Onion

Onions grow best in loose, well-drained soil around pH 6.0-7.0 with steady fertility. Choose short-, intermediate-, or long-day varieties suited to your latitude, feed with nitrogen during leaf growth, and stop feeding when bulbs begin swelling.

Sun

Full sun

Water

Even moisture

Spacing

4 in

First harvest

90–120 days

Tips

• Start seed indoors 8-12 weeks before planting out, then set seedlings about 1 inch deep and 4 inches apart.
• Keep shallow roots evenly moist with about 1 inch of water weekly and weed gently by hand.
• Do not mound soil over swelling bulbs or bend the tops down to hasten maturity.
• Watch for silvery leaf streaks and tiny thrips in leaf folds, and remove volunteer onions that harbor pests.
• Stop watering when most tops fall naturally, then lift and cure storage varieties in a dry, airy place.

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