Onion seeds

Onions are the second most consumed vegetable worldwide after tomatoes. They are second to none in terms of their health value. In some parts of the world, such as India or China, they are even considered a staple. The onion comes in a variety of shapes and colors, most of which are hardly known today.

Due to a one-sided focus on mechanization in onion production, in particular mechanical harvestability, onions have become rounder and rounder in recent decades, but the taste characteristics of old varieties have disappeared more and more. In organic onion breeding, Sativa therefore not aims to breed onions easy to harvest and store but also ones which taste good. Sativa has been working on onion breeding in Rheinau since the very beginning. However, climate change is increasingly having negative effects on our onion breeding locally, with wetter autumns and accompanying pressure from mildew.

When growing onions in a domestic garden, onion sets are the easiest way. But not all varieties can be grown as onion sets. With their milder, sweeter taste, spring onions are ideal for eating raw, for example in salads. Flat and round varieties are best for onion braids.

Onions can be sown in spring or autumn. Spring sowing should be done as early as possible (March/April). Onion sets are also sown early and very densely. The harvest takes place in June or July. Autumn sowing is a little trickier. If sown too early, the onions will bolt, too late they can suffer frost damage. Sowing mid- to late-August is recommended. Apart from direct sowing, planting 4-5 plants in a pot is also possible.