Full Sun
Easy care
Light watering
Tender
13b
USDA zone
18°C
Minimum temperature
Expected size
Height | Spread | |
|---|---|---|
2m | Max | 1m |
50cm | Min | 50cm |
3 years to reach maturity
Flowering
-
spring
-
summer
-
autumn
-
winter
This plant has a mild fragrance
More images of Allium
Allium Overview
The genus Alium contains the widely cultivated food crop known commonly as onion. As well as a wide range of the ornamental onions grown for summer displays. Onions are an easy to grow vegetable crop in the colder seasons because of their hardiness. They can also be grown in any soil type as long as it is well-draining and they receive a lot of sun. These are great vegetables for beginner gardeners as they do not require a lot of maintenance. Onions are most frequently a biennial or a perennial plants but they usually treated as an annual and harvested in its first growing season for the swollen, edible onion bulb. Onion plants produce chemicals called volatiles which repel harmful insects from other plants and can be used to create a natural insecticide spray when paired with cayenne pepper/red pepper and garlic.
Common problems with Allium
How to harvest Allium
Bulbing usually takes place after 12 to 18 weeks. The bulbs can be gathered when needed to eat fresh, but if they will be kept in storage, they should be harvested after the leaves have died back naturally. In dry weather, they can be left on the surface
How to propagate Allium
Seed
Seeds are thinly sown directly at least 5 cm apart, in rows 30 cm apart. Onion sets are produced by sowing seed thickly in poor soil and the small bulbs produced are harvested and planted the following spring and grow into large bulbs
Special features of Allium
Repels harmful insects
Onions repel harmful insects from other plants
Crop rotation
Onions are light feeders, so crops should be rotated annually.
Other uses of Allium
Grown for their seed heads which may be dried for winter decoration.
Medicinal
They are good for the heart and keep cholesterol in check
Edible
The bulb is edible, either cooked or raw.
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