We are not quite sure where onions originated from, but central Asia, Persia, & Pakistan are all good possibilities. It is said they have been cultivated for about 5,000 years. Its believed their concentric layers of flesh or circles within circles, it represented eternity to the Ancient Egyptian’s & were buried with the Pharaohs. Traces of onions have even gone back to Bronze Age settlements. During the middle ages onions were used to treat snake-bites, headaches & hair loss. Onions contain natural sugar, vitamins A,B6,C, & E Minerals such as sodium, potassium, plus iron & fibre. Athlete’s in ancient Greece ate onions in the belief it ‘would lighten the balance’ of their blood.
Roman gladiators rubbed themselves down with onions to firm up there muscles. Alexander The Great fed his army onions as he though that strong food would make strong soldiers. Onions thrive in an open position & in fertile well drained soils. If acid soil will need liming. Do not sow onion seeds on recently manure ground. Onions should be rotated in a 3 year cycle to prevent the build up of soil-borne pests & diseases.
Always read sowing instruction’s on the seed packet.
blog & research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)
