Growing Instructions

Thank You for Purchasing Our Short-Day Onion Transplants!

We’re excited for you to grow delicious, high-quality sweet onions right at home. Short-day onions grow strong green tops during the cool winter months, then bulb up as the days lengthen in spring. Plant your onions as soon as they arrive! They’ve been shipped dry and dormant, ready to wake up and grow. For best results, plant within two days of delivery. Follow these simple steps to help your transplants thrive!

1. Choosing the Right Location

Short-day onions thrive in well-drained, loose, fertile soil. Onions hate soggy roots and need full sunlight—avoid shaded areas.

2. Plant Your Onions

Space plants 4 inches apart. If planting in rows, keep rows 10–12 inches apart. Set transplants so the white bulb portion is just below the soil surface (about 1 inch deep). Gently press soil around each plant. Your ideal soil pH for these onions is 6.0–6.8. Fertilize your plants using a low-nitrogen fertilizer (such as 5-10-15). Water in with about a ½ inch of water to settle the soil and activate fertilizer. 

3. Taking Care of Your Onions

During growth, fertilize your onions every 30 days, for a total of three applications. In March, apply a light application of calcium nitrate—it strengthens cell walls and aids bulb expansion. Always water in your fertilizer applications with about ½ inch of water. During the cool winter months, onions need minimal water. In spring, as bulbs begin to expand, provide about ½ inch of water per week until the necks soften and the tops fall over—this signals maturity and no more water is needed.

4. Maturity & Harvest

Your onions will reach maturity around April. When the tops have fallen over, gently pull your bulbs, brush off excess soil, and cure them in a warm, airy spot for 7–10 days or until the necks are completely dry. Then clip off your roots and tops, leaving about 2 inches of the neck. If you can’t resist trying one straight from the ground—go ahead! They’re safe and delicious fresh.

5. Storage

After curing, store onions in mesh bags or baskets in a cool, dry place. Sweet short-day onions don’t store as long as northern types—use within a couple of months.

6. Share Your Journey

We’re delighted that you’ve chosen McLain Farms and would love to celebrate your success! Email your photos and stories to orders@mclainfarms.com. We may feature your beautiful onions on our page!

A Final Thought Most importantly, remember Who gives all life. Our Faith is the key ingredient to all of our sweet success at McLain Farms. We plant the seeds—but it is Him who makes them grow.

From our family to yours, 

The McLain Family
McLain Farms

Get Your Onion Transplants

At McLain Farms, we’ve been growing award-winning Vidalia sweet onions for generations. Every bulb carries the care, tradition, and flavor only a real family farm can provide.

Vidalia Onion Transplant Bundles

McLain Farms, Inc.

Vidalia Onion Transplant Bundles
$19.99