Growing onions: Part 2

It is important to understand the size and shape demanded by your market before choosing an onion variety to grow, says Bill Kerr.

- Bill Kerr

Local consumers prefer brown- and purple-skinned onions, but picklers favour white ones. BILL KERR

Onions come in a wide variety of shapes: spinning top-shaped, round, flat, and even long types that resemble tiny torpedoes. Round is the most favoured form.

A very popular short-day variety in many countries is Texas Grano, a sweet onion. Even this has now been transformed from its spinning-top shape into the more popular rounder form. Originally, its shape made it easy for customers to identify it as a sweet onion.

Pungent onions get their sharp flavour from high levels of allium sulphur compounds. These also give the onion longer shelf life.