Here is a photo of my husband Bill holding two of the 'Big Daddy' onions we grew this year. Hopefully you can get a sense of just how large they are! (you can even click on the photo to get a larger view)
In early spring, we bought some onion starts from Dixondale Farms which is a mail-order company based in Carrizo Springs, Texas. I learned about this company from a reader (thank you, Lars) who has been growing their onions for several years. He taught me that we need to be growing long-day onions here in the Inland Northwest for the best results. And boy, was he right!
We ordered 'Walla Walla Sweet,' 'Copra' and 'Big Daddy.' All performed very well and we ended up with the nicest onions we've ever grown, counting all of the ones we've grown from seed, seedlings or onion "sets" (small bulbs).
We're currently in the process of letting all three varieties of onions finish drying out on the floor of our shop. Since the Walla Wallas won't keep very long, we're focusing on eating them first; but it will be 'Copra' and 'Big Daddy' that should store really well through the colder months. Visions of French Onion soup are dancing around in my head right now!
If you go to www.dixondalefarms.com, you can read more about the types of onions that grow best here (or in other parts of the country, for that matter) and the different varieties they offer. We will definitely order more onion starts from them next year.
