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TRYGAR'S
Hardware & Locksmith
44 Ferry St.
South River, NJ 08882
(732) 254-2112
trygar@att.net

Open
Monday - Friday 8:30am-7pm
Saturday 8:30am-4pm

©1998 Trygar's

Your onions will be the pride and joy of your garden all summer long when you discover the ease of growing onions from onion sets. Start planting the sets in the early spring, as soon as the soil is workable. A frost after planting will not harm the sets.

PLANTING

Before planting divide the sets into two sizes. Use the largest sets for green table onions and the smaller sets for dry cooking onions. YES, that is correct........plant the largest sets for green onions and the smaller sets for cooking onions.

Green Table Onions
Choose the larger sets, the size of a nickel and larger, and plant in a row, with the roots down, 1/2 inch apart and two to three inches deep. Deep planting produces more white edible stems. In just four to five weeks you will be serving delicious green table onions at your table. Continue to plant sets weekly for a continuous supply throughout the summer.

Dry Cooking Onions
Choose the smallest sets, the size of a nickel and smaller, and plant in a row, with the roots down, two to three inches apart, and only deep enough to just cover the top of the sets with dirt. Keep the rows of sets about 12 inches apart.

HARVESTING

Green Table Onions
Pull the onions when the tops are about 12 inches high and remove the other skin. The green tops can be used in soups and salads. If the green table onions become too large they will have a stronger flavor...these onions may be used for cooking.

Dry Cooking Onions
Dry cooking onions are ready to be harvested when the tops of the plants begin to fall over. This will occur later in the summer (July and August). Once the tops have dried and fallen, pull the onions and allow them to dry in the shade for a few days before placing them in storage.

STORING

Only the dry cooking onions can be stored through out the winter. Once the onions are thoroughly dried, tie the tops together and hang in a cool dry place. You may prefer to cut off the tops, leaving about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches of stem, and place the onions in a mesh bag. Hang the bag in a cool dry place. Always keep the onions from freezing.

It is fun and easy to grow nutritious onions that the whole family can enjoy the whole year.

A little Onion trivia

The history of the onion is an interesting story. The onion is believed to have originated in Asia, though it is likely that onions may have been growing wild on every continent. Dating back to 3500 BC, onions were one of the few foods that did not spoil during the winter months. Our ancestors must have recognized the vegetable’s durability and began growing onions for food.

The onion became more than just food after arriving in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the onion, believing that its spherical shape and concentric rings symbolized eternity. Of all the vegetables that had their images created from precious metals by Egyptian artists, only the onion was made out of gold. What a prestigious honor for a vegetable with such a humble beginning!

The popularity of the onion eventually carried it into ancient Greece where athletes consumed large quantities because it would “lighten the balance of the blood”. After Rome conquered Greece, the onion became a staple in the Roman diet. Gladiators were rubbed down with onion juice to “firm up the muscles”. As onions expanded into other areas of the world, they continued to be more than just food. During the Middle Ages, physicians prescribed onions to alleviate headaches, snakebites, and even hair loss. Onions, valued as both medicine and food, traveled with the Puritans who settled in the New World. It’s possible that onions were served at the first Thanksgiving!

Today, onions continue to be an important part of our diet. The National Cancer Institute has reported that onions contain antioxidants that help block cancer and appear to lower cholesterol. Apparently, our ancestors weren’t too far off in believing that the onion is much more than a lowly vegetable.