Walla Walla Onion Allium cepa var. cepa ‘Walla Walla’

LATIN NAME: Allium cepa

COMMON NAME: Walla Walla Onion

The onion swells the round bulbs under the hollow, grey-green leaves, the whole row standing in the neat, solid look of the kitchen garden. The hardy, biennial herb carries the hollow, cylindrical, grey-green leaves from the large, round, papery-skinned bulbs, and the small, white or greenish-white flowers in the dense, globular umbels, on the tall, hollow, swollen stalks, through the summer of the second year, one of the solid, quiet sights of the kitchen garden, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, black, angled seeds. The black seeds have a very long record as the fine, keeping onions of the old gardens, and the plant is a historic presence of the kitchen garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The onion is a historic subject of the plant science, and the papery-skinned bulbs keep showing up in the work on the bulb crops. The way the small, white or greenish-white flowers form in the dense, globular umbels has been studied steadily, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the bulb crops, the hollow leaves and the members of the onion family. The black seeds and the solid habit have also made it a fine study herb, and the onion is a regular subject of the work on the papery-skinned bulbs of the temperate world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The onion is a solid, useful plant of the kitchen garden and the study collection. The hollow, cylindrical, grey-green leaves from the large, round, papery-skinned bulbs carry the solid look of the kitchen garden, one of the solid, quiet sights of the kitchen garden, drawing the bees, and the black seeds have a very long record as the fine, keeping onions of the old gardens, the crisp bulbs coming to the old pots, the pickles and the steady trade of the grocers, while the small, white or greenish-white flowers in the dense, globular umbels, on the tall, hollow, swollen stalks, open through the summer of the second year, to be followed by the small, black, angled seeds. It is one of the fine choices for the kitchen garden, the store cupboard and the study collection, and it has been written up in the agricultural and the culinary papers for the papery-skinned bulbs and the very long history. It is a solid, useful plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden.

The onion seeds are happy in a fine, sandy loam kept lightly moist. The young seedlings are steady once they root, and they take the deep, rich ground of the open row well.

To grow the onion from seed, sow the small, black seeds thinly over the surface of the deep flat of fine, sandy loam, water gently, then keep the flat in a bright, open spot. The seedlings push through within a couple of weeks, and they grow on steadily. With the sun and the deep, rich, moist ground, the round bulbs will swell over the year.

Old fashioned variety from France, and although not a long- keeper, these are one of the sweetest onions to grow. Large globes with light brown skin are ultra-mild and the crunchy, white flesh is delicious either raw or cooked. Try baking them like potatoes in their own skin! 110 days