🥕
Tending the crop…
🥕 Vegetable
How to Grow Onion
Allium cepa
Long-season crop — starts from seed or sets. Stop watering when tops fall over to allow curing in the ground.
Harvest
100 Days
Sunlight
full
Watering
moderate
Medium
in-ground
Spacing
1 sq ft
Heritage & Origins
Native Region
Central Asia
Historical Context
“Ancient Egyptians worshipped the onion, believing its spherical shape and concentric rings represented eternal life. They were found in the tombs of Pharaohs and used to pay the laborers who built the Great Pyramids.”
Ancestral Meaning
Representing complexity and the multilayered nature of life. A staple of culinary foundations across every major world civilization.
💡
Did you know? Sulfur absorbed from the soil is what makes onions make you cry. Chilling them before cutting slow down the enzyme release.
43%
Return on Investment
One onion plant produces roughly 8 lbs. Worth $7.12 vs a $4.99 seed cost.
Practical Maintenance
- Light: Full Sun (6+ hrs/day)
- Water: Moderate — water 1-2x per week
- Spacing: 1 sq ft per plant.
Champion Varieties
Lineages for your homestead goals
Yellow Spanish
The versatile kitchen workhorse; strong flavor that mellows beautifully with heat.
Walla Walla Sweet
Famous for its high sugar content—mild enough to eat like an apple.
Red Baron
Crisp and colorful; best for raw use in salads, sandwiches, and as a garnish.
White Bermuda
A mild, flat-shaped heirloom dating back to the 19th century.
Guilds & Companions
Resource Competitors
Complete Care Guide
Soil · Water · First 30 days · Monthly care · Troubleshooting · Harvest
Soil
Loose, well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. pH 6.0–6.8. Amend with compost. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers — they push foliage over bulb development.
Watering
1 inch per week, evenly moist but not waterlogged. Reduce watering significantly the last 2–3 weeks before harvest to prevent disease and improve storage quality.
🗓️ The First 30 Days
- Days 1–3Plant sets or transplants 1–2 inches deep, 4–6 inches apart, rows 12–18 inches apart. Pointed end up for sets.
- Days 4–7Apply light mulch of straw or grass clippings to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
- Days 8–14Watch for yellowing leaves — signals overwatering or poor drainage. Adjust watering immediately.
- Days 15–21Shallow cultivation around plants to control weeds. Don't dig deep — onion roots are shallow.
- Days 22–30Monitor for onion maggots. Apply diatomaceous earth around plant bases if signs appear.