Description
If there’s one crop that literally pulls the most weight on our farm it’s Ailsa Craig. Every year we grow 1000-2000 lbs of it for distribute through our CSA and various wholesale accounts. This heirloom sweet onion can get truly ginormous, easily reaching 2 lbs or more! Very similar in flavor and appearance to the beloved Walla Walla onion, but with better storage potential (3-4 months). Perfect for onion rings, French onion soup, salads, sandwiches, grilling and roasting! Mild and sweet flesh with golden skins. Onion seed is tough to grow in our cool, western WA climate, so we’re thankful to our east side friends at Twisp River Seed for producing this crop. Named after a small, granite island off the coast of England and introduced in 1887 by David Murray, gardener for the Marquis of Ailsa.
Days to Maturity: 110
Latin Name: Allium cepa
Life cycle for seed saving: Biennial
Planting Instructions:
Sow Ailsa Craig Onion indoors in flats in Feb. Optimal soil temperature for germination is 50-65°. Seeding depth: 1/2”. Seeding rate: every 1/2″. Transplant outdoors in April-May when soil temps have reach 50°F. Plant spacing: 4-5″. Row spacing: 12-15″.
All of our seed is Non-GMO and Certified Organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture. We grow the majority of our varieties here at Deep Harvest Farm on Whidbey Island while we purchase the rest from other small, organic Northwest seed growers. Finally, all of our offerings are open-pollinated (OP) so that you too can save and share seed from these plants!
