Grow Your Onions, Taste the Difference!
Get ready to spice up your kitchen! Grow your own onions for a flavor-packed upgrade. Quick tips and why it's a game-changer. Let’s make your meals pop with homegrown goodness!
Alexa Sandella
1/12/20242 min read
Have you ever thought about all the meals onion is in? It’s in more than you think.
Even if you don’t like raw onion know that it’s in seasoning mixes, spices, sauces, dressings, soups and many pre-prepared snacks & meals you’re buying.
Onion adds a significant flavor to meals that can be spicy, sharp, earthy, hearty, bitter or sugary depending on how they are prepared or the variety that are grown.
I like red onions more for raw eating on salads or burgers, or making vinaigrettes. Where I prefer yellow onions for cooking, sautéing or dehydrating.
Think about the common ingredients that are making up your meals. Whether you make them from scratch or buy pre-made, how could you grow some of these foods to supplement your grocery bill?
Sure it requires planning and some work to get the ingredient grown, but how satisfying it is to know that crisp sweet onion you’re eating came from your yard, harvested by your hands. That jar of onion powder you pull from your pantry in January was from the onions you dehydrated and blended up, with a taste that is unmatched from anything you used to buy.
After growing onion yourself you may find the taste isn’t so bad after all. Then you can receive all the added health benefits they provide like lowering cancer risks, regulating blood sugar, fighting off infections. They contain Vitamin C & B6, Folate, and Potassium.
Onion plants don’t require much space at all to grow. You can yield about 8-10 onions in a square foot of space! They also store well for fresh eating for months after harvest!
My best experience of growing big onions is by starting them from seed (versus onion sets). January-February is the optimal time for northern growers to start onion seeds indoors as they take a long growing season to mature (90-110 days).
You can also do some Winter Sowing of onion seeds for a staggered growing approach. Check out this video all about winter sowing!
See my blog post all about starting onion seeds!
Have I convinced you yet to try growing onions?
Knowing when to start seeds or transplant seedlings to the garden beds can be tricky if you’re new to growing food. To get additional help, see my 12-month growing guide & planner that gives you all the planting tips you need to get started this season!! Click here!
