Last edited on 2 Nov 2026. View history
California Red Onion
A variety of red onion
How to sow California red onion: Direct seed indoors or plant sets (small bulbs) outside.
Sun requirement for California red onion: Plant in Full Sun
A sweet red salad onion, in a strain selected by seed grower Richard Watson in Amuri, inland Canterbury, to keep growing through very cold winters and to produce large bulbs in cold climates. It also does well in warmer areas. It stores well once dried and was still keeping fresh for salads until late June. Sow in trays from February to July (earlier sowing gives bigger onions), transplant at 10 cm diagonal spacing when the tops are 8 to 10 cm high, and harvest in January and February.
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Growing California red onions
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or less
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Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Allium cepa L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Liliopsida Liliidae Asparagales Alliaceae |
|---|---|
| Optimal temperature | 12 - 25 °C |
| Absolute temperature | 4 - 30 °C |
| Optimal rainfall | 350 - 600 mm/year |
| Absolute rainfall | 300 - 2800 mm/year |
| Optimal soil pH | 6.0 - 7.0 |
| Absolute soil pH | 4.3 - 8.3 |
| Crop cycle | 85 - 175 days |
| Max altitude | 2000 m |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | biennial |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
| Optimal light | clear skies |
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