How to Grow Australian Brown Onions From Seeds

Sow Australian brown seeds in well-drained soil at least 8 inches deep. If in doubt, dig a hole about 1 foot deep in the site of your choice. Fill it with water. If the water disappears within 24 hours, the ground provides adequate drainage.

Grow Australian brown onions in pH between 5.5 and 6.5, indicating that the soil is acidic. Submit a soil sample to your county cooperative extension office to have its pH determined, or use a home-test kit from a garden supply shop.

Loosen the ground and incorporate 2 to 3 inches of compost into it. Broadcast a 5-10-10 fertilizing formula according to the application rates listed on the label of the brand you chose.

Make a ½-inch-deep furrow and sow your Australian brown onion seeds. Space them 3 inches apart or thin the seedlings after germination to create that distance among them. Don't discard, but eat the immature onion plants you pull the same way you'd use chives. Separate multiple furrows by 12 inches.

Cover the furrows with topsoil and water to 1 inch below the surface. Continue to keep the seedbed moist.

Apply a 2-inch-deep layer of mulch around the base of each Australian brown onion plant to suppress weeds and conserve moisture. Pull any weeds that sprout despite the mulch.

Dig the onions with a garden fork after the foliage dries and collapses. Take care not to bruise the bulbs to avoid decay. Leave them out in the sun on the soil surface to dry for two days. In wet weather, dry them in a well-ventilated area indoors.

Cure the onions to prevent rot in storage. Transfer them to a warm area that stays between 75 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Australian brown onions are sufficiently dry for storage when their necks contract and outermost skin layers become brittle for lack of moisture. By then, the bulbs will have lost about 4 percent of their weight at harvest.

Store Australian brown onions below 68 degrees Fahrenheit in a well-ventilated area to prevent the bulbs from sprouting.