🧄 Allium
Allium spp.
Onions that went to art school and came back fabulous.
Sun
Full sun, 6+ hrs
Days to harvest
Fall-planted bulbs; blooms late spring
Spacing
6 inches apart, 3x bulb depth
Soil pH
6.0–7.0
How to grow
Plant bulbs pointy-end up in fall, as soon as nights cool down — in Florida that's late October through December. They want well-drained soil and will rot in a swamp, so raised beds or sandy amended spots are ideal. Tall varieties need staking in windy spots or they'll audition for modern dance.
Water & feeding
Water after planting, then mostly ignore — they're drought-tolerant once established. Soggy winter soil is the #1 killer, not thirst.
Common problems
- Bulb rot in poorly drained or overwatered soil
- Onion thrips speckling the foliage
- Floppy stems on tall varieties in wind
Harvest
Deadhead spent blooms unless you want the architectural seed heads (they look great dried). Leave foliage until it yellows — it's recharging the bulb for next year.
Nerdy fact: That onion smell is allicin-related sulfur compounds — the same chemical warfare that makes you cry. Alliums are basically flowers with a pepper-spray license.