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garden onion
Scientific Name: Allium ×proliferum
Family: Liliaceae
Category: Monocot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Growing Onions: A Gardener's Guide
Onions are a popular and rewarding crop to grow, even for beginner gardeners. They are relatively easy to manage and can provide a staple ingredient for your kitchen throughout the fall and winter.
Considerations for Children
- Onion sets are small, immature onions that could be a choking hazard for young children.
Scientific Name and Common Names
- Scientific Name: Allium cepa
- Common Names: Onion, garden onion, scallion, bunching onion, green onion
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Family: Alliaceae
- Variety: Allium cepa var. cepa
- Related to garlic, chives, leeks, and shallots.
Distribution and Habitat
- Onions can be grown successfully throughout most of temperate North America.
- They grow best in loose, well-drained sandy loam.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- Garden onions (Allium cepa) are biennial plants, taking two growing seasons to go from seed to flowering.
- Shallots form in clumps or rings of bulbs, whereas onions grow as individual bulbs.
- Onions come in a range of colors, shapes, and sizes.
- Storage onions grown in Minnesota are generally long-day types.
Cultivation
- Onions are cool-season vegetables that prefer full sun and fertile, well-drained soils.
- They can be grown from seeds, sets, or transplants.
- Sets are small, immature onions that are planted in the spring.
- Plant onion sets 10cm (4in) apart in rows 30cm (12in) apart from mid-March to mid-April (specific timing may vary by location).
- Onions do best if the temperature is cool when they start to grow and warm as they mature.
- They can be planted between other plants or in corners of garden beds.
Harvesting and Storage
- Onions can be picked and eaten at any stage.
- Some types of onions will maintain their quality for as long as a year when stored properly.
Varieties
- Examples of onion varieties include: 'Bianca di Maggio,' 'Red Torpedo,' scallions, yellow onion, Evergreen White Bunching Heshiko Onion, and Gladstone Onion Organic.
- Brown onions are strong in flavor and pungent and are usually good keepers for storage.
- White onions are milder.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- Information is available from UC IPM about managing pests of onions and garlic in gardens.