By Brad Haire
University of Georgia

Despite adverse growing conditions this year, consumers can
expect plenty of fresh quality Vidalia onions in grocery stores
soon, says a University of Georgia expert.

An extreme Georgia winter threatened the Vidalia onion crop
earlier this year. On several occasions, temperatures dropped
well below freezing for extended periods of time. Though Vidalia
onions are winter hardy, there was a question whether or not the
sweet Georgia treats would make it through the winter.

Barring any more extreme temperature changes, the crop will be
good, said George Boyhan, an extension horticulturist with the
UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Remarkable

“The crop has done remarkably well even with the freezes,” he
said. “The onions have really grown a lot in the past three to
four weeks. The harvest, supply and quality should be very
good.”

Harvest could begin as early as the first of April, he said.
Consumers can expect to see Vidalia onions in the produce
section beginning about mid-April, with a hardy supply well into
the year.

This year, growers had the option of planting seven new
varieties, which were tested by CAES scientists and approved to
carry the Vidalia onion label by the Georgia Dept. of
Agriculture.

To become a certified Vidalia, an onion has to be a
yellow Granex onion that is grown in a 20-county area in
southeastern Georgia. The Vidalia onion is known for its
unusually mild, sweet flavor, which is attributed to the low-
sulfur content in the soil, the mild winters and the use of
irrigation in this region.

Disease tough

But late season diseases can still pose a threat, he said.

“There has been some disease in spots, primarily Botrytis neck
rot,” he said. “This disease can be devastating in onions
particularly in storage.”

As much as 60 percent of the crop was destroyed by disease last
year. This shrank supplies and prices remained relatively high
last year, he said.

Good supply

But Boyhan expects growers planted as many onions this year,
about 14,000, as last year. Growers report the number of onions
sold to the Vidalia Onion Committee as they sell them. This is
then translated into acreage through county extension agents and
the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service.

Considering the winter weather, Vidalia onion growers are
pleased with their crop to this point and are ready to get into
their fields and harvest it, he said.

Vidalia onions are one of Georgia’s most valuable cash crops,
worth about $80 million a year.