 Onion planting day: November 26 |
Onions and garlics
Both onions and garlics are in the genus Allium, which contains several crops that are divided into two groups:
1) Onions, which have hollow leaves and
2) Garlics, which have flat, solid leaves. (*See note below on the family.)
1) Onions, which have hollow leaves and
2) Garlics, which have flat, solid leaves. (*See note below on the family.)
Onions (Allium cepa) are treated as a long-season annual in Florida. Botanically, they are biennials, where in a natural habitat, they would grow leaves and form a bulb the first year, go into dormancy, and the second year they would use the stored energy in the bulb to form flowers, which are borne on a specialized stem called a scape. We interrupt this cycle by harvesting as the plant goes dormant and when the bulb is at its maximum size.