There ’s a myth out there that jumbo onion , those same ones that you see winning country shows , do n’t taste good , but this is in spades not the eccentric . In fact , grow them correctly and you ’ll not only end up with onions magnanimous enough to make your family and friends jealous , but you ’ll also be able-bodied to delight a delicious harvest that can be used in the kitchen in so many way .
Growing Giant Onions: A Quick Snapshot
When to Sow – Nov - Jan
When to institute – Mar - Apr
When to Harvest – Jul - Aug
Average Yield per Plant – 5 - 8 kg
Spacing – 30 - 60 atomic number 96
deepness – 3 cm
How to Grow Giant Onions at Home
jumbo onion are n’t the easiest veg to grow , which is why they ’re often grow competitively . There are a few key factors to keep in head when attempting to grow phonograph recording - breaking onion .
Sow Your Seeds Early
While onion salmagundi and seed timbre are important , the secret to growing giant , exhibition - sized onions is to seed your seeded player early .
Ideally , yourgiant onion seeds should be sown in November or December . Many gardeners choose to hold back until the final stage of December when natural light spirit level start to increase , but feel free to get sowing earlier if you have accession togrow luminousness .
Make Sure That You’ve Got Enough Space
Theworld track record for the heaviest onioncurrently stands at 8.5 kg , with the onion valuate more than 76 atomic number 96 in diameter .
Of course , that very peculiar Allium cepa had some serious attention lavished over it while it was grow , which is something that the mean gardener is n’t likely to do . Still , it ’s important to ensure that you ’re able to give your giant onions raft of distance .
The more space your onions have , the larger they will be able to farm – 30 centimetre is a minimum when it comes to spacing .
If you do n’t have much garden space to form with , this does n’t mean that you involve to give up on your record - break dreams . Simply seed a few source and grow them on in large pots . This way , you ’ll still be able to give each onion plenty of room , and it will also be well-off to separately care for each one .
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How to Grow Giant Onions from Seed
If you need to produce giant exhibition onion , your only option is to raise them from seed . You may be able to find onion sets usable , butyour harvested lightbulb will be much larger when grown from seeded player .
Sowing Giant Onion Seeds
It ’s best to start elephantine onion seeds in single modules or muckle , since this give them caboodle of room to grow . If you are capable to sow your seeds in corporation that are around 6 - 7 atomic number 96 in diam , then this will preserve you from have to prick your seedling out in a few weeks .
Fill your pots with a lineament compost , leaving a few centimetres of space at the top . irrigate the soil and then waitress a few minutes for the land to go down .
Then , place an onion plant seed over the top of the compost in each weed , before thinly covering them over with a sparse layer of sieve compost . lightly water each pot again .
adjudicate tokeep the potentiometer at a consistent temperature of around 20 ° C.A heated up propagatorcan really aid with this .
Pricking Out Giant Onion Seedlings
You ’ll notice seedling start to emerge in each Mary Jane in about a hebdomad . They ’ll await somewhat bent on over at first , but they ’ll presently start to straighten up .
At this stage , if you have sow your seed into smaller modules , you ’ll need to prick your seedling out into somewhat larger pots .
To do this , fill 6 - 9 curium pots with compost , allow a hole in the centre that ’s large enough to accommodate all of the soil from each module . Then , move each seedling over , taking as much soil as possible with you to prevent disturbing the roots .
softly firm the soil down so that the seedlings are properly nestled in , and then give them some water .
Giving Your Giant Onion Seedlings Enough Light
As you know , plants ask light in Holy Order to grow . If you want your Allium cepa to grow to a record - break size , then the more brightness you could give them , the better .
Although natural light levels commence to increase from the end of December , expo show - sized onion will need more than this .
A fluorescent illumination put above your plant is usually enough . If you desire to go all out , make a piffling “ bulwark ” around your seedlings with tin foil . This will reflect illumination all around your plants , preventing them from turning leggy .
Moving your onion plant seedlings , along with their grow light , into a heated glasshouse at this degree , would be an even good option .
How to Plant Giant Onions Outside
If you ’re aiming for exhibition - sized onion , then you ’d be proficient off implant them in a glasshouse or polytunnel . This will give them that extra flake of fondness and protective covering that they need to really push them on .
However , if you do n’t have access code to agreenhouseor polytunnel , you’re able to still develop giant onions out of doors .
You will need towait for a couple of workweek after your last rime , but you’re able to utilize this time to prepare your growing area . Mix in some compost or well - moulder manure to improve soil fertility rate and drainage . The better the quality of the constitutive cloth you incorporate , the larger your onions will originate .
Once the weather has warm up up , make holes in your planting expanse that are large enough to hold the size of the pots that your onions are currently in .
lightly twitch each pot and slither your Allium cepa plants out , strain to keep as much soil inviolate as potential . Plant your onions into their novel holes , cover over , gently firm down , and then urine .
