Onion Ailsa Craig Seeds
$3.90
Unit price perAllium cepa
Ailsa Craig is a famous heritage Onion renowned for producing enormous, beautifully rounded bulbs with pale straw-yellow skin and a mild, sweet flavour. Under ideal growing conditions individual bulbs can approach 1 kg, making it a long-standing favourite for exhibition growing as well as an excellent eating onion for the home garden.
Despite its impressive size, the flesh is mild, juicy and pleasantly sweet rather than strongly pungent. Ailsa Craig is excellent sliced raw into salads and sandwiches, caramelised, roasted whole or used generously in soups, stews and sauces. Its combination of size and sweetness places it amongst the classic sweet Spanish-type onions.
The variety has a strong Scottish history. Ailsa Craig was developed in the 19th century and named after Ailsa Craig, the distinctive rocky island rising from the Firth of Clyde off the west coast of Scotland. It became particularly celebrated amongst competitive vegetable growers for its ability to produce exceptionally large, uniform bulbs.
Onions have been cultivated since ancient times, with their origins generally traced to Central and Southwest Asia. They became an important food crop across the ancient world because of their versatility and ability to be stored for extended periods.
Ailsa Craig performs best in full sun with rich, fertile, well-drained soil. Although capable of tremendous size, steady growth is more important than excessive feeding. Avoid over-fertilising, particularly with nitrogen, and do not allow the soil to become waterlogged.
Seed count: approximately 240–400 seeds/g
Approximately 200 seeds per packet
When to Plant (Australia)
Tropics: Autumn to winter, where suitable
Subtropics: Autumn to winter
Mild climates: Autumn to winter
Cold climates: Late autumn to winter, or according to local onion-growing conditions
Planting / Sowing
Sow approximately 5–10 mm deep into prepared soil, seedbeds or trays. Keep consistently moist and provide some shade over the seedbed until germination is well established.
Transplant or thin seedlings to approximately 10–15 cm apart, allowing generous spacing where especially large bulbs are desired. Grow in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil and keep evenly watered during active growth.
Reduce watering as bulbs mature. Harvest when the tops naturally yellow, dry and fall over. Lift the bulbs carefully and cure thoroughly in a dry, well-ventilated position before storing in a cool, dry place.
For the largest exhibition-sized bulbs, plants require a long growing season, generous spacing and consistently favourable conditions.
Maturity: approximately 110–140 days.
Due to quarantine restrictions, TAS has an 800g limit per each seed variety and WA has a 10,000 seeds limit per variety.
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