Plant Encyclopedia

Group/Class:  Intermediate Day Onion

Description:

An early maturing variety, perfect for kitchen gardens and containers; produces light golden yellow, 4" wide, globe shaped onions with large, thick rings; plant in early spring or fall; sweet and mild flavor, great for salads, onion rings, soups and dips

Edible Qualities

Candy Onion is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. The entire above-ground parts of the plant are edible, and are typically harvested when mature. The edible parts have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The plant is most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Pickling
• Canning
• Sauces

Planting & Growing

Candy Onion will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 6 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop. As this plant tends to go dormant in summer, it is best interplanted with late-season bloomers to hide the dying foliage.

This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by multiplication of the underground bulbs; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Candy Onion is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.