March 3, 2026
On our way from Perry to Savannah, we noticed that about a 25 minute detour would take us to the Vidalia Onion Museum. We decided to kill some time on our drive and find out what makes the Vidalia Onion so special. It's the seed, soil, and growing season that makes the onion a Vidalia Onion.
Fields have to be registered and located only in a very limited county area. Adjacent counties may or may not grow a Vidalia onion. It depends on their soil, which is tested.
Interestingly, the bulb transplants are almost entirely planted by hand. When ready for harvest, equipment will uproot them and turn them out on top of the soil. A couple of weeks later, hand harvesters go through the fields, clipping the stems and banding them in bunches. It's a very labor intensive process.
April starts much of the harvest time and the Vidalia Onion Festival is held the last full weekend in April.
So of which agricultural product do you think, when you think of Georgia - peaches, pecans, peanuts, or Vidalia onions?
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| Smallest registered field (at the museum) |
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| What makes a Vidalia |
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| Dark counties can grow - Medium counties require soil testing |
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| Fighting for the name after folks tried misleading the public |
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| Old onion farming tools |
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| Onion dome |
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