Why Cry Over the Plant of the Month - Onions

Why cry over the plant of the month? The onion, also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested by community gardeners in its first growing season.

Onions are often grouped according to taste (mild and strong flavored), color (white, yellow, and red) and freshly ate or stored for later use. Globe varieties tend to keep longer in storage.

Understanding the amount of sunlit hours three Onion cultivars need to form a bulb (set) will help a gardener to have success while growing onions here in Havre De Grace (Maryland Zone 7) and are:

1. Long Day Onions - Bulbs form or set when it receives 14-16 hours of daylight and are adapted to Northern summers;
2. Short Day - Bulb sets with about 12 hours of daylight and are used in the deep South for winter production;
3. Intermediate - Bulbs set when the Onion receives between 12 to 14 hours of sunlight per day.

Maryland Zone 7 community gardeners can experiment with all groups, although long day and intermediate type will probably perform better in our area.

For more information on the incredible, edible Onion please see our Vegetable Plant Guide Webpage at:

• http://www.hdggreenteam.org/vegetable-plant-guide.html

Remember - “If you’re not growing, you’re owing!”