Onions are shallow-rooted plants that are grown both annually (for vegetable crop) and biennially (for seed crop). Washington’s crop accounts for one-third of the onions grown in the western United States, with an estimated value of over $90 million. Upon harvest, some of the crop is sold fresh, while some is processed directly; but most of the onions harvested in Washington are stored for a short period of time, to be marketed up to six months later. From planting to harvest, an onion crop can take up to seven months to produce.