Overview

Experience the joy of growing your own delicious and vibrant onions with these premium red candy onion sets. These aren’t dried bulbs; rather, they are small, live plants ready for your garden, promising a bountiful harvest of large, sweet red onions. Known for their appealing red-purple outer wrapper and excellent tasting sweet flesh, Red Candy onions are a favorite among home gardeners and culinary enthusiasts alike. As an heirloom variety, these non-GMO sets ensure you’re cultivating a time-tested favorite, bringing authentic flavor and robust growth to your winter and spring garden. Perfect for fresh use in salads, sandwiches, or cooked dishes, these sweet onion bulbs are a garden staple.

The red candy onion sets are carefully cultivated to provide a strong start, allowing for vigorous growth and impressive yields. Their distinctive color and mild, sweet flavor make them a versatile ingredient in any kitchen. Planting these sets means you’re investing in a future harvest of quality produce, free from genetic modification, and full of natural goodness. Each bunch typically contains 40-70 small plants, giving you ample opportunity to establish a thriving onion patch that will yield fresh, flavorful onions for months.

Key Benefits

Cultivating red candy onion sets in your garden offers a multitude of benefits, from their delightful flavor to their ease of growth. These sets are an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners looking to enhance their culinary endeavors and garden aesthetics.

• Exceptional Flavor and Versatility: These onions are celebrated for their incredibly sweet and mild flesh, making them perfect for eating raw in salads, grilling, sautéing, or caramelizing. Their balanced flavor profile elevates any dish.
• Vibrant Appearance: The striking red-purple outer wrapper adds a beautiful pop of color to your garden and your plate, making them as visually appealing as they are delicious.
• Non-GMO Heirloom Quality: Grow with confidence knowing you’re planting non-GMO, heirloom sweet onion bulbs. This ensures a natural growth cycle and preserves genetic diversity, offering a product that’s been enjoyed for generations.
• High Yield Potential: With 40-70 small plants per bunch, these sets provide a generous quantity, allowing you to harvest a substantial amount of onions from a single planting.
• Freshness Guaranteed: Growing your own ensures the freshest possible produce, picked at peak ripeness right from your garden. This significantly enhances the taste and nutritional value compared to store-bought alternatives.
• Easy to Grow: These heirloom onion plants are relatively straightforward to cultivate, making them an accessible option for gardeners of all skill levels. With proper care, they thrive in various conditions.
• Supports Local Agriculture: By choosing these onion sets, you’re often supporting small US growers and sellers, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and local economies.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of red candy onion sets begins with proper planting and consistent care. These small plants require specific conditions to develop into large, flavorful bulbs. Onions prefer a location with full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Good air circulation is also important to prevent fungal diseases. Prepare your soil by ensuring it is loose, well-draining, and rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0) is ideal. Amend heavy clay soils with compost or sand to improve drainage, and sandy soils with compost to improve water retention and nutrient availability.

Plant the red candy onion sets in rows, spacing them approximately 4-6 inches apart, with rows 12-18 inches apart. Plant them shallowly, so the tip of the bulb is just at or slightly below the soil surface. Watering is crucial, especially during dry spells. Onions need consistent moisture for optimal bulb development, so aim for about one inch of water per week, either from rain or irrigation. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to rot. Fertilize your grow red onions with a balanced fertilizer or one higher in nitrogen early in the growing season to promote strong foliage growth, which is essential for large bulbs. Reduce nitrogen and switch to a phosphorus and potassium-rich fertilizer as bulbs begin to swell. Keep the area around your onion plants free of weeds, as weeds compete for nutrients and moisture, hindering bulb development.

Size & Details

These red candy onion sets are provided as small, live plants, not dried bulbs, ensuring a robust start to your growing season. Each bunch typically contains 40-70 individual plants, offering a generous quantity for a sizable garden patch. When mature, these onions produce large, globe-shaped bulbs, generally ranging from 3 to 4 inches in diameter. The plants themselves can reach a height of 12-18 inches with their green tops. Expect a growth rate that allows for harvesting in late spring to early summer, depending on your planting time and climate. They are ideal for winter and spring planting, with harvest usually occurring 90-120 days after planting. These heirloom onion plants are specifically bred for their sweet flavor and good storage potential, making them a rewarding addition to any home garden.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these red candy onion sets get? A: When mature, the Red Candy onions typically grow into large, globe-shaped bulbs, usually measuring between 3 to 4 inches in diameter. The green tops can reach 12-18 inches tall before harvest.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: These sweet onion bulbs are primarily grown outdoors in garden beds. While you can start them indoors in trays for a head start, they need to be transplanted outside to fully develop their large bulbs.
• Q: How much sunlight do these onions need? A: Red Candy onions thrive in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and bulb development. Less sun can result in smaller bulbs.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, growing these heirloom onion plants is generally considered easy for gardeners of all experience levels. They require consistent watering, good soil, and weeding, but are not overly demanding.
• Q: What condition will the onion sets arrive in? A: The onion sets are shipped as small, live plants, not dried bulbs. They are carefully packed to ensure they arrive in good health, ready for planting.
• Q: When is the best time to plant red onion for sale? A: The ideal time to plant Red Candy onion sets is in winter or early spring, depending on your climate zone. This allows them to establish before the heat of summer.
• Q: Will these onions survive winter in my zone? A: Red Candy onions are typically grown as an annual crop. While they are tolerant of some cold, they are generally not meant to overwinter as mature bulbs in very cold climates. They are best planted in late winter/early spring for a summer harvest.
• Q: What type of soil is best for grow red onions? A: They prefer well-draining, loose soil that is rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0) is ideal for healthy growth and bulb formation.
• Q: Can I store these onions after harvest? A: Yes, Red Candy onions have good storage qualities. After harvesting and curing them properly in a dry, well-ventilated area, they can be stored for several months in a cool, dark place.
• Q: What is the typical yield per plant? A: Each onion set will typically produce one large, mature onion bulb. With 40-70 plants per bunch, you can expect a significant yield from a single purchase.