Onion Red Long of Tropea – MIg

Product Summary

Red Long of Tropea Onion (Allium cepa) is a beautiful Italian heirloom from Calabria, famous for its elongated, torpedo-shaped bulbs and exceptionally sweet, mild flavor. The bulbs develop deep wine-red to purple-red skins with crisp, pale flesh, making this variety especially popular for fresh eating, salads, sandwiches, grilling, and Mediterranean cooking.

Description

Red Long of Tropea is a classic specialty onion traditionally associated with the town of Tropea in southern Italy. It produces distinctive elongated bulbs around 7–10 cm (3–4 inches) long, with attractive red-purple skins and sweet, juicy flesh.

Its mild, sweet flavor makes it particularly enjoyable raw in salads, sandwiches and fresh dishes, while it also performs beautifully when grilled or cooked. The young onions can be harvested earlier and enjoyed as bunching onions.

This is an open-pollinated heirloom variety with approximately 90–110 days to maturity. It is best suited to fresh eating rather than long-term storage.

When to Plant in the UAE

Start indoors: July
Transplant outdoors: October

Starting the seeds indoors in July gives the plants time to establish before being moved outdoors when UAE temperatures become more suitable for onion growth.

Planting & Care Tips

• Light: Full sun.
• Soil: Fertile, loose and very well-drained soil.
• Sowing depth: 0.5–1 cm.
• Germination: Approximately 5–10 days under suitable conditions.
• Spacing: 8–10 cm between plants.
• Row spacing: 25–30 cm.
• Watering: Keep soil evenly moist throughout bulb development, but avoid waterlogging.
• Feeding: Add mature compost before transplanting and use a balanced vegetable fertilizer during active growth. Avoid excessive nitrogen.
• Weeding: Keep the growing area free of weeds, as onions have relatively shallow roots.
• Harvest: Harvest young for bunching onions or allow bulbs to mature until the tops begin to soften and fall over.
• Best use: Fresh salads, sandwiches, Mediterranean dishes, grilling, roasting and cooking.
• Storage: Primarily a fresh-use onion rather than a long-term storage variety.