Onion 'Red Baron'

Onion 'Red Baron' is perhaps the most popular red onion variety for UK cultivation, lauded for its intense dark red skin and beautiful internal rings of red and white. It is a versatile variety that can be grown from sets or seeds, producing firm, globe-shaped bulbs with a stronger, slightly more pungent flavour than many white onions. One of its standout features for the British climate is its resistance to bolting, making it a reliable choice even in erratic spring weather. It stores exceptionally well, often lasting into mid-winter if cured properly in the sun after harvest. The plants produce upright, blue-green hollow leaves and require a sunny, open site with fertile, well-drained soil. Regular weeding is essential as onions do not compete well with weeds. Harvest usually takes place in late summer once the foliage has turned yellow and flopped over. It is an essential crop for both the allotment and the decorative potager garden.

Sun: Full sun.

Soil: Well-drained, fertile loam.

Hardiness: H4 — down to −10°C.

Flowering: Jun, Jul.