Onion Guide

Onion Comparison Chart

Compare every onion we carry side by side. Pick by day length first: short-day onions for the South, long-day onions for the North, and intermediate types for the middle band. Then choose between sweet onions for fresh eating and pungent storage onions that keep all winter. Sets and bunching onions are listed too. Tap any variety to see full details and order seed.

Download printable PDF Short-Day Onions Intermediate-Day Onions Long-Day Onions Onion Sets Bunching Onions

south of ~35°N

Short day

Bulb with 10–12 hours of daylight. Sow in fall for spring onions.

~32–40°N

Intermediate

Bulb with 12–14 hours of daylight. Many grow across a wide range.

north of ~37°N

Long day

Bulb with 14+ hours of daylight. Start in late winter.

anywhere

Bunching

Green onions that never bulb, ready in about 65 days.

Short-Day Onions

Variety	Days	Bulb Color	Day Length	Best For	Notes	Disease Resistance
Texas Early Grano Heirloom	110	Yellow	Short	Sweet, fresh	Vidalia-type sweet	—
Texas Early Grano Organic Heirloom	110	Yellow	Short	Sweet, fresh	Vidalia-type sweet	PR
Red Creole	110	Red	Short	Storage	Pungent; keeps 6–7 mo.	PR
Red Grano	115	Red	Short	Sweet, fresh	Mild rose-red globes	—
Blush	118	Red	Short	Sweet, fresh	Mild, blushed bulbs	—
Merlin F1 Hybrid	155	Yellow	Short	Storage	Fall-sown; slow to bolt	FPR
Red Rock F1 Hybrid	165	Red	Short	Storage	Fall-sown; dark red	FPR

Intermediate-Day Onions

Variety	Days	Bulb Color	Day Length	Best For	Notes	Disease Resistance
Candy F1 Hybrid	110	Yellow	Intermediate	Sweet; stores	Grows almost anywhere	PR
Avalon F1 Hybrid	115	Yellow	Int. to long	Storage	Firm, single centers	FPR
Scout F1 Hybrid	118	Yellow	Int. to long	All-purpose	Jumbo to colossal	FPR
Cipollini Yellow	120	Yellow	Intermediate	Cipollini	Flat; roast whole	—

Long-Day Onions

Variety	Days	Bulb Color	Day Length	Best For	Notes	Disease Resistance
Ruby	95	Red	Long	Sweet, fresh	Mild, deep purple	—
Ailsa Craig Exhibition	110	Yellow	Long	Sweet, fresh	Giant exhibition onion	—
Yellow Sweet Spanish Heirloom	110	Yellow	Long	Sweet, fresh	Big 4–6 in. globes	—
Walla Walla Sweet	115	Yellow	Long	Sweet, fresh	Famous mild sweet	—
White Sweet Spanish	115	White	Long	Sweet, fresh	Large, very mild	—
Yosemite	118	Yellow	Long	Storage	Uniform keeper	—
Caliber F1 Hybrid	122	Yellow	Long	Storage	Vigorous; stores long	FPR

Which day length do you need?

Onions start bulbing when daylight reaches a set length. In the South (roughly below Interstate 40) grow short-day onions sown in fall; across the middle of the country grow intermediate types; in the North grow long-day onions started in late winter. Candy, Scout and Avalon stretch across zones.

Onion Sets

Variety	Days	Bulb Color	Day Length	Best For	Notes	Disease Resistance
Red Karmen	80	Red	Long	Storage	Zesty ruby red	—
Snowball White	80	White	Short	All-purpose	Crisp and mild	—
Stuttgarter Yellow	80	Yellow	Long	Storage	Classic keeper	—
Sweet Oversize	80	Yellow	Long	Sweet, fresh	Extra-large, sweet	—

Bunching Onions

Variety	Days	Bulb Color	Day Length	Best For	Notes	Disease Resistance
Nebuka Evergreen	65	Green	Any	Green onion	Hardy; regrows	—
Scarlet Bandit	65	Red base	Any	Green onion	Overwinters	—
Tokyo Long Bunching	75	Green	Any	Green onion	Heat tolerant	BLBPRSm

Disease Resistance Codes

BLBBotrytis leaf blight

FFusarium basal rot

PRPink root

SmOnion smut

Days are typical values from breeders and seed trials; results vary with growing conditions. A dash (—) means no resistance is published for that variety.