Roger, a neighbor, gave me large bags of wood shavings and mulched grass. I poured this on a long raised bed, added lots of compost, and let the soil amendments meld over the winter. Next spring, I planted, spinach, Swiss chard, onions, and tomatoes. This soil became the best growing matrix I ever imagined. The bed sloped slightly. Water slowly worked its way to the south edge of the bed.

On a whim, I grabbed a box of 100 onion sets at Best Market. I knew that onions require lots of water so I set the tiny bulbs in a long row on the wettest edge of the bed. I pushed them down so just the tip of each onion showed. The box of sets weighed about a ½ pound. They have hollow leaves which are fragile. I broke off a few large ones and served them in a salad. The leaves and bulbs grew steadily for two months. Each time I watered, I enjoyed hearing the hollow sounds of droplets of water hitting the leaves.

As the summer unfolded, I began seeing browned tips of the leaves. Then the leaves began to droop and fall over. I took this to mean that the plants had stopped growing and it was time to harvest. What a thrill I had pulling the bulbs. They were all sizes. I counted 90 onions in all. So far the cost was $4 plus time spent watering. I layed the plants on screens in the garage to cure. Two weeks later it was time to braid. I’d select 7 similar-sized bulbs, lay them down, and proceed to braid them so I could hang them in the kitchen. I estimate the total weight at 18 pounds. I made 21 braids and hung them in the garage. In short, onion growing is fun!