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How to Grow Onions
A culinary staple , onion are an essential vegetable in American gardens . onion plant , like other members of the Allium family , are biennial , producing seeds in their 2nd year of growth . The medulla oblongata ( or unwashed ) onion has brown , white-livered , or red cutis and is round , elongated , or flatten . bunch together onion plant ( or scallions ) are harvested small .
When and How to Start Indoors
flora onion seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before transplanting them alfresco just before the middling last frost date in your area . Seeds should be sown ¼ inch deep . Onions require an open and gay site , prolific soil , and good drainage .
Time to Germination
seed will germinate in 4 - 10 day when start indoors .
When to Transplant
transplantation alfresco just before the last frost .
Spacing Requirements
When transplanting your seedlings , space them at least 6 inches apart . Plant onion seedling in the least weedy part of your garden ; onion plant seedlings are modest and do not compete well with weeds .
Special Considerations
Before the last frost , make a large furrow in your dirt , at least 4 in deep . Water this seam before found your seedlings to make transplanting leisurely .
Common Pests and Diseases
Several bacterial , fungal , and viral diseases can pretend Allium cepa growth . Insect gadfly can also be a problem to various grade in different portion of the United States . Plant your onions in a well - drained space .
Diseases and fungi such as Fusarium basal decomposition , white rot , and Botrytis neck opening rot can touch crops in storage . craw rotation can facilitate prevent these disease .
When and How to Harvest for Food Consumption
The tops of bulb onion plants fall over naturally once the electric-light bulb have matured . When half of the tops in a planting have fallen over , snarf all of the bulb and send the pulled plant in a affectionate , dry place ( away from lineal sunlight ) to bring around .
Eating
onion plant have illimitable electric potential in the kitchen and are indispensable for flavoring savory dishes . onion can be poke fun , deep-fried , pickled , sautéed , and blend into dishes in dozens of other ways . Bunching onions , specially , are thoroughgoing for salads , pastas , and soup . Onion jam or fruit compote is a great way to use a kick of red onion that will not stack away as well as white or yellow onions .
Storing
Cure onion for two to three weeks after harvesting by storing them in a ardent position away from direct sunlight . When the onion feel newspaper - ironic on the exterior , nip off the tops and roots , and light brush off wanton soil before store the onions in a nerveless , juiceless place . Arrange them in a undivided layer or hang them in mesh bags .
Always handle onions very carefully ; the slight contusion will encourage rot . Properly cured onions will store for 6–8 month in a root cellar or coolheaded basement .
How to Save Onion Seeds
Onion seeds are not typically difficult to grow or to collect , but keep in psyche that they are a two-year craw , mean that they seed once every two years .
Life Cycle
two-year
Recommended Isolation Distance
When save seeds from onions , separate varieties by at least 800 foot up to ½ international nautical mile . To produce come from Allium cepa , select as many perfect onion as you could give up for seed output and stash away them through winter in a cool , dry , glowering place . Replant them in other springiness at the same bulb depth and space as when they were harvested .
Recommended Population Sizes
To ensure viable seeds , save seeded player from at least 5 plant life . To maintain a variety over clock time , pull through seeds from between 20 - 50 plants .
Assessing Seed Maturity
Watch first for flowers and then for cum head to form during the late summer of the second time of year . Wait for the seed head to dry . Most of the flowers will be dry , and the seeds will begin to flow out on their own .
Harvesting
After the plants peak and seed heads start to dry , amass the heads in a paper bagful . Most of the seeds will fall out on their own ; escape from the bag to unblock the oddment of the seeds .
Cleaning and Processing
assort the seeds from the stems and other matter that take in up the germ head . Allow the seeded player to air - dry for a few days before salt away the seeds in a nerveless , dry place .
Storage and Viability
When salt away in a nerveless , grim , dry place , onion cum will remain viable for 2 eld .
Read more about storing seeds .
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