Imperator
Deep Purple Onion is an open-pollinated bunching onion variety prized for its striking reddish-purple color that runs rich and deep throughout the plant. Maturing in around 60 days from transplants, this variety offers gardeners a reliable harvest window for both summer and fall crops. The distinctive purple hue makes it as visually appealing in the garden as it is on the plate, bringing color and character to fresh harvests and kitchen preparations.
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Moderate
3-10
?in H x ?in W
Biennial
Moderate
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What sets Deep Purple Onion apart is its vibrant reddish-purple coloring that persists from top to bottom, giving it genuine visual distinction in the garden and at market. This is a cold-hardy variety capable of surviving winter in well-drained soil, making it exceptionally versatile for gardeners in cooler climates or those planning succession crops from spring through fall. The compact bush habit keeps plants tidy and manageable, while the open-pollinated genetics mean you can save seeds year after year, building a deeper relationship with this variety as it adapts to your specific garden.
Deep Purple Onion is grown as a bunching onion for fresh use, offering both the tender white bases and purple-tinged green tops for cooking and raw preparations. The variety can be harvested at various stages depending on your needs, younger for delicate scallion-style use or left longer for more substantial onion development. Both the blanched lower portions and the colored tops contribute flavor and visual interest to salads, stir-fries, garnishes, and cooked dishes where the mild onion character and striking color enhance the final presentation.
Sow 6 to 8 seeds per cell in 72-cell trays at the same time you would seed bulbing onions destined for transplant. Germinate under warm conditions and grow seedlings until they reach transplant size, typically 4 to 6 weeks.
Transplant seedling clusters outdoors 6 to 8 inches apart in rows spaced 18 inches apart for standard bunching onion production. For Negi-style scallions with thicker blanched portions, wait until seedlings are 8 to 18 inches tall and pencil-thick, then transplant into holes dibbled about 6 inches deep, spacing plants 6 inches apart with rows 24 inches apart. Only 1 to 2 inches of leaves need extend above the soil surface. Do not firm soil after planting; allow irrigation or rain to fill in the holes naturally.
Seed can be sown directly in early spring for summer use, and in July or August for fall and spring use.
Harvest Deep Purple Onion by loosening plants with a fork or underminer and gathering them from the soil. Young bunches can be harvested for tender scallion-style use, while more mature plants will provide thicker, more substantial onions. Timing depends on your planting date and intended use, typically 60 days from transplanting for usable bunching onions.
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