Growing Onion

Allium cepa : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  S                    
    P P                

(Best months for growing Onion in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 2 - 4 inches apart
  • Harvest in 25-34 weeks. Allow onions to dry before storing.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Lemon Balm, Borage, Carrots, Beets, Silverbeet, Lettuce, Amaranth
  • Avoid growing close to: Peas, Beans

Your comments and tips

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10 Jan 15, Maurice (Australia - temperate climate)
Most onions are biennial, they flower and die in the second year. With yours I say leave them where they are, let the flower, collect the hundreds of seeds they produce and plant them. We grow a lot of perennial onions like tree onions and potato onions. We got them through the post from mudflower blogspot. They have a lot of perennial vegetables which are much simpler to grow than the regular types.
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27 Sep 14, Deeanna (Australia - temperate climate)
I am a new gardener but I have to live with possums, bush turkeys, mice and wallabies. It has been my experience over the last 4 years that both possums and wallabies would be the culprit eating your onion tips. We cover ours with bird netting. This leaves us with the wallabies that push against the netting to nibble. But they do not get to eat much once the garden is covered securely.
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21 Sep 14, Sarina (Australia - temperate climate)
Our onions (brown and red) are hanging on the fence in a planter box we made from pallets(we have a dog who likes to knock things over). However something is eating the tips of the leaves and only the tips. It wouldn't be possums as the dog would be going crazy. There is no bugs at all near the plants. The fence is colourbond steel, in off-white, and we can not see any trails, marks, tell tale signs of any slugs or snails etc. there is no bugs or sign of them in or around the pallets, and the boxes are lined with weed mat to stop the dirt from falling out. Any ideas of what this could be that's loving the tops of the onions? It's our first ever attempt at growing veggies, and we would really like some to survive!
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29 Aug 15, Sally-Anne Pucek (Australia - temperate climate)
I discovered our cat was nibbling the tips of our young garlic and onions...
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02 Apr 15, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi there had the same problem and found it was rats ,if you can move them onions to a less easily accessible spot for rats anyway .A fence is like a rat highway
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09 Dec 14, Glen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Sounds to me like heat transfer from the tin fence. Regards
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08 Sep 14, Freckson Tineyi Ropi (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I want to buy king onion seed where can l buy it. Am in Limpopo Province
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31 Aug 14, Suzanne (Australia - temperate climate)
Do I let the seed stem of the onion grow or cut it off Onions looked good till the seed stem grew and then they just went hard inside
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18 Aug 14, Rob (Australia - temperate climate)
Hello can i purchase walking onion or egyptian onion in melbourne or sydney
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02 Jul 14, coralie (Australia - temperate climate)
Having trouble purchasing tree onions/Egyptian running onions. Can you help
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Showing 271 - 280 of 368 comments
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Since you are having problems with your Texas Grano -- I would recommend going to an Egyptian walking onion (or other walking onion). Video abojut the onion can be found here: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=walking+onions&mid=17F7CAB6E4A914745E4A17F7CAB6E4A914745E4A&FORM=VIRE Additionally: the walking onion originated from a cross between the Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum), and the common onion (Allium cepa). The Egyptian walking onion, Allium x proliferum, is a member of the allium family and a great addition to the perennial vegetable garden. Egyptian onions go by many names, including tree onions, topset (or topsetting) onions, and walking onions. The seeds are slow growing, and can take several years for them to grow and flower. That’s why people grow them mostly from established bulbs. Every part of the Egyptian walking onion is edible, including the bulb in the ground, the stems, the flower, and the aerial bulbils. There are different varieties -- some zones 3-9 others 3-10. I would select a 3-10 for your area -- additionally some types grow substantial bulbs under ground -- others have small underground bulbs -- so select your variety based on your need. There are white, brown and purple walking onions. There is also the RED CATAWISSA WALKING onion -- which is not classified as an Egyptian walker -- but is still a walking onion: this variety for its larger sized bulbs and topsets that are much larger than the typical walking onion. All parts of the plant are edible. Walking onions are a standard choice for permaculture gardens and food forests -- they are very low maintenance - and very reliable -- so a good choice for anyone having difficulty growing regular onions.

- Celeste Archer

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