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Allium cepa

The onion is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables in history. The two most popular types of onions are ordinary onions and bunching onions. Ordinary onions are bulbs that lie on or close to the surface of the soil and bear 18-inch-high hollow rounded blue-green leaves. They come with white, yellow, or red skins, and keep for several months (the stonger the flavor, the longer the onion will keep). Sweet onions, such as the Vidalia onion, are not suited for storage, but have a very mild flavor.      Onion plants are hardy and can withstand temperatures as low as 20 degrees F. They should be set out 4 to 6 weeks prior to the date of the last average spring freeze, as soon as the soil can be worked. Plant sets or young plants about 2 inches deep and 2 to 4 inches apart. Thin when plants are 6 inches high, to stand 4 inches apart. Keep evenly moist. Onion roots are shallow, so cultivate carefully. Fertilize twice during the growing season--when they are about 6 inches tall, and when they are about 12 inches tall. Ordinary onions can be harvested in about three and one half months after sets or young plants are planted. When the tops begin to yellow, bend the stems down toward the ground. This stops the growth and starts the ripening process. When the leaves turn brown, the onions are ready to be carefully pulled and spread out to dry, for a week or so, in a well ventilated area.

	Yellow Granex (Vidalia type). F1 Hybrid Yellow Granex. Short or intermediate day type. Very mild flavor, not suitable for storage.
	'Early Yellow Globe'. Firm bulbs around 3 in. are light yellow and flattened, with moderate flavor. Days to maturity: 100. Long day type, most suitable for Mid-Atlantic and Northern regions. Good for storing.
	'Red Torpedo'. Outer skin is a deep purple red, with soft, bright red or pink flesh. Flavor is spicy and tangy. Days to maturity: 95-120. An intermediate day length onion. Not a good keeper. Will grow in the North but recommended for the South.
	'Jumbo Sweet'. The term "sweet" when used to describe an onion simply means that it is mild. It doesn't have a strong aftertaste or bite. That's because sweet onions contain very little of the natural pungency compound in most onions called "pyruvate". Not only do they not taste as strong as winter storage onions but they also don't have the strong tearing effect when you cut them. Sweet onions also have a thin skin and are very juicy. They are at their very best when served raw in salads, on sandwiches or burgers or in salsa or relishes.
	'Stuttgarter'. A yellow storage onion, available as sets.
	'Super Star'. An earlier, larger, sweeter white onion, Jumbo white globes can weigh over a pound, filled with thick, mild-sweet rings. Great for storing; resistant to pink root. 80 days to maturity.
	Yellow Onion, 2002. Onion sets are immature "baby" onion bulbs from which green or dry onions are grown. Plant in late fall or early spring.

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Site launched January 1, 2000. Site updated September 1, 2007.