Fothergill's RHS Onion Globe Redspark F1 Seeds

Details:

• Botanical Name: Allium cepa 'Redspark F1', a premium, highly uniform hybrid cultivar within the classic globe onion family.
• Plant Class: Maincrop Onion, possessing superior hybrid vigour that ensures rapid seedling establishment and dependable bulb development.
• Attractive Deep Red Skins: Produces high amounts of medium-sized, rounded bulbs featuring intense crimson outer skins and an impressive internal ring colouration that looks superb when sliced fresh into summer salads.
• Advanced Mildew Resistance: Bred with robust modern genetics to feature excellent natural tolerance against downy mildew, ensuring the foliage stays healthy and productive throughout damp summer spells.
• Exceptional Storage Performance: Naturally develops tight, firm skins and solid necks, making it an elite selection for drying and braiding into traditional ropes that store very well through the winter months.
• Highly Adaptable Growing Habit: Thrives across a remarkable variety of garden settings, offering excellent planting flexibility in full sun, dappled shade, partial shade, or full shade.
• Mild Gourmet Flavour: Packed with a crisp texture and a sweet, mildly pungent flavour, it is a versatile kitchen essential for traditional British stews, pickling jars, or roasting whole.

Care Instructions:

• Sowing Position: Choose a clean, weed-free location with fertile, well-drained soil, raking the ground thoroughly to a fine, crumbly tilth before planting. For a reliable summer crop, sow seeds thinly indoors in deep modules from January to February, or sow directly outdoors from March to April.
• Sowing Method: Direct sow seeds 1.5cm deep in shallow rows spaced 30cm apart, keeping the seedbed consistently moist until germination is complete to ensure uniform growth.
• Thinning and Maintenance: Thin out young seedlings gradually until the strongest plants are spaced 10cm apart, which allows the individual globe bulbs adequate space to swell cleanly. Keep the rows well-weeded to reduce competition for nutrients.
• Harvesting and Curing: When the foliage naturally turns yellow and topples over in late summer, lift the bulbs gently with a garden fork. Lay the onions out to dry in a sunny, well-ventilated spot for two weeks until the skins are papery before transferring them to a cool, frost-free shed for winter storage.