How to Plant Giant Onions in a Greenhouse
implant out your giant onion in a greenhouse means that you may get planting sooner , since the last frost date for your greenhouse will be earlier than that of exterior . Once you ’re convinced that your greenhouse wo n’t be frosting up , then you’re able to get plant .
If your glasshouse beds are in the primer coat , then simply follow the steps above for planting onions alfresco . This is the ideal situation , as your onions will be get the warmth and protection of your glasshouse , along with the profoundness and nutrients of the soil in the primer .
Alternatively , you may grow your giant onion in pots in your greenhouse . This is the more high - sustentation method , as you will necessitate to unendingly repot your onions into expectant plenty , with the largest ones being about 3 litres in size .
plainly fill your sight with a lineament compost , go out a hole heavy enough to accommodate the rootball of each Allium cepa . Place your onion plant in , cover over , firm down , and water .
Do n’t be invite to attempt to force multiple onion plant into one potful , as this will conquer growth .
How to Care for Giant Onions
While received - sized Allium cepa are very low - care , gargantuan exhibition onions require some extra care .
Watering Your Giant Onions
Your jumbo onions will need about1 litre of water a week , although you may postulate to increase this more or less in hot weather .
If you ’re get your onion in the ground , water at the nucleotide of each plant , make care not to splash weewee up onto the foliage .
If you ’re growing in pots , localize a rich tray underneath your slew . you could then supply H2O into the tray , which will saturate the soil in your stack and allow for wet to your onions . However , ensure that you never allow the soil to get too quaggy .
Feeding Your Giant Onions
When you use a gamy quality compost that ’s rich in nutrients , your onions wo n’t need to be feed . This is really better for them .
However , if your compost was lacking , thensimply top garnish the soil around your onionswith a better caliber compost . Well - rotted animal manure would be a good choice too .
instead , if you would still like to use a fertilizer , then go for a water system - soluble , nitrogen - heavy solution . Apply this once in former summer , and then again in mid - summertime .
However , check that that you do n’t fertilise your onions from mid - summer onwards . This can lead to cushy bulb , meaning that your onions wo n’t lay in for very long .
Adding Supports to Your Giant Onions
gargantuan onion come with giant leave . As these grow , the heavier ones will get to fall flat down .
For the giving lightbulb , you need tokeep the leave as unsloped as possible . Allowing the sun to reach the bulbs assist in the ripening summons , which is why cater supports for the leave is recommend .
This does n’t need to be anything complicated – charge card or bamboo canes meld with string or plant backup clips is all you want .
How to Harvest Giant Onions
You ’ll know thatyour giant onions are quick for harvest home when the leave start to turn yellow and sagging . If you ’ve been value the diameter of your growing onions , then you ’ll also notice that the size of the bulbs wo n’t have increase for a few weeks .
Use a branching to raise out your onion , being as gentle as possible .
localize them in a nerveless , dark , juiceless , and well - ventilate plaza for four weeks . This tolerate them to finish ripening . Rotating the bulbs each day will help to speed this operation up .
Once the neck opening of your onions are fully dry , you may then cut off the foliation and any long root . This will enable your onions to be salt away for longer without rotting .
How to Store Giant Onions
Store your onions in a cool , dark , and well - ventilated place . When kept in these conditions , some onions can last for up to 12 months .
Keep in mind thatmost giant onion plant salmagundi have been developed for their size of it , rather than their storage voltage .
If storage is important to you , front for a variety that declare oneself both .
If expo - sized onions are your main purpose , then you will plausibly need to use all of your onions preferably rather than later , although freezing them is always another option .
How to Prepare & Cook Giant Onions
gargantuan onions can be prepared and cook just like regular onions .
Simply chop off the top , remove the tegument , and then carry on prepare free-base on the formula you ’re follow .
Tasty meal that you could make from gargantuan onion plant include :
Common Giant Onion Problems
There are a few problems that you could experience when produce giant onions , but , fortunately , these are easy enough to regale if you spot symptom early .
Popular Giant Onion Varieties to Grow
It ’s passing authoritative to pick the right variety if you want to grow expo - sized onions . Some of the good are :
If possible , seek to use a proven tenor , intend one that has come from phonograph record - breaking , show - winning works . These may cost a piddling more , but they give you the good chance of growing monumental bulb .
Conclusion
While harvest stock - sized onions already feels satisfying , pull out giant bulbs that weigh several kg will truly be one of the biggest highlights of your grow time of year . Even if you do n’t plan on entering your onions into any exhibitions or display , setting yourself a personal challenge of growing onion plant that are as large as possible will not only facilitate to take your horticulture attainment to the next level , but it will also leave you with huge , delicious bulb that can be eaten in so many dissimilar ways .
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