Growing Onion

Allium cepa : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  S         S          
      T T T     T      
        P P            

(Best months for growing Onion in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 2 - 4 inches apart
  • Harvest in 25-34 weeks. Allow onions to dry before storing.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Lemon Balm, Borage, Carrots, Beets, Silverbeet, Lettuce, Amaranth
  • Avoid growing close to: Peas, Beans

Your comments and tips

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17 Jul 20, Elaine (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I am looking for everlasting onions. Think they are called Allium Cepa Perutile. They are what I would call a a shallot and grow from a shallot.bulb only and get lots around it a bit like garlic and have leaves like spring onions and don't flower or seed. If you Google Iitoi onions in USA they look like that. I moved from Australia years ago and they had grown in my family for generations. I would love to have them again. Does anyone know where I can get a few bulbs in NZ?
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30 Jul 20, Sarah (New Zealand - temperate climate)
They may be what we call a multiplying, walking onion. I sometimes have some though not at this time of year.
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20 Jul 20, Mike (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I found a company Garlico in NZ, they grow and sell shallots, 3 different kinds, but not like what you and I are talking about. Mike
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20 Jul 20, Mike (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I took a look at the I'iotoi onion on google, the photo of them is the closest /the same to what I grow. I have always called them shallots and so did my mother. I/we have been growing them for nearly 60 years. Keep bulbs from one year to the next to replant. The only problem is I live in Australia, near Bundaberg Qld. A lot of people call different things shallots. If you are unable to obtain any in NZ you could ring your agric department and see if I could send some to you. Ring up some of the seed selling companies in NZ to see if they have them.
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16 Aug 20, Elaine (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Mike thanks for your reply. The shallots you are talking about like the Iitoi in America you ave grown in Bundaberg for 60 years are exactly the same ones my Mum grew. I came from Brisbane Qld where she grew them for probably about the same length of time too. They are unique as they don't seed. I'm not sure Customs would let them into NZ as I know they are strict on fruit. I would love to get some but not sure how.
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08 Apr 20, Harpreet Kaur (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
If you sow seeds of red onion indoor in April and wait till it can be transplanted outside..say in June.. Can it stay in the ground in cold winters harmlessly..n mature in summers to come around Christmas? Or will it die in cold weather buried in soil ?
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09 Apr 20, anonymous (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Go to cool/mountain NZ look up onion and look at the monthly calendar at the top of the page - read what S P &T mean and then apply that to your question.
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05 Mar 19, Carole (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
When is the best time to plant red onion seeds and what sort of fertilizer should I use do u use lime?
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06 Mar 19, mike (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Best time to plant - read the top of the page. Fertiliser - one with not a high N content. Lime - read up about using lime.
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13 Feb 19, robert samuel walker (New Zealand - temperate climate)
when is the best time to put in red onion in christchurch
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Showing 11 - 20 of 35 comments
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Since you are having problems with your Texas Grano -- I would recommend going to an Egyptian walking onion (or other walking onion). Video abojut the onion can be found here: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=walking+onions&mid=17F7CAB6E4A914745E4A17F7CAB6E4A914745E4A&FORM=VIRE Additionally: the walking onion originated from a cross between the Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum), and the common onion (Allium cepa). The Egyptian walking onion, Allium x proliferum, is a member of the allium family and a great addition to the perennial vegetable garden. Egyptian onions go by many names, including tree onions, topset (or topsetting) onions, and walking onions. The seeds are slow growing, and can take several years for them to grow and flower. That’s why people grow them mostly from established bulbs. Every part of the Egyptian walking onion is edible, including the bulb in the ground, the stems, the flower, and the aerial bulbils. There are different varieties -- some zones 3-9 others 3-10. I would select a 3-10 for your area -- additionally some types grow substantial bulbs under ground -- others have small underground bulbs -- so select your variety based on your need. There are white, brown and purple walking onions. There is also the RED CATAWISSA WALKING onion -- which is not classified as an Egyptian walker -- but is still a walking onion: this variety for its larger sized bulbs and topsets that are much larger than the typical walking onion. All parts of the plant are edible. Walking onions are a standard choice for permaculture gardens and food forests -- they are very low maintenance - and very reliable -- so a good choice for anyone having difficulty growing regular onions.

- Celeste Archer

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