Potato Onion is neither a potato or an onion in the modern concept of the traditional onion. The Potato Onion is a top-set onion, similar to walking onions, but is not a walking onion. The Potato Onion taste is similar to a shallot, sweet and mellow, but the bulbs are larger, 1/2" to 3". The bulbs reproduce at the base of the plant often producing bulb clusters of 3 to 5 onions. Green growth can be used just as green onions. The Potato Onion creates a smaller plant than its cousins and takes up little room. It is easy to grown and a great keeper. The culture for potato onion is more of a shallot except the bulbs are planted closer to the surface of the soil. It is more often planted in the fall than in the spring and can be harvested in a short period of time.

The Potato Onion is very difficult to find in the world of the modern onion hybrids and sophisticated harvesting equipment. The plant was first documented by the Egyptians and was considered a mainstay in the War Garden in the 1940s. It has become practically unknown and seldom available now principally because it is not easy to maintain in a commercial growing operation. Potato Onion requires hand-cultivation just as the garlic does. Both plants should be more cultivated in the home garden.