Following is a List of Some of the Onions Recommended for Mississippi Gardens:
- Crystal Wax—white skin and flesh; standard variety; flat, medium-sized bulb; soft, mild flesh; also used for green salad onions.
- Granex 33—Vidalia type onion; hybrid; thick, flat globe shape; yellow skin; fair storage quality; mild, sweet flavor; susceptible to pink root.
- Granex 429—yellow skin; deeper shape than Granex 33 and several days later maturing; mild, sweet flavor.
- Texas Grano-1015 Y—yellow skin; globe shape; sweet and mild; resistant to pink root.
Granex 33
Image Credit: Park Seed
Days to Maturity: 125 [from seed]
“This is the same sweet yellow onion that’s famously grown in Vidalia, Georgia, and just one bite tells you why it’s the most popular sweet onion in America. Not only is this short-day type nice and mild, it actually has a sugary flavor you’ll love. And even though it’s a sweet type, it stores remarkably well. You just can’t go wrong with easy-to-grow, crowd-pleasing sweet onion.
“This sweet Georgia onion is a bit flattish, with flimsy papery wrapping and light-yellow, thick flesh. It is equally well suited for cooking or using raw, and is a very reliable garden performer. Grow onions just like they do in Vidalia, Georgia yourself (who wants to pay those fancy supermarket and roadside stand prices) and find out just what all the fuss is about.
“Yellow Granex is called a “short-day” onion because it matures during the short days of fall, winter, and early spring, and is suited for warm climates, where winter is mild. If you live further north, try “long-day” varieties such as Walla Walla Sweet.
“Start seed indoors in fall for early summer harvest in the south. Begin them in flats 8 weeks before expected transplant into the garden. Space seedlings 2 to 3 inches apart in the garden. For mature bulbs, wait until the tops fall over after the growing season. Then dig up the bulbs, cure for 3 weeks, and store in a cool, dry place.” Park Seeds
Texas Grano-1015 Y
Image Credit: Gurney’s
“A giant yellow onion with a super sweet taste! Supersweet Onions can grow as large as softballs and often weigh 1 lb. each. They’ll store well for 2-3 months. It is later maturing than other short-day varieties allowing it to grow farther north. Onions’ growth is affected by the amount of light received. Short-day onions begin forming bulbs when daylight lasts 10-12 hours. Often, they are the sweetest onions and the best for eating raw and in salads or lightly cooked in salsas and stir-fries. They often do not store as well as long-day varieties. Because summer daylight hours are shorter in the South, short-day onions are most often grown in the South.
Texas White Granex
Image Credit: Texas Master Gardeners Crystal Basin
“White Vidalia Type. This variety has the same characteristics as the yellow variety, but with a pearly-white flesh. It is also recommended for southern growers. Sometimes known as the Miss Society.”Texas Master Gardeners Crystal Basin