Meals are scrutinized. Is this morning’s potato frittata onion worthy? Shazbot! What about tonight’s bbq tofu?

Sponge Worthy? Same logic applied to onions.

No joke, sautéed onions are enough to make the husband run into the kitchen, “something smells good!”

My favorite seeds are Rossa Lunga di Firenze and Yellow Granex from Botanical Interests, and Bianca di Maggio and Flat of Italy from Baker Creek Heirloom. For the first time I sowed Red Amposta and Red Burgermasters seed but nothing’s happening.

Seeds were sown in soil blocks on November 10^th, 24 days ago, and only two Red Amposta seeds have germinated and popped their heads. No sign of life from Red Burgermaster. That’s what I get for trying to grow a long-day onion.

Que paso?

The right onion for your region

Onions begin to form a bulb when the temperature and the number of daylight hours reach certain levels. Northern gardeners should plant long-day onions. Nerdy fact, daylight length vary greatly as you get farther and farther away from the equator. Winter days are short, but summer days are long. Long-day onions will have a chance to produce lots of top growth and produce bigger bulbs.

Southern gardeners should plant short-day onions. There is less variation in day length between seasons than up North. Breakdown:

Long-Day: Grow better in northern states because they need 14 to 16 hours of daylight to bulb. They have a pungent, spicy flavor and store well. (Red Burgermaster)

Short-Day: Mildly flavored. Recommended for southern states where temps remain warm year round. Will begin forming bulbs early in the year/late spring when there are only 10 to 12 hours of daylight. South, plant in the fall. They have a higher concentration of water as opposed to solid fiber content therefore do not store well and should be eaten fresh. (Yellow Granex)

Intermediate-Day: Mild to pungent. The most widely adaptable onion since they require 12-14 hours of sunlight. The best main-crop onions for the country’s midsection (Washington, D.C., to northern Arizona) and can be grown as early onions in the North. When planted at the proper time, all varieties mature in approximately 100 days. (Red Amposta, Rossa Lunga di Firenze, Flat of Italy, Bianca di Maggio) 

My babies

I harvested this bunch on June 12th. and I’m down to my last onion. Sniff, sniff. They’ve kept on my counter top for nearly 6 months. This factoid is usually followed by ”they last that long?!” Yes, they did. Is that normal?

Do you grow onions? If so how long do yours keep? Please share so I can feel a little less weird.

Nothing says intermediate-day onions like The Ramones-California Sun.