Ease of Raising:
|
5/5
– Very easy (plant and leave)
|
Water:
|
1-2/5 – Weekly to twice weekly
|
Sun:
|
4/5
– Full sun
& shade tolerant
|
Training:
|
1/5
– None
|
Fertilise/Feeding:
|
4/5
– Every two weeks
|
Time to Harvest:
|
5/5 – Forever (+5 months)
|
Frost Hardiness:
|
4/4 – Very Hardy (can’t take black frost)
|
Uses
|
Culinary, pest control, beneficial insect attracting
|
Most Problematic
Nemesis:
|
Usually pest free, some problems with onion fly &
rotting
|
Container Plant:
|
Most definitely
|
Common garden globe onion Allium cepa var cepa Herb Book (1914) Panel 9 Kurt Stuber Online Library |
Quick Intro
Onions are very easy to grow, but take a long time to mature. They virtually have no nutritional value and are mostly used to add flavour to meals. Planted between other vegetables, they act as pest deterrent, especially for aphids – but beware an ailing onion is just as likely to attract aphids!
History
The origin of the onion is obscure, but historians agree that it has been cultivated since ancient times. Although some wild relatives are found in Central Asia, taxonomists believe these to be ‘feral derivatives’ of the cultivated crops. The Romans transported the onion throughout Europe, whereas Columbus took the onion across the seas to America. The ancient Egyptians were known to place onions in the eye sockets of mummies before burial as the onion’s rings represented eternal life.
Science Stuff
The common or bulb onion, Allium cepa, belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family which includes several showy flowering bulbs such as the amaryllis lilies, agapanthus and daffodils.
The common onions have two groups, specifically;
Allium cepa var. cepa = the onions we all know, large single fleshy spherical bulb
Allium cepa var. aggregatum = shallots and potato onions.
Common onions come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes making for interesting additions to food dishes.
Common garden globe onion cultivars Allium cepa var cepa |
Common onions are very easy to grow, but to require a large amount of patience as they take 6-8 months to mature. They prefer hot and dry climates, therefore watering should be kept to a minimum especially in winter, whereas in very hot weather - a watering twice weekly should be ample.
Common garden globe onion Seedlings Allium cepa var cepa |
Other Onion Tips
Onion beds require regular weeding.
Once the foliage falls over, expose a bit of the bulb to the sunlight by brushing off some soil to assist with the maturation process.
Common garden globe onion Allium cepa var cepa |
Mature bulbs have a good papery layer around them and non-green flesh.
Harvesting & Storing
Bulbs are ready to harvest two weeks after the leaves fall over or when the leaves turn brown. Correct bulb storage is of the utmost importance as we lost an entire harvest due to rotting bulbs! Bulbs should preferably be strung up either by braiding their foliage, tied and hung up with string or hung up in stockings/net bags - a lot of air should be allowed to flow around the bulbs to ensure they do not rot. Fresh onions should keep for up to a month in a cool, dark place – if longer storage is required it is best to leave them in the soil and harvest as required.
Common garden globe onion drying Allium cepa var cepa |
Seed Collection & Storage
Onions flower in their second summer after exposure to cold winter temperatures. Some rogue onions may bolt before this and seed should not be saved from these. Onions have light purple or white perfect umbels that are insect pollinated. Although, they are good at attracting many beneficial insects, such as bees, bumble bees and hover flies, chives would be more suited to plant for this purpose. Common onions will cross-pollinate with other cultivars as well as spring onions, but will not cross with leeks or chives.
Common garden globe onion Flower Allium cepa var cepa |
Onion seeds do not keep well, only 1-2 years so it is best to use them up every season and save new seeds every year (from two year old onions). The optimum germination temperature is 10 to 35oC (50-95oF).
My Onions:
Starke Ayres Red creole: Medium sized red onion with a mild flavour. Quicker to mature than the larger white ones.
______________________________________________________________________________
Please share with fellow gardening enthusiasts via the various sharing buttons at the end of posts/pages! Else you can vote for posts through the Google reactions bar at the end of articles. To stay up to date I have provided several reader and social networking platforms with which to subscribe: Twitter, Pinterest, RSS Feed Reader or Email/Follow directly using the Blog Followers widget on the left hand side toolbar. Thank you for reading and please feel free to ask if questions arise - I appreciate comments and ideas too! 😆
_________________________________________________________________________________