Experiments
I love to experiment in my gardens, just to see what happens. Below is a list of potato onion experiments I am currently performing or will try at a future date.
I've decided that I will post one video of all the update clips when each experiment is completed, instead of numerous progress videos for each experiment. That way you can watch one video to see the entire experiment from beginning to end.
Maroon above are incomplete experiments that are currently on-going or have not yet been started.
Experiment 1-2021-2024
Purpose: I left one potato onion bulb/nest alone for a number of years to see what would happen, expecting a "super nest" with dozens of bulbs by the time I harvested it. That didn't happen as you'll see at the end of the video.
10/27/2021 I planted one small mother bulb so the top was covered with three inches of soil.
During the 2022 season, I left it alone. From the stalks that emerged, it appeared that one bulb grew beneath the soil.
During the 2023 season, a nest grew and some bulbs pushed up out of ground. The video starts July 2023 and ends July 2024 with the harvest of the final nest.
Experiment 2 - Planting Depth Experiment
Potato Onion Bulbs Exposed to the Elements
Potato Onion Bulbs Exposed to the Elements
Purpose: I wanted to see what would happen to fall-planted bulbs that were fully and partially exposed to the Wisconsin winter versus those that were spring-planted. So basically a planting depth experiment.
What I observed:
Some kind of protection is necessary, so I will continue to fully bury my fall-planted bulbs with only part of the neck emerging.
They should be buried to some degree, even if spring-planted.
Six Test Bulbs:
Fall-planted, set on top of the ground and placed under a clay pot during winter. It did great and produced 12 medium size, firm bulbs.
Fall-planted, half buried and placed beneath the same clay pot. It also did great and produced 13 large, firm bulbs.
Fall-planted, set on top of the ground and fully exposed all winter. It did not perform good. It produced nine small bulbs.
Fall-planted, half buried and the top half exposed all winter. It did not do well. Two went to seed. A number were mushy. Eight small, firm bulbs.
Spring-planted, set on top of the ground. Performed the worst. It didn't finish splitting with many tiny bulbs inside.
Spring-planted, half buried. It did good. Seven decent size bulbs; not quite as large as the fall-planted.
Experiment 3 (five videos below of different variations)
Two reasons for doing variations of this experiment:
I brought in bulbs from outside vendors and wanted to be certain I was not introducing any pathogens into my gardens.
I had read that if you soak potato onion bulbs in a bleach/water solution that it would mitigate the viruses that build up in the bulbs during years of cloning, therefore, producing larger bulbs.
There were two suggestions for bleach/water strengths and a range of times (5-10 minutes) in which to submerge the bulbs.
Experiment 3-1A-2023
Using My Yellow Potato Onions
Using My Yellow Potato Onions
Purpose: to see if nests grew larger clones
I used four cups water to one tablespoon bleach solution and submerged my yellow potato onion bulbs for five minutes.
Experiment 3-2B-2023
Using My Yellow Potato Onions
Using My Yellow Potato Onions
Purpose: to see if nests grew larger clones
I used a nine-parts water to one-part bleach solution and submerged my yellow potato onion bulbs for 10 minutes.
Experiment 3-1A-2023
Using Full Sky Farm Green Mountain Potato Onions
Using Full Sky Farm Green Mountain Potato Onions
Purpose: avoid the possibility of unwanted pathogens. Note: SESE is a very reputable company; I am being overly cautious.
Four cups water, one tablespoon bleach, five minutes.
Experiment 3-1B-2023
Using Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Red Dutch Shallots
Using Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Red Dutch Shallots
Purpose: avoid the possibility of unwanted pathogens. Note: SESE is a very reputable company; I am being overly cautious.
In this experiment I used four cups water to one tablespoon bleach solution and submerged the bulbs for 10 minutes.
Experiment 3-2B-2023
Using Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Red Dutch Shallots
Using Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Red Dutch Shallots
Purpose: avoid the possibility of unwanted pathogens. Note: SESE is a very reputable company; I am being overly cautious.
In this experiment I used a nine-parts water to one-part bleach solution and submerged the bulbs for 10 minutes.
Experiment 5-2023
Planted Perfectly Round Potato Onions
Planted Perfectly Round Potato Onions
Purpose: I planted 15 perfect onions (round and firm) to see if they would produce all perfect round, firm clones in the nests.
Out of all the harvested bulbs in all the nests, only one bulb was close to being perfectly round and firm.
Note: in the video I misspeak a number of times and say 11 nests; there were 15 nests.
Experiment 6-2023
Planted Hemisphere Bulbs
Planted Hemisphere Bulbs
I planted hemisphere bulbs; basically a 1/2 onion that grows off the side of the main onion.
Purpose: I was curious to see if they produced a single potato onion clone or a nest. The answer: in my experiment, all 34 hemisphere bulbs produced nests with multiple bulbs.
Inoculating Soil with Beneficial Mycorrhizae Fungi
Purpose: to grow larger bulbs.