Onions
Heirloom Onion Seeds: The Foundation of the Gourmet Garden
A successful kitchen garden is built on a foundation of high-quality onions. At Firefly Farm & Mercantile, we curate heirloom onion seeds (Allium cepa) that are selected for their thick scales, exceptional storage life, and diverse flavor profiles. While many gardeners use "sets" (small bulbs), starting onions from our non-GMO heirloom seeds allows for a much wider selection of unique varieties and often results in healthier, more resilient plants acclimated to the shifting seasons of the Driftless Region.
Long-Day Onions: The Secret to Northern Bulbing
For northern gardeners in Wisconsin and beyond, Long-Day varieties are essential. These onions require 14–16 hours of daylight to trigger bulb formation, making them perfectly suited for our peak summer days. Our collection features legendary storage onions like "Yellow Spanish Utah" and "Red Wethersfield," as well as crisp, fast-growing Bunching Onions (Scallions) that can be harvested in as little as 60 days. Whether you are looking for sweet slices for a summer burger or robust bulbs for winter stews, our seeds are tested for high vigor and germination.
Quick Onion Growing Facts:
- Planting Window: Start seeds indoors very early (January to March) to allow for a head start before transplanting out 4 weeks before the last frost. For scallions, direct sow as soon as the soil can be worked.
- Hardiness: Very cold-tolerant; young onion starts can handle a light frost and cool spring rains.
- Soil Preference: Requires loose, fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Onions are "heavy feeders" and appreciate a nitrogen boost in early spring.
- Days to Maturity: 100–120 days for large bulbs; 60 days for bunching onions.
- Expert Tip (The Haircut): When starting onion seeds indoors, use clean scissors to trim the green tops to about 3 inches whenever they reach 5-6 inches tall. This "haircut" forces the energy back into the roots, resulting in much sturdier transplants that won't flop over in the garden!
Explore our selection of traditional, storage, and sweet heirloom onion seeds below. Every packet includes expert sowing instructions to help you grow a massive, high-quality harvest.
