Allium cepa

HISTORY
Named after our hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut, where it was extensively cultivated in the 1600s and 1700s. Ships carried onions from the CT River port to the West Indies in wooden barrels. The squat, flat shape allowed more onions per barrel. The First Church of Christ in Wethersfield (built in 1761) is known as “The church that onions built,” as families paid taxes for its construction in cash or onions.

HABIT
3 to 4 inch flattened globe-shaped bulbs with deep burgundy skin and pale pink flesh. A long-day onion with mild flavor. Keeps well when dried before storing. Harvest when green tops die down in late summer (approx. 100 days from transplant).

CULTURE
Start seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before last frost.
Sow seed 1 inch apart in trays, cover with 1/4 inch fine soil.
Keep moist until seedlings appear.
Transplant outdoors 2 weeks before last frost, spacing plants 6 to 8 inches apart.