Did you know that it's easier to grow certain types of onions depending on where you live? Different areas of the United States receive different amounts of sunlight, and this TikTok explains how the amount of sunlight will affect how well certain onions grow.
The scoop
The TikTok account @newenglandbeet is an account dedicated to fresh food — from quick recipes to gardening hacks. The Tiktoker shares their "first mistake" of their 2023 gardening journey in this TikTok.
@newenglandbeet First mistake of my 2023 garden 😱 the three types of onions #onion #gardening #gardenproject #gardening101 #gardeningtiktok #gardeninghacks #gardendiy #gardentips #sowing #seeds #seedstarting #farmtotable #backyardgarden #veggiegarden #garden2023 #easygardening #herbgarden #gardenhelp #newnenglandgardening #newengland #newenglandbeet #beginnergardener #budgetfriendly #budgeting #budgetfriendly #budgethacks ♬ original sound - NewEnglandBeet
They describe how the onion seeds they bought will not grow well because they aren't suited to the area they live — and explain why different onions grow better in different areas of the U.S.
Some plants, such as onions, require different ratios of daylight to darkness in order to grow efficiently.
There are three types of onions: long-day, intermediate-day, and short-day onions.
Long-day onions are ideal for the northern part of the country where there are 14 to 16 hours of daylight. Similarly, short-day onions are ideal for southern parts of the country, where there are 10 to 12 hours of daylight, and intermediate-day onions need 12 to 14 hours of daylight.
You can find a map of what onions you should grow in your area here.
"These short-day onions are not gonna do well for me," explains the TikToker, who is from New England.
How it's helping
Agriculture makes up 11% of the world's carbon pollution. Growing your own food can save you money and help reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment because the food doesn't need to be transported or packaged if it's coming straight from your garden.
However, you don't want your time, energy, and resources to go to waste by trying to grow plants that are not suited to the environment and are unable to thrive.
Growing your own food is worth it to save money, improve the environment, and potentially create a fun new hobby. But it is important to do some quick research to make sure that you are investing in a plant that will thrive and produce great food for you.
What everyone's saying
Some commenters had already made the mistake, with one saying, "Been there, done that. Never blindly grabbing seed packets again!"
However, other viewers were surprised by the information, commenting, "Well what in the world," and "Thank you this is so helpful, no one has ever mentioned this before!"
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