Giant Stuttgart Onion - onion seeds

Allium cepa - Giant Stuttgart

Onion is an ancient vegetable originating from Central Asia, known even to the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians. It contains many elements - iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium, copper, sulfur and even a little iodine. It also contains folic acid, vitamin C, E and a range of B vitamins. They improve appetite.

There are several types of onions - winter, shallot, pearl or the mentioned culinary onion. Just choose and start growing!

How to Grow Onions

• Requires a sunny location, but not direct sunlight. The soil should be permeable, well-worked with a sufficient dose of nutrients. Shade does not suit it. The plant has the greatest watering requirements after sowing and during bulb formation. In wet weather, we do not recommend watering in the evening. There is a risk of onion downy mildew attack. We do not recommend growing onions in the same bed for 4-5 years to reduce pest and disease infestation.

• Direct sowing: spring sowing starts from March to April. Rows should be spaced 20-30 cm apart, sowing depth 15-20 mm. Sowing of winter varieties is done from August 20th to the end of the month. Onions should develop 3-4 leaves before winter. Winter varieties are harvested from May to June.

  Planting sets: onions are not peeled. Before planting, they must be soaked in e.g. Rovral 50WP or Rovral FLO. Planting is done at the end of March. We plant in rows spaced 25-30 cm apart. The distance within rows should be 10 cm, sowing depth 4-6 cm.

• Onions thrive best on permeable, nutrient-rich sandy loam soils. Optimal pH 6.5.

• Onions have a short growing season and therefore do not need many nutrients. They do not tolerate direct fertilization with barn manure. Before sowing or planting, fertilize with 80g N, 30g P and 100g K. In the 2-3 leaf development phase, 30g N in nitrate form. During the first fertilization - before sowing - we apply the most nitrogen, but the lowest proportion of P2O5 and K2O. Onions are demanding in sulfur, which we apply in the form of potassium sulfate. We can use special fertilizers designed for sulfur-containing plants.

• Plants are attacked by onion flies, which lay eggs at the neck of plants. The hatched larvae devour the plant. We eliminate them with Diazinon or Sumithion preparations. Onions grown from sets are sensitive to leek moth infestation. It lays eggs on the leaves of emerging onions. These then curl and the plant gradually dies. We prevent this pest already during planting by covering the bed with non-woven fabric. If we have not applied fabric, one of the following preparations will help: Sumithion, Karate or Dragon.

  In wet weather, there is a risk of onion downy mildew attack. It manifests itself by yellowing of leaves and brown spots. The leaves die and the onion rots. We eliminate the disease with Novozir or Kuprikol.

• We harvest onions when the foliage begins to yellow. The stems begin to bend to the ground. Then we pull the onions out by the foliage and can leave them to dry on the bed for one to two weeks.