Allium cepa 'Candy'
vegetableCandy is an intermediate-day (day-neutral) hybrid sweet onion that forms big, slightly flattened, light-yellow globes - up to softball size - with sweet, juicy, low-sulfur flesh. Because it is day-neutral rather than long- or short-day, it bulbs well across most of the country, from the far North to the deep South, unlike region-locked sweet onions such as Vidalia (short-day) or Walla Walla (long-day). Like all sweet onions, its high sugar and water content makes it mild and pleasant raw on salads and burgers but means it does not keep long, storing only about two to three months.
Sun
full sun
Water
Every 4 days
Harvest
~110 days
Difficulty
easy
Lifecycle
biennial
Leaves year 1, flowers year 2
Spacing
4-6 in. apart
Planting Depth
1 in. (sets), 1/4 in. (seed)
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
Soil Type
Well-drained, fertile
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3 – 10
Grown as an annual — this range is its winter hardiness, but you can grow it for a single season in any zone.
When to Fertilize
Every 2-3 weeks until bulbs swell, then stop
Fertilizer
Nitrogen-rich early (21-0-0)
Candy is day-neutral, so it bulbs across a wide range of latitudes without matching a variety to your day length. Start from seed indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost, or set out transplants or sets in early spring in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil, spacing plants about 4 inches apart. Keep the bed weed-free with steady moisture during leaf growth, since each leaf becomes a ring of the bulb; feed with nitrogen early and taper off as the bulbs begin to swell.
Start seeds indoors
Feb 4
Transplant outdoors
Mar 18
Projected first harvest
Jul 6
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
Choose tolerant varieties, avoid planting beside grain or alfalfa, and keep plants well-watered and unstressed
Delay planting past the first spring fly flight, rotate alliums, and use row cover
Plant in well-drained soil and rotate so alliums do not follow alliums
Harvest when the tops yellow, weaken, and flop over, signaling the bulbs have finished sizing up, and lift them on a dry day. Cure the bulbs with tops attached in a warm, airy, shaded place for two to three weeks until the necks are dry and the skins papery; use these sweet onions first, as they keep only about two to three months compared with pungent storage types.
Onions are low in calories and provide vitamin C, vitamin B6, and folate, along with prebiotic fibers and the antioxidant quercetin, and the organosulfur compounds that give their pungency are linked to heart health.
For educational and informational purposes only — HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.