Onions are one of the world's most popular vegetables.
They grows as a bulb with a fan of strong, upright, green, hollow leaves atop which appear a half globe of tiny white flowers. As these die back the stems bend over and start to go limp and brown.
The onion matures on top of the soil, growing upwards as their bodies expand. The green foliage provides the initial burst of growth energy, but when they fold over and start to die, the onion gains a lot of extra energy from the sun directly on its domed body.
Cover with mulch in winter to keep to protect from big frosts but remove in spring to allow the soil to warm and the plants to get the maximum light.
They can be harvested young as spring onions while foliage is still erect or left until autumn for full sized, juicy, pungent and hugely tasty results.
Best left to fully dry out after harvest, the dry foliage can be plaited to allow up to twenty bulbs to be hung in the kitchen or outhouse. There they can be broken off as needed - and they look great too.