Location of Onion

The onion is one of the few plants from the Monocotyledon Class Lily Subclass - Lily Order Allium Family. It has extended leaves that leaf from the bulbous stem that is developed under the ground. A plant that is about a foot tall, it lives two years, in other words the onion is biannual. During the first year the bulb forms and during the second it grows the stem and it forms the flora and the fruit. The flowers are grouped in a spherical puff.

Although the onion may be found in the wild it is dominantly a cultivated herb. With the cultivation of the onion it is adapted to different habitats in climates that are warm, semi-warm, or semidry. It can even be cultivated inside the house.

At least 175 countries grow onions. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, there are an estimated "…6.7 million acres of onions in the world, producing 105 billion pounds of onions each year. Approximately 8 percent of this global onion production is traded internationally. Leading onion production countries are China, India, United States, Turkey and Pakistan, respectively". 2

U.S. farmers plant approximately 145,000 acres of onions, producing approximately 6 billion pounds of onions (excluding dehydration production) each year. The U.S. onion industry accounts for 2.4 percent of the world onion acreage and 6.5 percent of the world onion production. Onions are grown in more than 20 states, literally border-to-border and coast-to-coast. Leading U.S. onion production areas are Idaho-Eastern Oregon, Washington and California.2 (See U.S. onion acreage/production tables below).

Onions can be divided into two categories: spring/summer fresh onions and fall/winter storage onions. Spring/summer fresh onions are available in yellow, red and white throughout their season, March through August. Fresh onions can be identified by their thin, light-colored skin. Because they have higher water content, they are typically sweeter and milder than storage onions. This higher water content also makes them more susceptible to bruising.

Fall/winter storage onions are available August through April. Also available in yellow, red and white, storage onions have multiple layers of thick, dark, papery skin. Storage onions have an intense flavor and a higher percentage of solids.

Spring/summer                         Fresh Onion Availability   Area Trade Name Production Features
Texas
   Rio Grande ValleyMarch -    July                                  Super Sweet®, Texas Spring
   Winter Garden                                                              Sweet®,
   West & High PlainsJune -     August                              Texas 1015 Super Sweet®

Georgia                                   April - June                       Vidalia
                                               July - November               Vidalia Sweets®

Arizona                                   May - June                        Arizona Grand Canyon
                                                                                        Sweets™

Hawaii                                    Year Round Limited Mainland Availability
                                                                                        Maui Maui Sweets
                                              March-October                  Oahu Hawaiian Hula
                                                                                        Sweets™

Washington                             June - August                     Walla Walla Sweets®

New Mexico                          June - August                     New Mexico Nu-Mex Sweets
                                                                                        South Central Carzalia
                                                                                        Sweets

California                              April - June                          Desert Valleys Sweet
                                                                                        Imperials™
   San Joaquin Valley             May - August
   Coastal Valleys                  June - September

Colorado                              July - September

NOTE: Various limited production spring/summer fresh "sweet" onions are available on a seasonal basis from other locations including, but not limited to, California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington.

Fall/winter                    Storage Onion Availability            Area Trade Name Production Features
California                      September - March
   Southern High Desert Valleys

Nevada                         September - March                     Mostly Whites

New York                    August - May                              Mostly Mediums

Michigan                       September - March                     Mostly Mediums

Ohio                             August - April                             All Sizes

Minnesota                     September - March

North Dakota               September - March

Wisconsin                    September - March

Illinois                          September - March

Indiana                        September - March

Iowa                           September - March

South Dakota              September - March Limited Production

Idaho                          August - April                              Spanish Onions™

Oregon
   Eastern                    August - April                               Large Size
   West/Central           August - April

Washington                July - May

Colorado                   August - April

Utah                          August - March

New Mexico             September- December                  Limited Production

Onions come in three colors - yellow, red, and white. Approximately 88 percent of the crop is devoted to yellow onion production, with about 7 percent red onions and 5 percent white onions.

Yellow onions are full-flavored and are a reliable standby for cooking almost anything. These are most likely the most affordable onions and are generally found in bulk. These are the onions that are most likely to be used in herbal preparations. Yellow onions turn a rich, dark brown when cooked and give onion soup its tangy sweet flavor. The red onion, with its wonderful color, is a good choice for fresh uses in salads or in light grilling. White onions have a golden color and sweet flavor when sautéed.

Onions range in size from less than 1 inch in diameter, in cooking these are used as creamers or boilers, to more than 4.5 inches in diameter, super colossal. The most common sizes of onions sold in the United States are the medium, 2 to 3 ¼ inches in diameter and the jumbo, 3 to 3 ¾ inches in diameter.2

The ground should be well prepared for growing onions. Clay soils, such as what we have in our area, should be worked into fine silt working in plenty of organic matter. It may be necessary and a good idea to prepare the ground before planting using a green manure such as clover. Ideally the onion should be planted between March and September but if it is put in the ground in early October it should grow a little before winter sets in.

It is possible to plant the onion plant indoors during the freezing winters in cloches in February or from seed in March. Harvest the onion August through September.

One final point, onions should not be grown on the same patch year after year. This goes for garlic and shallots too, they all should be sown as part of a crop rotation scheme.

Store your onions in a cool, dry, ventilated place - not in the refrigerator. Do not store whole onions in plastic bags. Lack of air movement reduces storage life. Chopped or sliced onions can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.