DUAL PURPOSE ONION: A deep purple / red Italian variety with an intense onion flavour. For best results grow as a salad / spring onion and pick when young. Alternatively can also be grown as a maincrop onion that produces deep purple bulbs of intense flavour that store well.
HOW TO PLANT: Plant spring onion seeds 1cm deep in well-drained soil. If sowing early, grow seedlings in a greenhouse or indoors to avoid frost damage in starter pots, sowing seeds sparingly to give the roots space to grow. If planting into the ground, allow a 20cm distance between seeds. Spring onions prefer shade with some sun to encourage a longer cropping period in seasonal weather. For best results, sow between March and September for harvest from June to November.
TOP GROWING TIPS: Spring onions fill up gaps on plots perfectly, filling space between slower growing crops such as potatoes, beans or peas. Smart growers also use spring onions as row markers as they germinate relatively quickly in little space, marking where other crops have been grown. Also ideal for successional sowing. It is cold hardy, with excellent disease resistance.
GO BACK TO YOUR ROOTS: Purple Lilia Spring Onion is a great starter vegetable to grow. Planting veg, herbs and flowers is a wonderful way to spend time in your garden, cultivate mindfulness and appreciate the little things just like in years gone by. Working with the earth and growing things is immensely satisfying – teach your children or grandchildren this priceless skill of harvesting food in their own gardens, allotments, greenhouses, inside the home in pots or even in community gardens!
