Whether your business uses onions for resale or as a fresh ingredient in cooked dishes, growing your own onions can be more cost effective than ordering from other onion growers. While a large grocery chain probably couldn't keep up with demand without ordering onions, a local produce business, greenhouse or restaurant can utilize home-grown onions.

For onion farms to be profitable, a little onions education and training is necessary before starting the process. For a restaurant that wants to use its own produce in dishes, setting up a garden plot is the first step. A local produce company or nursery needs to offer more than the typical grocery store variety onion to increase profits. When growing onions for business, consider the following:

1. Onions need good, loose, fertilized soil for the best growth. Garden bed preparation is just as important as the type of onion grown.

2. Offering exotic types of onions can increase sales once customers realize you have an exotic onion niche.

3. Established onion farmers and suppliers can help you get started with onion seeds or bulbs.

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Learn about the types of onions available from onion companies

While most people are familiar with the red onion, white onion, sweet onion and green onion, there are exotic varieties of onion that lend themselves to different flavors when cooked. By finding onion producers that can supply you with exotic onion seeds or bulbs, you can offer customers more options.

I recommend: Lifestyle Direct offers a short sampling of different types of onions, including leeks. Trade Winds Fruit offers exotic onion seeds and information.

Research the best planting methods for onions

Proper planting methods are important for restaurants that want to grow and use their own produce in dishes. This is also an important aspect of business for people wanting to profit from onion sales at roadside stands.

I recommend: Plant Answers, a website connected with the Texas Cooperative Extension, has information on planting and caring for onions. Colorado State University Extension has information on growing onions from seed.

Understand the requirements for selling onions and other produce

If starting a local produce stand is your goal, knowing the laws that govern the reselling of produce is important. If you're advertising any of your produce as organic, the USDA has strict regulations that govern the use of the term organic when selling foods.

I recommend: The USDA has publications and information about starting farmers markets and other food policies on their website. California Certified Organic Farmers offers certification and information about organic farming.

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Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The USDA has strict guidelines that determine what makes produce organic. When shopping for organic onion seeds or bulbs, make sure the product is certified organic by the USDA. Anything not certified may not meet the requirements set forth that regulate organic foods.

Onions are one of the most consumed and used vegetables on the planet. A root vegetable, they are considered a staple in what is considered the Holy Trinity of the culinary world. Carrots, celery and onions make up the base of all soups, stews, stocks and many other dishes. For your restaurant to be successful, you need to include onions in many varieties on your menu.

Growing onions is relatively easy, giving you the freshest sweet onion and red onion vegetables. Pick up some onion seeds and give it a try. If you don't have the room or green thumb, order directly from onion farms, onion producers and onion growers. To find the best onion suppliers, you should:

1. Peruse your recipes to determine the onion varieties you will need for the dishes on your menu and to determine new varieties you’d like to try.

2. Find reputable onion brokers in your area for the freshest onions at the best price.

3. Purchase onions in bulk or wholesale to save money and help clear inventory from onion farmers.

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Look through your recipes to determine the onion varieties you need to order from onion growers

There are many varieties of onion -- yellow (sweet), white, Vidalia (purple), scallions, shallots and chives. The variety of onion you choose to use in your dish should depend on the intensity of the onion flavor you want in the dish.

I recommend: The National Gardening Association offers an extensive listing of onion varieties and their characteristics to help you choose the best onion varieties for the dishes on your menu. Visit Healthy Recipes for more information on the many varieties and history of the onion.

Find reputable onion brokers

The best place to find the highest quality onions is at a local farmer's market or an onion grower in your area. Another option, especially if you want more control over the quality, size and flavors of the onions, is to grow them yourself. This can be done by planting onion seeds or bulbs in Spring and tenderly caring for them until Summer.

I recommend: Dutch Valley Growers, Inc. specializes in commercial onion growing, bulbs and offers wholesale prices. They have been in business since 1933 and are considered one of the best onion growers in the industry. Morris Farms grows Vidalia onions, also known as sweet onions, in Georgia. They are family owned and operated since they opened in 1950.

Purchase wholesale onions to save money

To save money on onions, purchase them wholesale. This is especially good if you need large quantities of onions (for award winning onion rings), need an assortment of varieties, or want to split the cost between two restaurants. Many wholesalers will offer you loyalty or advance ordering discounts also.

I recommend: Duda offers farm fresh fruits and vegetables, including four varieties of onion, directly to you. They grow, ship, market and maintain a large assortment of fresh foods for food service and retail outlets. This allows you to do all the shopping for your kitchen at one place. Vidalia Valley boasts a wide selection of all things Vidalia, including diced, fresh, whole, bulk prices and other forms of prepped Vidalia onions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The key to holding the tears when cutting an onion is to use an extremely sharp knife and the least amount of cuts necessary. The more the onion is smashed or chopped, the more of the chemical that makes our eyes tear is released.

The familiar potency and vibrant flavor of the onion is considered an essential foundation in many dishes. With many different kinds and each variety having its best use, it is beneficial to peel into onion knowledge a few layers deep instead of stopping at the skin. Knowing these vocabulary terms will develop confidence when choosing and using onions. Growers and chefs, as well as produce wholesalers and grocery retailers, can benefit from this information.

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Blight

Blight is a fungus that damages the plant leaves and causes crop failure. You will know if your onions have been attacked by blight if the leaves gradually lighten to yellow then wither.

I recommend: PLANTanswers will aid in your learning more about blight. For photos of infected plants and ways to control the disease, visit Vegetable MD Online.

Purple blotch

A fungus that infects onions that is triggered by leaf wetness, purple blotch begins as a sunken white area and progresses to deaden the leaf above the infected area.

I recommend: Montana State University explains the disease in full with information on control and prevention.

Long-day, short-day

Onion varieties are split into long-day and short-day growing categories. The one you should choose depends on the growing conditions where the onions are planted. Growers in southern states should plant short-day varieties, which flourish where sunlight is apparent 12 and 14 hours a day. In northern states where summer days are longer, long-day onion varieties should be planted.

I recommend: For information on long- and short-day onions as well as growing tips, visit Oniongardening.com.

Propanethiol S-oxide

Propanethiol S-oxide is a gas agitated by the mixing of enzymes when an onion is cut. This is the gas that, when mixed with the water in our eyes, creates sulfuric acid. Our eyes react to the acid by activating tears in order to get rid of the acid.

I recommend: Everything2 explores the creation and dispersion of propanethiol S-oxide in onions in answer to the question, "Why does cutting an onion make you cry?"

Dry onions, green onions

Dry onions are recognizable in stores as a bulb only and come in white, red or yellow color. The flavor of these onions is as varied as the type you choose, differing in range from sweet to pungently spicy. Green onions are smaller and more mild and come with the leaf intact. Dry onions are the mature form of the green onion.

I recommend: To learn more about dry onions and green onions and recommended uses, see RecipeTips.Com.

Spring/summer onion, storage onion

Dry onions are either spring/summer onions or storage onions. Spring/summer onions include those that are grown in warm weather climates, have thin skins and have a range of mild to sweet tastes. Storage onions have a more pungent flavor and are typically grown in colder weather climates. After harvesting, these onions are dried out for several months, during which they obtain brittle skins. Storage onions are usually named in correlation with their color: white, yellow or red.

I recommend: Chow is a great resource for finding out more about the differences between these two types of onions and the best ways of handing and using each one.