Things Needed
Vidalia onionsare well known for their culinary use thanks to their strange sweetness . This is for the most part the solution of the locale in which they are grown – Vidalia , Georgia – an region without sulfur in the soil , which typically impart onion their mordacious flavor and regularize their acidity . Technically , according to authorities legislation , you could not grow Vidalia onions unless you are living in a certain counties in Georgia . For that same reason , one can not buy Vidalia seed . They do n’t really survive . However if you were to grow onions in a low sulfur environment from Granex Allium cepa seeds , you would have your own onion altogether undistinguishable from the real thing .
Step 1
Begin by preparing your soil in early September . You will need to first counteract the sulfur in the grunge before you embed your seeds in guild to get that characteristic sweetness that Vidalia Allium cepa are known for . You will involve about 30 lbs . of powdered limestone per 100 square feet of grime . Spread the limestone over the dirt and then conflate it into the solid ground as profoundly and thoroughly as you may with a hoe and shovel ( or roto - tiller ) .
Step 2
irrigate the soil until it ’s become a murky mess and entrust it for about a month . Over sentence the sulfur in the soil will bind with the limestone , preventing the sulfur from being up to of being absorbed by your Allium cepa .
Step 3
dig out trenches in the soil , about 3 inches deep and space 1 groundwork apart from one another . Into each trench pour granulated first-rate phosphate , also know as banding phosphorous . This will be all the plant food your onions will ever need . Studies have shown that seed that have been fertilized in this way sprout faster and bring about large onions . You should utilise 1 cup for every 20 feet of trench . extend the trench back over when you ’re done .
Step 4
Plant your seeds in early October , placing each come ¼ inch deeply into the soil follow the line of your buried fertiliser . Place one seed every 6 inch . Water your rowing lightly once a day and you should have sprouts within a hebdomad .
Step 5
lessen your watering over the winter as your seedling will not grow much . If you live in a tropical or sub - tropical climate the onion ’s husk will likely not shrink . If they do , do not panic . The seedling is still viable and has already been germinated ; it will outlive the winter and remain its normal growth with the onslaught of saltation . If you last in climates which drop below 40 degree degree Fahrenheit , you may observe buds forming on the sides of the onion sprout . This is a process called bolting , by which your onion is producing more Allium cepa plants . This is a unspoilt thing ; the downside is that the main onion plant will only produce to about half its normal size before it ’s ripe for harvest . So you end up trading size for quantity .
Step 6
Watch for little flies buzzing around your onions in peachy quantity . This is a foretoken of one of the only pest problems shout out whitefly , also known as screwfly for the odd patterns they make in the air . The respectable way to get rid of them and any other possible pests is to spray your onion with a safe pesticide known as Sevin once a month . Remember that even a farm good pesticide such as Sevin can still have damaging upshot if ingest , so you always need to wash you onion thoroughly after harvest .
Step 7
Begin harvest home in late summertime only when the tops of the Allium cepa chaff have fade and fallen off . Simply extirpate the onions with your workforce , shake the dirt off and rinse them well . Cut off the root and the top in of each onion . From here you may use them immediately in cooking or store them on an individual basis in a coolheaded , dry , lightless environs . If you do this they can last up to 6 month before moulder .
Related
