Common Name: onion
Type: Bulb
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Native Range: Not known in wild
Zone: 5 to 10
Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Bloom Time: Seasonal bloomer
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Annual, Vegetable
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer, Black Walnut
Culture
Plant as sets (bulblets) in early spring as soon as ground can be worked, about 6" apart in rows 8" apart with ½ to 1" covering of soil. Give room to grow as each bulblet will become a whole clump. They prefer well-drained, sandy and limey soil. Any organic material should be well composted. Provide regular shallow cultivation to reduce weed competition. Harvest tops or entire plant at anytime. Pull as green onions when 8" tall. Top harvesting will delay bulb crop maturity. Harvest bulbs when tops die back: pull soil away from clump to expose to full sun, pull up in several days, let dry outside for several days before moving to screens or racks in dark dry environment.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Allium cepa, commonly called shallots, is a cultivated onion with a flavor somewhere between onions and garlic. This is a cultivated vegetable of great antiquity and is not known as a wild plant.
Genus name comes from the classical Latin name for garlic.
Specific epithet is Latin for onion.
Problems
Onions are susceptible to number of pests and diseases. Diseases include botrytis, purple blotch, downy mildew, neck rot, soft rot, onion smut and viruses such as onion yellow dwarf and iris yellow spot. Common pests include onion thrips, allium leaf miner and onion fly (also known as onion maggot). Rot is more likely in poorly drained, overly moist soils. Deer and rabbits tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Use greens as you would use green onions or chives. Use bulbs for soups, salad dressing, vegetable dishes, and casseroles.