How To Grow Red Onions

Keeping a garden is a hobby that allows you to reap benefits to enjoy and share them with your close ones. 

Being an outdoorsy woman who has an extensive garden myself, I find gardening to be therapeutic in a way. Watching your crops grow and eventually getting ready for harvest is a sense of accomplishment unlike any other. 

Hey everybody, Stacy Smith here! Recently I have tried growing red onions in my garden to use them in my kitchen. These onions have a sweet flavor that adds a beautiful pop of red color to any dish. 

I heard stories of how easy red onions are to grow, so I thought I’d give it a try. Throughout the entire process, I learned a lot about growing red onions. Admittedly the wait is long as compared to other crops, but it is well worth it. 

For any readers who are looking into how to grow red onions in their own garden, worry not! I have made all the mistakes and can now advise you on how to make your harvest as profitable as possible. 

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Preparing The Soil

Between red and white onions, there are not many differences in the growing process. Onions, in general, can be grown using the same methods, an advantage for those who have prior experience growing them. 

However, if you are not familiar with the growth patterns of onions, worry not. I will walk you through every preparative step to ensure your red onions turn out beautifully. 

You must remember that for good growth, preparation is the key. For red onions, you want to have an adequately placed fertilizer in the soil. Essentially, the onions need nutrients early on to gain strength. 

Burying the fertilizer below the planting furrow allows the young plant to find the nutrients easily. This process of burying the fertilizer is known as “banding” and has many benefits in strengthening the onion before it takes root. 

Additionally, it is a good idea to mix in about two inches of compost before you add any fertilizer. This allows the soil to be enriched, creating an ideal environment for growth.

Additional Requirements For Growth

Besides having a suitable soil environment to grow in, red onions need a few other amenities. Paying close attention to your onions’ needs can change how they grow and eventually taste once harvested. 

As with any plant, water is a crucial factor in growth. In terms of how much water red onions require, keep in mind the length of the actual onion root. Throughout the onion’s lifespan, it has relatively shorter roots as compared to other crops. 

Due to their shorter reach, red onions require consistent water supply. So, using regular watering methods can cause the water to seep to the bottom of the pot or soil where the roots can’t reach. 

In order to have the best water coverage possible, I used a layer of grass clippings to drip the water into the soil slowly. This created a buffer of sorts that kept the top layer of the soil moist. Ultimately, the shallow red onion roots had access to the moist soil throughout their growth. 

Another facet that helps the growth of red onions is sunlight and space. After some experimentation, I found the ideal measurements to grow red onions. It is a good idea for the furrows to be 12-inches apart, while the red onions themselves are placed every six inches. 

When placing the red onion bulbs into the soil, keep them about one or two inches deep. This spacing keeps the roots covered adequately while allowing the neck to peek out of the ground and eventually grow. Plus, it allows the roots to access the watered soil easier.

Harvesting Red Onions

Onions are a biennial crop, meaning they take at least two years to go through one complete life cycle. If you simply want some shallots, then you can expect to harvest within the first year itself. However, you may need to wait for the following year for a full, mature red onion.

Determining when a red onion is ready to be harvested is a matter of observing the tops of the crop. When they change from green to a yellow shade and begin to droop, it is usually a sign that the onion has matured. 

I have found that red onions don’t need any further watering after about ten percent of their top leaves begin going through this change. At this point, they are essentially ready to be harvested.

Cleaning Red Onions

You can either harvest red onions right away or leave them in the ground. If you choose to remove them from the dirt, it is recommended to let them cure for at least a week or so. 

Curing red onions allows any inherent moisture to evaporate. All you need to do is place the harvested onions in an open area with plenty of warm air to shrivel the roots and dry the neck out. This slows down the rotting and lets you work with the onion for whatever dish you have in mind. 

After the curing process is complete, you can either remove the tops of the onions for cooking or braid them up for storage.

Wrapping Up