Onions - Variety is the Spice of Life

Do you think they were talking about onions when they came up with the phrase "variety is the spice of life"? I seriously doubt it, but when it comes to onions, there are more varieties than you can imagine!

Onions fall into 3 categories; yellow, red, and white:

• Yellow - Yellow onions are the most popular of all the varieties of onion. They have a yellowish-brown outer skin and are the ones you most often see sold by the bag in supermarkets. An all-purpose onion, they are commonly used in cooking. When sauteed and caramelized, they turn a nice golden color and are sweet to the taste.  Approximately 87% of the U.S. crop of onions is comprised of the yellow variety. They Storage Yellow Onion is the most pungent of the yellow onion variety, and is generally the one that makes you cry when chopping or cutting.
• Types of yellow onions:
• Candy Hybrid
• Walla Walla Sweet
• Granex Yellow Hybrid (Vidalia)
• Texas Super Sweet
• Sweet and Early Hybrid
• Yellow Ebenezer
• Savannah Sweet
• Sweet Spanish Hybrid
• Texas Grano

• Red - Red onions are wrapped in a beautiful red outer skin. They are delicious when sliced raw and used for toppings on pizza, sandwiches, and salads. They are great for grilling and roasting as well. The red onion comprises approximately 8% of the U.S. crop of onions. Although milder than the strongest yellow, Storage Red Onions can be sharp, spicy, and quite pungent.
• Types of red onions:
• Giant Red Hamburger
• Red Delicious
• Salad Red

• White - White onions have snowy-white skin. White onions are sweet when sauteed and are often used in white sauces and salads. They are especially good in potato salads as their flavor is not as strong as other onion varieties. However, due to the nature of their cell structure, they spoil more quickly. White onions do not store well. It's best to use them right away. Approximately 5% of the U.S. crop is dedicated to the white onion variety. 
• Types of White Onions
• White Granex
• White White
• Snow White Hybrid

So with all of these onion varieties, how does a person decide which one is best for planting in their vegetable garden? The best thing to do is shop around and see what types of onions are available in your area. Shop locally - not at the big box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. Smaller merchants know your climate best and will stock what grows well in the area in which you live. Ask other gardeners what has worked well for them. Also, check with your local extension office for recommendations.

Here's a tip from The Old Farmer's Almanac: Onions come in 2 categories - Long day, best in the north. Short day, best in the south.

• Recommendations for the yellow variety are:
• Yellow Sweet Spanish long-day hybrid, large round shape, yellow-white. 
• The Stuttgarter short-day variety sold in sets, early maturity with slightly flat shape, yellow. 

As you can see, onions come in many different varieties and also spice up your life when added to soups, stews, beans, sandwiches, salads, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Happy Gardening!