Growing Onions - Education and Training
Offer tasty onions to customers by growing your own
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.
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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.
- 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.
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