Onions — FarmPal

Essential kitchen staple. Long storage life makes them a homesteader favorite.

Sun

full

Water

moderate

Spacing

4-6 inches apart

Days to Harvest

90-120 days from transplant, 150+ from seed

Planting Depth

Sets: 1 inch. Seeds: 1/4 inch. Transplants: just below first leaves

Companion Plants

Carrots

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Beets

Chamomile

Strawberries

Avoid Planting Near

Beans

Peas

Sage

Asparagus

Common Pests

Onion maggots

Thrips

Cutworms

Nematodes

Diseases to Watch

Pink root

Botrytis (neck rot)

Downy mildew

White rot

Growing Tips

•Choose correct day-length variety for your latitude (short-day for South, long-day for North)
•Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before transplanting
•Transplants give better results than sets for large bulbs
•Stop watering when tops begin to fall over
•Bend tops over to accelerate bulb maturation if needed
•Keep well-weeded onions compete poorly with weeds

Harvesting

•Harvest when 50% of tops have fallen over naturally
•Pull and cure in warm, dry, well-ventilated area for 2-3 weeks
•Tops should be completely dry and papery before storage
•Leave 1 inch of dried neck when trimming for storage

Storage

Cured onions store 3-6 months in cool (35-45°F), dry, dark location. Braid and hang.

Varieties

Yellow Sweet Spanish

Large, mild sweet onion. Long-day. Poor storage.

Walla Walla

Famous sweet onion. Long-day. Use fresh.

Red Burgundy

Beautiful red color. Mild. Short-day variety.

Copra

Excellent storage variety. Long-day. Stores 10+ months.

Texas 1015

Giant sweet onion. Short-day. Low sulfur.