allium sp.
One of our favorite type of "Potato Onions" that is used mostly as a green onion, but also can be dug and used in lieu of a shallot or onion and is more heat tolerant. This one multiplies vigorously so you patch of perennial onion will be here in no time. From https://www.spadefootnursery.com/ "The original US harvest of the wild I'Itoi Onion took place on I'Itoi Mountain, which is also known as Baboquivari Mountain. This mountain is regarded by the O'odham nation as the navel of the world – a place where the earth opened and people emerged. The name I'Itoi signifies the Elder Brother, who is the creator deity in Tohono O'odham legends; consequently the onion is a sacred reminder of the O'odham creation story. Botanical studies place the I'Itoi onion among a very old line of clumping onions brought to the US by Jesuit missionaries in the late 17th century, concluding that the onion is not necessarily a US native. Regardless of the contradicting histories, the I'Itoi Onion has a special place among Sonoran Desert culinary culture." We received our mother's from Kelly Winterton in Utah.
USDA Certified Organic
Pot Size: 4in pot
Plant Size: clump 3-9 inches tall
USDA Hardiness: 6a-10 (maybe colder).
*Note: Goes dormant in some harsh winter climates or will die back and resprout in hot weather for a short period. Frost hardiness of the greens tops is unknown at the moment
About the Potato Onion In General
The potato onion (Allium cepa var. aggregatum) is a member of the onion family. It reproduces by division of bulbs, rather than by seed (though it does produce seed some years). They are also known as nesting onions or multiplier onions. Potato onions are closely related to shallots, but are larger and store and use more like an onion. One onion can be planted and it will produce 3-8 onions after one growing season in a big clump, hence the name "potato" or "multiplier" onion. This variety in unnamed but produces a nice medium sized onion. It comes in a 4x6 pot and the plant is quite established and ready to go into the ground.
We received these mother bulbs from Kelly Winterton in Utah and have been growing them out and potting them up. This is a great perennial type storage onion, you can harvest a majority of the bulbs and then mulch and the remaining ones will resprout the following season and give you another crop of small to medium sized storage onions. A lot of the varieties have been lost over time, but new breeding and a resurgence of interest driven by Kelly and many others has breathed new life into this crop.
