Ruby Red Onion

Be sure to check out our Onion Growing Guide for helpful tips & tricks on how to successfully grow onions in your garden. 

The Ruby Red Onion is an open-pollinated long-day heirloom variety that is well suited to Northern climates. As the name suggests, this onion features truly striking burgundy bulbs. This medium to large-sized variety features a robust and flavorful taste from its uniform round bulbs. As with most long-day onions, the Ruby Red Onion makes an excellent candidate for storing and can last up to 6 months when stored properly. The heavy-yielding plants are a very reliable option for an heirloom and will produce a firm onion with a hearty outer skin. Allium Cepa. 110-125 Days To Maturity.

Onions can be direct-seeded or transplanted, although we recommend transplanting. For direct-seeding, plant seeds 2″ apart along the row with a row spacing of 24″. Once seedlings emerge, thin seedlings to a 6″ plant spacing along the row. Ruby Red Onion seeds can be planted with our Hoss Garden Seeder. We recommend using a #1 seed plate and modifying the hole size slightly to accommodate the onion variety being planted. For denser plantings, more holes may need to be drilled to accommodate a thicker spacing.

For transplanting, plant one seed per cell in our heavy-duty seed starting trays. Once the green stems reach 6-8″ in length and/or they can be easily pulled from the seed trays, the transplants are ready to go in the ground. Transplant onions 4-6″ apart along the row with a row spacing of 24″. If drip irrigation is used, onions may be planted on double rows with drip irrigation in the middle. We suggest burying the drip tape 3-4″ deep and planting on both sides of the tape.

Onions are heavy feeders and will require significant nutrient inputs throughout their lifespan. We recommend feeding them with our 20-20-20 and Ammonium Sulfate fertilizers. Fertilize with 20-20-20 shortly after transplanting. The phosphorous and potassium in the 20-20-20 fertilizer will help to promote solid root development, while the nitrogen will promote vegetative growth. Once transplants are established, we recommend side-dressing or injecting with our Ammonium Sulfate fertilizer. Side dress or inject 1 cup per 20 feet of linear row every 3-4 weeks after transplanting.

Ruby Red Onion Planting Information

Planting Method: transplant

When to Plant: early spring

Planting Depth: 1/4″

Seed Spacing: 4″

Row Spacing: 12-18″

Days to Maturity: 110-125

Disease Tolerance: None

Onion Planting Guide

Select an onion variety based on your geographical location. In many cases, intermediate-day varieties can be grown in southern long-day regions and northern short-day regions.

Short-day Onions

• Plant in fall and overwinter for a spring harvest
• Start the bulbing process when day length reaches 10-12 hours

Intermediate-day Onions

• Plant in late winter for an early summer harvest
• Start the bulbing process when day length reaches 12-14 hours

Long-day Onions

• Plant in spring for a mid-summer harvest
• Start the bulbing process when day length reaches 14-16 hours