 |
Onion
|
| Botanical Names |
Allium cepa |
| Origin |
Onions have been grown since before recorded
history. They were were found in Eygpt in the tomb
of King Tut. Onions are noted in the Bible as one of the foods most longed
for by the Israelites after leaving Egypt for the
Promised Land. They have been enjoyed by most cultures throughout history.
Christopher Columbus brought Onions with him to Central
America. Their popularity quickly spread among native American cultures. |
| Growth Habits |
Sweet Spanish are yellow ordinary onions. Ordinary
Onions are bulbs that lie on or close
to the surface of the soil and bear 18-inch-high hollow rounded blue-green
leaves. They come with white, yellow or red skins. Onions have shallow roots
and need constant moisture. |
| Season |
Onions grown from seeds need five months to mature
and the plants are difficulty to weed when small. Therefore, it is easier
and faster to use small bulbs (called sets) or young plants. In places where
frost is expected in winter, plant onions in spring as soon as the soil
can be worked for harvesting in summer and fall. |
| Location |
Moderate sunlight and soil with a pH
of 5.5 to 7.0. |
| Spacing |
Plant sets or young plants about 2 inches deep
and 2 to 4 inches apart; if 2-inch spacing is used, pull and serve alternate
plants when they are 6 inches or more tall. If seeds are used, sow them
1/2 inch deep in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. When the seedlings are 2 inches
tall, thin them to stand 2 inches apart. When they become about 6 inches
tall, pull up every other plant (they are edible),
making the final spacing 4 inches apart. |
| Tips |
Apply fertilizer
to onion plants twice--when they are about 6 inches tall and again when
they are about 12 inches tall; scatter a 4-inch band of 5-10-5
fertilizer along each side of the row at the rate of 3 ounces to 10
feet of row. |
| Harvest |
Ordinary onions can be harvested about five months
after the seeds are sown or about three and one half months after sets or
young plants are planted. When the leaves begin to turn yellow, bend the
stems into a nearly horizontal
position; this stops growth and allows the bulbs to ripen. Pull away any
mulch and part of the soil from around
the bulbs until they are half exposed. When the leaves turn brown, lift
the bulbs from the soil. Cut the tops off 1 inch from the bulbs and spread
the bulbs out to dry for a week or more. Or braid the tops of small bulbs
and hang them to dry (bulbs over 2 inches in diameter are usually too heavy
to cling securely in a braid). |
Pizza
Plants