Storage Onions and Shallots for Northern ClimatesI compiled a list of onions and shallots that grow well in northern climates and store well for the winter. These are long-day or long-intermediate-day onions. I have included their best-growing latitudes (when known), days to maturity, whether they are open-pollinated or hybrid (F1) varieties, and how well they store under ideal conditions. If you do not know if you are in a long-day onion zone you can check out Johnny's Selected Seed map of long-day, intermediate-day, and short-day latitudes. The zones do overlap and you can also choose day-neutral onions as well. Several yellow onion varieties are compared to Copra. Copra was an F1 hybrid yellow onion that was the gold standard for storage onions. Copra was discontinued but, Patterson F1 is now one of the best, if not the best storage onion available. So, if an onion is compared to Copra, you can expect extremely long storage potential. I did not include any sweet onions in my charts. Due to their high sugar content sweet onions do not store well. In some cases, Walla Walla (90-125 days to maturity), an intermediate-long day variety, can store up to one month but is best eaten fresh. Another alternative is Ailsa Craig OP (110 days, long-day, 38-60° latitude), a large, sweet, Spanish-type yellow onion that stores for up to one month. Pictures of many of the onions I have grown are shown with a tennis ball for size reference. These were some of the biggest onions I grew, please note not all got to these sizes. At the end of this post, I include the seed companies used to compile this list. If you have any other favorite long-day storage onion varieties I missed in this list please let me know and I will update the charts! Also, read my blog post on growing onions if you want more information. Red Onions Ruby Red OP Red Wethersfield OP Red Mountain F1 Red Bull F1 Yellow Onions Patterson F1 Talon F1 New York Early OP Yellow of Parma OP White OnionsShallots Val-Aux-Vents OP Zebrune OP References and Resources
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AuthorIn 2016, my family and I moved from the New York City area to small town Wisconsin. Our move, this website and blog (and our previous Etsy store) is the result of our desire over the past several years to simplify our lives, increase our quality of life, reconnect with nature, and enjoy a more self-sufficient life. I grew up as a country kid in central Pennsylvania working on my grandfather's fruit farm and as a corn "de-tassler" at a local seed farm. My background is in biology where my love of nature originated. I am a former research scientist and professor and have now transitioned to a part-time stay-at-home mom, self-employed tutor, and small business owner. Thank you for taking the time to check out my site. Archives
December 2024
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