Some areas and soils are better for growing onions than others. Before doing any more planning, find out if onions will grow well on your farm. You will need to do a soil test to determine this. It will tell you:
- How healthy your soil is
- Which fertilisers to add to make your soil better
- Which crops will grow well in your soil.
If you would like a soil test, call CropNut’s soil testing service Daktari Wa Udongo on +254 790 499190 or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org. They will take samples of your soil from your farm to test and send you a report. A soil test will save you money and it will give you a bigger and better crop.
Though onions can be produced on a wide range of soil types, avoid heavy soils as these may lead to problems such as bad aeration, crusting and a blemished product of lower quality.
Ensure that your soil is well drained and is at least 60m deep. Shallow soil may be utilized, but with adaptations in management practices.
The best pH range is 6.0 – 6.8; lower pH levels can result in problems with regard micronutrient uptake.
Onions grow best at below 1,900m altitude; 500-700mm rainfall; 15-30 ºC temperature range.