Onion, from seedling to harvest

White onion, red onion and yellow onion are ancient bulb plants that are easy to grow.

Overall Onion facts

Name – Allium cepa
Family – Liliaceae (lily family)
Type – perennial, biennial

Height – 30 to 40 inches (80 to 100 cm)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – light, drained

Flowering – April to September

From planting or preparing seedlings all the way to the harvest, you can’t fail in growing them.

• Health: health benefits of onion

Sowing and planting onion

There are two options for you to start growing onions: sowing from seeds, or planting bulbs. In this case, planting small onion bulbs for them to grow is the most successful of the two, and the simplest to quickly produce beautiful onions.

• Sow seeds in a nursery at the end of winter until the beginning of spring. Sowing can take place from February to April. After that, transplant your tiny bulbs to the ground when they’re as thick a your thumb.
• Plant onion bulbs at the same time, remembering to bury the bulb about 3 times as deep as the bulb is high. Spacing should be around 4 to 8 inches (10 to 15 cm).
• Check for white butterfly eggs from time to time, since removing them will keep caterpillars from appearing.

Harvesting onion

Summer varieties

White onions can be harvested earlier, usually in May because they must be harvested before reaching full maturity.

Simply pull them out whenever you need a few, or you can wait until they mature.

If harvested when mature, you’ll have to cure the onions for a couple days. Pull them out and let them dry in the sun while keeping moisture away.

Summer onions are often eaten raw in salads or to spice a marinade.

Winter cultivars

In the case of winter varieties, pull onions out once leaves have yellowed and dried, and, just like the summer varieties, let them cure or dry out in the sun for a few days.

Store away from moisture for as long as you wish, in a cool and ventilated spot.

All there is to know about onion

Usually yellow onions are the ones most commonly eaten, but onions can also be white or red.

The taste differs slightly in each case, red onions being sweeter. Correspondingly, this makes red onions perfect for onion jam or salads. White onions are great for preserves.

Yellow onions are used in most onion-based dishes.