Onion

Plant family

Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Moist

Soil

Medium (loamy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Plant distance

15 cm

Row spacing

20 cm

Seeding depth

1 cm

Instructions

Beginning of February

Transplanting

Mid of March

Harden

Description

Perennial amaryllis plant, which in the first year forms the bulb as a storage organ. Onions include several groups: Leek and spring onions, shallots, summer or kitchen onions, and vegetable onions, all of which differ greatly in growth habit. Furthermore, a distinction is made between "summer", "spring" and "winter" onions. Our usual edible onion is called "winter onion" when it is sown in the fall, cultivated over winter, ripens the next spring and then harvested. Harvesting is a little earlier, but they become very soft and can hardly be stored. Therefore, the edible onion is usually sown or set as a "summer onion" in the spring. Then they can be harvested from July for direct consumption or from August to October for storage. There are also special cultivars of 'Allium cepa' as spring onions. They do not form bulbs, but long, soft stems and grow quickly. Due to the storage organ, the onions are adapted to rainfall fluctuations and drought. Nevertheless, to harvest large onions need a lot of water.

Growing tips

A distinction is made between seed onions and onion sets. Summer, kitchen and vegetable onions are usually planted as onion sets in spring. The onion sets are only planted deep enough to just cover them with soil. Sowing in spring is also possible, the onions are usually somewhat smaller at harvest and can be planted as onion sets the following year. It is also possible to grow seedlings in planting trays. The seedlings are then planted in the bed as soon as the 3rd or 4th leaf is visible and no more heavy frost is expected. Harvest as soon as the leaves snap and turn yellow by themselves and the leaf base dries up. To do this, you should wait for a dry, sunny day and allow the onions to dry out before storing them.