Where would cooking be without the distinctive smell and taste of onions? With a range of sizes, colors (green, yellows, whites and reds) and flavors, onions spice up any dish. Whether sautéed, fried, eaten raw or cooked in soups and sauces, onions are a necessary part of most recipes. Onions are easy to grow and rich in flavonoids and many other nutrients, meaning they're as healthy as they are tasty.
Think of onions as a leaf crop, not a root crop. Because each leaf represents one ring of the onion bulb, more leaves equal more rings, resulting in bigger bulbs — which is great because that’s what you eat! Our onions come in three forms: onion seeds, onion sets and, in the case of leeks, onion plants.
Onion sets are small onion bulbs grown in the previous season. The partially formed bulbets are around ¾ inch in diameter, making them easier to plant than seed. They develop into full-size bulbs quickly after planting, in approximately 3½ months. Sets tend to produce stronger, more vigorous plants compared to seed, ensuring larger yields. Our popular Walla Wallas — a type of onion — are sold as sets.
Onion seeds can be started indoors or direct sown in the garden. Bunching onions are sold as seed, and we even have a variety that comes embedded in seed tape to make planting easier.
Harvest onions when two-thirds of the leaves fall over and turn brown. Leave them lying in the garden for one to two days to dry, if weather permits; continue drying them for two to three weeks in a cool, dry, sunny location; and, once completely dried, store them in a dark, dry environment in mesh bags or crates with good air circulation.
Get your onion seeds and onion sets today at Park Seed.
