Yellow, white, and red/purple onions grow very well in Texas home gardens. Green onions may be eaten fresh or chopped and added to salads. Bulb onions may be sliced and used on sandwiches or dipped in batter and fried as onion rings. Although onions are a source of vitamins A and C, they are used mostly as a flavoring in other food dishes.
Varieties
The varieties of onions that grow best in Texas are listed below.
Yellow Chula Vista, Cougar, Jaguar, Legend, Linda Vista,
Mercedes, Prowler, Safari, Sweet Sunrise, TX 1015Y
White Cirrus, Marquesa, TX Early WhiteRed Red Bone, Rio Santiago, Sakata Red
Intermediate day (12–13-hour day length)
Yellow Caballero, Cimarron, Riviera, Utopia, Yula
White Alabaster, Mid Star, Sierra Blanca, Spano
Red Fuego
Long day (14–16-hour day length)
Yellow Armada, Capri, Durango, El Charo, Ole, Seville,
Sweet Perfection, Valdez, Vaquero, Vega
White Blanco Duro, SterlingRed Tango
Onions grow best in full sunlight and well-drained soils.
Planting
Onions are a cool-season crop and can stand temperatures well below freezing. They may be planted from seeds, from small bulbs called sets, or from transplants.
Seeding costs the least but takes longer before onions are ready. When seeding onions for bulbs, plant them ¼ inch deep during October through December. Place the seeds 1 inch apart. When the plants are about 6 inches high, thin them to one plant every 2 to 3 inches. Eat the extra plants as green onions. If you use sets or transplants, plant onion transplants or sets ¾ inch deep and 3 inches apart. Do not transplant onions more than 1 inch deep.
Fertilizing
Onions grow best when the garden soil is fertilized correctly. Spread 2 to 3 pounds of a fertilizer such as 10-10-10 over a 100-square-feet of garden area. Measure and spread the fertilizer; then mix it with the top 3 to 4 inches of soil. When the onion plants have 5 to 6 leaves, apply fertilizer again to help grow larger plants and bigger bulbs each leaf forms a ring in the onion bulb. More leaves means more rings and larger bulbs. Use about ½ cup of fertilizer for each 10 feet of onion row. Scatter the fertilizer evenly between the rows. Water the onions after adding the fertilizer. When the onions have 5 to 6 leaves each, scatter fertilizer around the plants and water it in.
Watering
Watering once a week usually is enough in the spring. But you may need to water more often during dry, windy weather. Water onions slowly and deeply to help grow strong, healthy roots.
Harvesting
Onions seeded in October/December or transplanted in January/February should produce bulbs in May/July. If used as green onions, they may be picked from the time they are pencil size until they begin to form bulbs. For dry-bulb onions, let the plants grow larger. The onions are ready when the main stem begins to get weak and fall. Pull the plants out of the soil. Then remove the tops and roots and let them keep drying in baskets or boxes.
Storing
Store onions in a refrigerator crisper or in a dry, airy place such as in a wire net in the garage or carport.
