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Onion Red Zepplin

Onion Red Zepplin

  • Features: Big, full season red onion. Beautiful red onions that will make you think you’ve climbed the stairway to heaven. When started as a transplant will make large onions with dark red skin.
  • Maturity: 100-115 days / onion size is up to 10cm (4").
  • Light: Plant in full sun.
  • Soil and water: Prefers soil with good drainage, and they grow best when the soil pH ranges between 6.0 and 6.8. Raised beds or raised rows called furrows made by mounding up soil are ideal, especially if your soil is heavy clay. Onions roots are shallow and not very efficient at taking up moisture, so they need a steady supply of water to grow without interruption. Although they actually recover well from drought and start growing again when watered, it is best to keep the soil consistently moist until the bulbs enlarge.
  • Spacing: Plant transplants 15cm (6") apart in rows 30cm (12") apart.
  • Height: -
  • Garden use: Vegetable gardens or raised beds or furrows.
  • Growing tips: Easy to grow. Plants will appreciate a starter solution of liquid fertilizer after planting. Watch for tiny black onion thrips and aphids, which suck sap from onion leaves. These are hard to see because they hide down in the folds and neck of the leaves. Also weak plants that slowly wilt may be infested with onion root maggots, the larvae of a common fly.
  • Culinary use: Delicious in salads, soups, garnish, sides.
Red Zeppelin is a very hard onion and has longer term storage (6 to 8 months) potential than most red onions. When onion tops begin to fall over, turn brown and wither, it is time to harvest. Tipping bulbs over to break some of the roots will speed drying. To harvest, pull them up, shake off the soil, and lay them out to cure with the tops still attached. Any warm, airy location will work. Bulbs must stay dry and have good air circulation. As the onions cure, the roots will shrivel and the necks above the bulbs will slowly dry – a natural process that helps to seal the top of the bulb, making the onions less likely to rot. After 7 to 10 days, clip off the tops of the onions and the roots with pruning shears, remove as much dry dirt as possible without taking off the papery outer skins, and store your onions in a cool place.

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