Onion, Lilia (Organic)
Allium cepa. Red Scallion/Onion. 40 days bunching, 90 days bulb.
A beautiful, red scallion / salad / spring onion with tall, dark green tops. Red color develops early. Flavor is not as pungent as one would expect for a red onion; its mildness is well-suited for raw/fresh use. Bright red/purple color is very pretty in the field, the market booth, and on the plate. Flavor intensifies as plants mature. Also does well as a dual-purpose onion and, if planted in spring, can be grown past bunching stage to produce impressively large bulbs with dark red wrappers that store remarkably well. Winner of the United Kingdom’s Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
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Sow indoors in flats with good potting soil February through July. Transplant into the garden in April to August, when plants are at least the size of a No. 2 pencil lead. Space clumps of plants 6” in rows that are 12′ apart. Green onions benefit from frequent watering and shallow cultivation. Harvest when they are the size you want to eat.
Seed Saving
To save seed, replant at least 20 onions (to avoid inbreeding) in the second spring. Large, beautiful globe shaped flowers attract pollinators. Cut whole seed heads when they open and show the black seeds. Thresh gently and winnow to remove debris and hollow seeds. Isolate from other Alliums of the same species by at least ½ mile.
Mary (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Washington
Zone 8b, latitude 47.6N. I tried growing these pretty onions in 2025. I was attracted by the promise of a spring onion that, if it got away from me (some always do), it would make a usable red bulb onion. They made tasty red “green” onions through early summer. As a trial, I also planted a few row feet spaced for bulb onions and was rewarded with deep purple, medium-sized bulb onions in late summer. Quite beautiful. I didn’t try storing any because we used them all up in short order. This is the red onion I am planting again in 2026!
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