Spring Onion – Lillia

A super coloured Spring Onion. Can be grown as a small red onion if you leave it long enough. Has a strong flavour. Always on my grow list.

Spring Onions can be sown all year round from February onwards. I multi sow my onions and that includes spring onions. Sow approx. 8 seeds per module which has been filled with compost and watered prior to sowing. Sow seeds thinly, 0.5cm deep and cover lightly with compost. Seeds germinate faster with some warmth such as a heat mat or inside but take off heat and move to a cooler area once germinated to grow on. I usually thin down to 5 onion seedlings per module, thinning out the weakest specimens. Once the seedlings are strong and the module has good root growth they are ready to plant out, this should be approx. 4-6 weeks from sowing. Plant out the whole module without breaking them apart. Allow 20cm between rows. Early and late sowings may benefit from cloche or fleece protection. Water freely during dry weather.

Direct sow Mar-Jul. where they are to crop. Sow thinly 15mm deep into drills of finely prepared soil which has been watered.  Seedlings appear in 14-21 days. Thinning is not required. Successional sowing is useful if you want to eat them all year round.