These flavourful specialty onions mature early and hold well. Purplette is a glossy rich burgundy, transforming to a nice pastel pink when cooked or pickled. Can be harvested at golf ball size or very young as baby bunching (spring) onions with purple pearl ends. Suits 42 latitude and higher. Open pollinated. Avg. 23,200 seeds/100grams.
CULTURE: Sow in early spring in 5-10cm wide bands or single rows 10cm apart, about 12mm between seeds. Cover 6-12mm. Thinning is not necessary. Keep free of weeds. As with all onions, full sun, consistent soil moisture, and a fertile soil with a pH of 6.2-6.8 are preferable.
DIRECT SEEDING: Sow in a 5cm wide band, about 2 seeds/25mm, 6-12mm deep, use an X-12 or MJ-12 Jang seed wheel rows 30-45cm apart. Thin to 3-5cm apart for highest yields in fertile soil. Thin to 7-10cm apart for larger onions.
TRANSPLANTING: In short-season areas, sow seeds indoors in flats in late August to mid-September. Broadcast 12mm apart and cover 6mm. Tops may be clipped to 12cm tall. Transplant to the garden 10cm apart, or sow 5 seeds in each cell of 25-38mm diameter plug trays, thinning to 3 per cell. Transplant each cell 15cm apart. For Paperpot Transplanters use the 2.8mm seed plate and LP-15, 15cm chain pots
HARVEST: Pull by the bunch whenever needed. No skin forms until 2-3 months into the season, making mini onions easy to wash and prepare.
ADAPTATION: Mini onions are smaller and earlier to bulb the further south they are grown. Suited to -40 and lower latitudes for pearl and cipollini onions, for small to medium onions at higher latitudes.
AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: 5,000 seeds/15metres, 30g/25m, 364g./333m, 15.4kg/acre at 96 seeds/30cm in 10cm wide bands, in rows 30cm apart.
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