By Clint Thompson
This year’s Vidalia onion season is underway as seedbeds are currently being planted in Southeast Georgia. Chris Tyson, University of Georgia Extension area onion agent at the Vidalia Onion & Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia, talked about his growers’ mindsets and the industry’s outlook heading into the fall, especially following season’s challenges that included Hurricane Helene and unexpected snowfall.
“I think the start of every new season is a new opportunity. I think everybody is cautiously optimistic and ready for another season, another challenge, another year. We don’t know what challenges will bring, but that’s farming you know,” Tyson said.
“We did have a lot of weather-related events last year with the hurricane and snow. The hurricane probably hurt us more than anything last year just from the loss of plants we had to make up before. Overall, the snowfall and cold we had in late January, it ended up not being too detrimental to the crop.”
After seed is planted, Vidalia onion growers will wait around 60 days, eight or nine weeks, to begin transplanting, which is usually around Nov. 15.