Zambia Agribusiness Society

General Requirements ·          Onion requires cool conditions during vegetative growth and hot, dry conditions nearing maturity, in early summer. Optimum temperatures for growth are 12ºC to 24ºC, with minimum temperatures of 7ºC and maximum 29ºC. ·          Popular Onion varieties are Texas Grano, Red creole and Caledon Globe. ·          A well-managed Onion crop should yield 750 to 1000 x 10kg pockets/ Lima. Land Preparation/ Soil Type ·          Deep well-drained Sandy to loamy soils with a pH range from 5 to 6.5 is ideal for Onion. ·          Effective rooting depth is 20cm. ·          Plough and disc to 45 to 60cm depth of fine tilth seedbed. Planting and Transplanting ·          Sow directly by drilling in farrows 5mm deep or raise seedlings in nursery beds and transplant 4 to 5 weeks later. Ideal sowing time is February to June. ·          Transplant during the cool part of the day (early morning or late afternoon) to avoid wilting of the plants. ·         

Onion farming is rising in popularity in Africa because it is very affordable to start and run. This kind of agriculture has high returns. Again, onion farming can be done comfortably in greenhouses and open gardens. For you to succeed as an onion farmer, you have to apply various onion farming tips. These tips will enable you to enjoy massive profits from your onion farming efforts. 1. Some top onion farming tips Planting To start with, you should select a location that is free of shade and one that can access full sun directly. The soils of the area need to be well drained and with high nitrogen content. Loose soil is the most preferable since compact soil lowers bulb development. Nourishment tips Apply aged manure during planting or use fertilizer on the fall before planting. Note that onions are one kind of a plant that show heavy feeding and demand continued nourishment for them to produce large bulbs desired in the market. During planting, it’s advisable to mix in some