Onions are without a doubt probably the most ubiquitous of all the vegetables - and with good reason - as they are not only rich in nutrients for a balanced diet, they add so much to so many different recipes:
Stews and casseroles
Salads
Roasts
BBQs
Stir fry
Italian pastas
Soups
Sandwiches
and more - limit: your imagination.
There are any number of varieties available to grow in the home garden - and choice can simply be based on what you want onions for.
The 'brown' onion is probably the one that can have widest application to most types of dishes, yet there are specific varieties that do match certain dishes better - e.g. spring onions and red onions for salads. Having said that, I use brown onions for all the above dishes regardless.
Growing Onions
While adaptable to many soil types, onions flourish best in good loamy soil with a ph in the 6.0 - 6.5 range. If you are uncertain of your soil's ph, simple home test kits are available.
Onions prefer well drained soils. If your soil is clay - then the onions will struggle - so dig it over mixing in good amounts of compost and mulch first. Avoid adding manures and blood and bone to the beds which you are about to sow or plant seedlings in. Use a mushroom compost - or better, plant in beds that were enriched last season.
Plant the seedlings laid down in a little trench and cover the roots with soil. In just over a week they will stand up - but be stronger than if you planted them standing up initially.
Keep your onions well watered and weed free. You can harvest when the tops yellow and dry out. It is about 6 months from go to whoa.
Well, spring onions are different - you want the leafy part to be green!
