Description
This Italian heirloom has been available to gardeners since the late 1800s, but is hard to find in stores. The wine-colored, flattened globes are 1″ high by 2″–3″ in diameter. Their sweet flavor is delicious fresh or cooked—perfect for roasting and grilled kebabs.
Botanical Name: Allium cepa
Days to Maturity: 70 days
Family: Alliaceae
Native: Exists only in cultivation
Hardiness: Biennial grown as an annual
Variety Information: Uniform, 2″–3″ round bulbs with dark red rings.
Type: Cipollini, intermediate-day, storage onion. (Learn more)
Attributes: Storage
When to Sow Outside: 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, or as soon as soil can be worked; when soil temperature is at least 45°F.
When to Start Inside: RECOMMENDED. 10 to 12 weeks before your average last frost date. Transplant outdoors 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date. The earlier the start, the bigger the bulb. Ideal soil temperature is 60°–85°F.
Days to Emerge: 7–15 days
Seed Depth: ¼”
Seed Spacing: A group of 2 seeds every 4″
Row Spacing: 8″–12″
Thinning: When 2″ tall, thin to 1 every 3″
Harvesting: When onion tops have fallen over and turned yellow or brown, they are ready for harvest. Harvest in the morning, lifting onions with a garden fork. Dry them in the garden in the sun for 2 to 3 days, lightly covering the bulbs with straw, or the tops of other onions to prevent sunscald. Cure onions for 3 to 7 days in a dry area with good air circulation. Once dry, cut the roots to 1/4″, and the greens to 1″ to create a seal, preventing decay.
This packet sows up to 22 feet. 170 seeds in packet.