Price range: £5.75 through £15.50
Robelja is a dark red globe type with good colour that penetrates right through the onion. Vigorous, robust and high yielding. Transplants suitable for organic production.
Please note: Onion plantlets are dispatched the last week in April or first week in May and are sent with just a small bit of compost on the roots.
Onion plantlets: Robelja
allium cepa
We send onion plantlets during the first and second week of May and up to the beginning of June, stocks permitting. You can pre order. They are professionally grown for us in modules and we send them with just a small bit of compost on the roots, wrapped in damp paper. They should be planted immediately on arrival. They are small seedlings about 15cm long and just a few mm in diameter. They are just the right size to transplant and should be ready to harvest in about 12 to 16 weeks. We have been offering the plantlets for quite a few seasons now and they have proved to be very successful.
How to grow:
Plant in the allium section of your rotation. Have the ground prepared and ready. Cultivate so that you have a loose, rich, weed free soil. Make planting holes with a trowel about 6 or 7cm deep and 10 – 15cm apart. Separate the individual plantlets carefully, pop them in the hole and cover with fine soil. The top of the tiny bulb should be just above the soil surface. Water well and keep watering in dry weather until the plants have established. Pull as required through July and August and then harvest the whole crop late August or September when ready. Do this in a spell of good dry weather which will help the bulbs to store well. The leaves will be dying back and they will just pull away as they dry. Hang in bunches or nets or in trays to store.
Pests and diseases:
The main disease to look out with all alliums is white rot, they can also be effected by onion fly and onion eelworm.
How to cook:
Onions are used extensively as the starting point for so many dishes. Cut off the top and peel away the papery skin. Chop or slice and remove the root end. This is where the eye watering oil is concentrated. Fry gently in oil or butter for a good ten minutes to cook through and bring out the sweetness and away you go with your dishes. Onions can be roasted and pair extremely well with thyme. They can be eaten raw in salads and salsa, or made into pickles and chutneys.