Allium cepa 'Red'
Red Onion
Common names: Red Food Onion, Salad Onion
Photo: Mehdi · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The red onion is milder and sweeter than the yellow kitchen onion and adds color to any salad. Its violet skin coat comes from anthocyanins that intensify under sunlight. In companion planting with carrots it forms a classic duo against the respective fly pests.
Care instructions
Plant the onion sets from March to April so that the tip just protrudes, in a sunny, well‑drained spot. Keep the bed weed‑free and water sparingly. Stop watering when the foliage turns yellow and wilts in August, then the onion is ready for harvest and can be stored.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, sandy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Feeding
Medium feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example celery rootDillParsleyCarrot fennelCorianderCelery (Stalk Celery) and 18 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
rose family (Rosaceae)
You can plant garlic and chives under strawberries and roses; their scent repels aphids and other pests.
For example AppleRaspberryClimbing rosePearAroniaBlackberry and 52 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed Culture Practice
Rather not
legume family (Fabaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example Pole beanBroad beanMarker peaSugar peaRed beanLima bean and 29 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Onions slow down the growth of nightshade family plants next to potatoes and tomatoes; the classic crop-rotation rule also applies in the bed side by side.
For example TomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberryChili and 8 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
Diseases & pests
3 relevantFrom the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.
Peronosporaceae
You will find that the False Mildew is not a true fungus, but an oomycete that comes from the underside of the leaf, unlike the True Mildew.
More on False MildewPuccinia allii
Leek rust is a fungal disease on leek, garlic, onion and chives. Bright orange yellow, elongated spore pustules form on the leaves and leaf sheaths, which burst open and dust off rust coloured powder.
More on Leek rustDelia antiqua
The onion fly (Delia antiqua) lays its eggs on the leaf sheaths of young onion plants, and the larvae then tunnel into the bulb, the neck and the roots.
More on Onion flyNotes from real gardens
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