilize about every 3 weeks, water 1 inch each week and no sulphur.