Egyptian onion
Allium cepa Proliferum Group
Allium cepa var. prolifera
Bulbous perennial reaching up to 1.5 tall, often cultivated as an annual vegetable with thick, cylindrical grey-green edible leaves. The flower stems produces small greenish flowers and small edible bulbs
1-1.5 metres
0.1-0.5 metres
| Season | Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | ||||
| Summer | ||||
| Autumn | ||||
| Winter |
Grow in fertile, moisture retentive, but well-drained soil in full sun. Consider liming if the soil is acid, pH below 6.5. Harvest as spring onions in spring or let to gow into shallot-size onions. Prone to spreading if bulbils not removed
Propagate by planting sets of bulbils in the autumn or in spring
Remove bulbils from the top of the flower stem for culinary porposes and to reduce spread around the garden. Prune back once the foliage has died down
May be susceptible to onion fly, leek moth and narcissus eelworm
May be susceptible to onion white rot, onion downy mildew, leek rust and onion neck rot. Bolting, producing flowers, may be a problem