Growing Onions

UT Extension Agent Walter Battle talks about onions. Onions are one of the first vegetables in the ground in the spring. In the Mid-South area around Memphis that is late February or early March. Onions are very frost tolerant so they can be planted long before the last frost. There are two main kinds of onions: spring, bunch, or green onions; and dry onions. You can plant the spring onions about two inches apart because they will not be growing a large bulb before they are used. The dry onions will be forming a bulb and should be planted at least six inches apart to allow room to grow. Green onions are ready for harvest in about 60 days or whenever they look to be the right size for your needs. Dry onions are ready for harvest when the green tops have fallen over (about 100 days or so). Dry onions need to be prepared for storage by drying or curing out of the garden. Walter places the onions on a wire mesh table in his garage for several weeks so they can dry out. Onions like a neutral pH soil but can grow in slightly alkaline to slightly acid soils. Onions do not like wet feet so they should be planted on top a small ridge. Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer. Onions tend to be disease and pest free but there are a few things that can affect them.

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Planting Onions
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​Related Resources:
Growing Onions in Home Gardens
Onions in the Garden
Onion Planting