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. ·         

Onions are a great crop for the small scale farmer. They're a kitchen staple and play a role in a great number of recipes. You can grow your basic yellow onion, or any of a number of fanciers and heirloom varieties, depending on your market. Planting: Onion sets should be planted from mid-March to mid-April. Gently push onion sets into the soft soil so that just the tip shows. Firm up the soil around them. If planting from seed, sow seeds a half inch deep from late February through early April. Onion sets should be planted 10cm apart from each other in rows 30cm apart. Onion seeds should be sown in rows 20cm apart. Thin weaker seedlings, first to 5cm apart and then to 10cm apart. Growing notes: Onions does best in sunny, sheltered sites with well-drained, well-worked soil. Ground with fresh manure can cause onions to rot. Onions also like being directly in the soil the best and don't thrive as well in containers or raised beds. Pests and problems: Birds are known to