An expert from Texas A&M AgriLife said that Texas Super Sweet Onion or 1015Y is known for its sweetness, size and overall good performance, as a cold season crop in Lone Star State.

After years of evaluation by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturists, these qualities have resulted in onions being included in the list of Texas superstars.

To be designated as a Texas superstar, the plant must perform well for growers across the state. Texas Superstars must also be easy to reproduce, ensuring that the plants are widely available and affordable.

Dr. Larry Stein, AgriLife Extension horticulturist at Uvalde, said that Texas super sweet onions have long been known for their taste, size and performance in gardens across the state. Onions are very suitable as a baking ingredient or individually sliced, grilled or used in salads for many culinary purposes.

Stein said that for novice or experienced growers, they are the perfect onion to add to the garden. They are biennial plants, but grow from seeds or transplants annually.

"The most impressive thing is that you can grow them from Uvalde to Lubbock; there are not many garden plants that perform well in parts of the state and other areas," he said. "A lot of onion varieties come and go, but these are still here and perform well."

Texas Super Sweet Onions 1015Y is named for its flavor and ideal seed planting date of October 15th. They are off-white to yellow. Transplants can be planted from November to February. Onion bulbs grown from seeds are usually larger than onion bulbs grown from transplants.

Plants grown from seed take 105-110 days to harvest, and transplantation usually shortens the maturity time by 30-40 days. If planting transplants, Stein says gardeners should buy the smallest plants available.

"It takes longer to grow from seeds, but onions are usually bigger," he said. "You only have to wait until April or May to harvest."

Stein says that plants need sufficient sunlight for optimal production. They grow to 18-24 inches tall, and onions can grow up to 6 inches in diameter. The onion plant has a hollow blue-green leaf, and the bulb at the root of the plant swells when it matures.

Plants can grow well in any well-drained soil and are also resistant to diseases, including the fungal pathogen-pink roots.

Stan said the super sweet onions in Texas are heavy fodder. He recommends "spoon feeding" a single plant pellet fertilizer every two weeks after the plants start to grow actively in the spring. Sprinkle fertilizer around the base, and then water the pellets.

The amount of fertilizer applied will affect their taste, Stein said. Well-managed Texas super sweet onions produce very little pyruvate, a substance that makes the eyes watery when sliced. Stressed plants are usually not so gentle. Well-fertilized plants are also very sweet, and reducing fertilization will increase pyruvate levels and reduce sweetness.

"Some people don't like super sweet onions and prefer to kick more," he said. "The amount of fertilizer and water plays an important role in flavor."

Texas Superstar is a registered trademark owned by AgriLife Research, which is part of the Texas A&M University system. The plant was designated as a Texas Superstar by the Texas Superstar Executive Committee, which is composed of nine horticulturists from AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension, and Texas Tech University.