Onion
Allium cepa
Onion (Allium cepa) is a cool-season biennial grown as an annual, suitable for Zones 3-9. Onions are categorized by day-length response: short-day (Zones 7-9), intermediate-day (Zones 5-7), and long-day (Zones 3-6) varieties. They are a high-value vegetable crop with strong direct-market demand, producing 350-700 hundredweight per acre depending on variety and management.
Crop Snowflake Score
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Overview
Onions can be started from seed, transplants, or sets. Transplants produce the largest bulbs. Day-length triggers bulb formation: long-day (14-16 hrs) for northern latitudes, short-day (10-12 hrs) for southern. Heavy feeders requiring 120-160 lbs N/acre. Shallow roots demand consistent irrigation during bulb enlargement. Harvest when 1/3 to 1/2 of tops fall. Cure 2-4 weeks before cold storage. Sweet varieties store 1-3 months; pungent storage types 6-8 months. Rotate 3+ years to manage soilborne diseases.
Growing Season
- Plant
- mid March – late April
- Harvest
- early July – late October
- Frost-free days
- 90+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,800 – 2,400
Yield
- Typical yield
- 40,000 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Years to full prod.
- 1
- Labor
- 210 hrs/acre
Market Fit
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Market Channels
Climate Fit
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Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
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Equipment Requirements
planting
Mechanical transplanter or vacuum seeder. 2-4" in-row, 18-24" between rows.
irrigation
Consistent moisture without wetting foliage. Enables fertigation.
spraying
Onions require 10-15 spray applications per season.
harvesting
Loosens soil under bulbs. Bulbs windrowed for field curing.
post_harvest
Tops, grades, sorts for packing. Essential for wholesale.
Storage Requirements
Cold storage (pungent varieties)
Temperature
32–35°F
Humidity
65–70%
Max Storage
240 days
Short-term (sweet varieties)
Temperature
32–40°F
Humidity
65–70%
Max Storage
90 days
Finance Fit
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Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $0/lb |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $12,000 |
| Annual Operating Cost | —/acre |
| Establishment Cost | —/acre |
| Total Input Cost | $9,000/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $3,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: Penn State Extension Onion Production guide, USDA NASS (2025)
Risk Fit
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Known Risks
pest
Most common and damaging onion pest. Feeds on leaves causing silvery streaks, reducing photosynthesis and bulb size. Vectors iris yellow spot virus.
Delia antiqua larvae feed on roots and bulb base, causing wilting and plant death in seedling stage.
Emerging invasive (Phytomyza gymnostoma). Adults puncture leaves; larvae mine leaves and enter bulbs.
disease
Peronospora destructor causes pale lesions turning purplish-gray. Destroys foliage in cool, wet conditions.
Sclerotium cepivorum sclerotia survive 20+ years in soil. Basal rot with white fluffy mycelium.
Nutritional Yield
Nutrition data pending.
Research agents will profile Onion against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Penn State Extension, USDA PLANTS, USDA NASS, FAO.
Economics data year: 2025 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
14 tracked changes across 8 data categories