Onion Seeds - Long Red Florence

450 Seeds.

Other Names - Bulbing Onions…

The traditional Italian variety Long Red Florence can be harvested when young as salad onions or left to mature in autumn when they have formed a good sized elongated deep red coloured bulb. It is often classed as a banana shallot as its excellent flavour is one of the best.

• Harvest young as spring onions or leave to mature to form a torpedo or banana shallot bulb.
• Produces a deep red skin with a sweet mild flavour.
• Easy to grow, ideal for beginners.

Suitable For - Vegetable plot, raised beds

Sowing Months - February - early April

Harvest - July - October

Gardening is about finding the right balance! Try growing Companion Plants close by to help deter pests.

• Lettuce and onions grow well together.
• Chamomile and summer savory - these two herbs if grown nearby are believed to improve the growth and flavour of alliums.
• Beetroot, Kohl rabi, strawberries and cabbages are good plants to grow close to onions as they do not compete against each another.

Soil Preperation

Add well rotted manure or compost a few months before sowing or planting. Remove any weeds and apply some general purpose fertilizer 1 - 2 weeks before sowing or planting. Before sowing rake the surface when dry to produce a fine tilth.

Sowing Guide

Early Sowing/Module Sowing

Onions grow well in clumps and will not need to be thinned. Sow 7 - 8 seeds per 4 cm module. As soon as germination starts reduce the heat and move to an area with good daylight exposure. Keep the compost moist but do not overwater. After 3 - 6 weeks plant out. Harden off over a few days before planting out. Plant out at the distance suggested above. Firm the soil around each clump and water well.

Direct Sowing

Sow 1 - 2 seeds every 1 cm at the depth and row distance suggested above. Lightly cover the seeds with fine soil and water well. When the seedlings are big enough to handle thin to 2 cm apart keeping the strongest seedlings removing the weak. Firm the soil again if needed. Leave the plants to mature some more. A few weeks later start to thin the plants gradually over several weeks using the thinning's as spring onions until eventually a 6 - 10 cm distance between each plant has been achieved.

Growing On

Weed often especially in the early stages as the growing seedlings resemble blades of grass when young and can very easily be smothered by weeds. Water seedlings well in dry weather. Older plants will need to be watered every 7 - 10 days during dry weather. The plants will benefit from a mulch of compost to help prevent the surrounding soil from drying out in the summer heat.

Harvesting

If the thinning's (salad onions) are difficult to pull out by hand, to prevent them from snapping use a trowel to loosen the soil first. When the bulb is mature in late July / August the foliage will start to turn yellow and will fall over. On a dry day, carefully lift the bulbs up with a fork, once lifted bend the necks of each onion bulb back hard. If dry weather is forecast, lay the onions with their bent necks side by side along the surface of the soil to dry out in the sun.
However if wet weather is forecast after bending the necks remove all of the onions from the garden and dry indoors over 10 - 20 days (longer if the air is humid and cold and the onions are large in size).If by August the stems of the onions growing in the garden are still green and the weather is continually wet. The onions will need to be picked, necks bent back then bunched together with string and hung to dry indoors. They will be dry enough to store when the skins and stems of the onions are dry and crisp to the touch.
Store in net bags or boxes or for a traditional storing method try plating each onion stem onto string to form a string of onions. Store in a cool dry shed or garage until mid to late spring. Do not store damaged, bruised or onions showing any signs of disease.