Red Long of Florence is an open-pollinated onion that brings refined elegance to the kitchen garden. This Italian heirloom matures in 90 days from seed and grows as a compact plant in zones 3 through 11, making it adaptable across most North American climates. The variety is prized for its delicate, elongated form and the way it develops character over the season, with no papery skin forming until two to three months in, allowing you to harvest tender mini onions fresh whenever you need them.
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Moderate
3-11
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Moderate
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Red Long of Florence rewards patient gardeners with beautifully refined bulbs that mature in just 90 days. Unlike storage onions that demand thick, protective skins, this variety stays tender and easy to prepare well into midsummer, letting you pull whatever you need from the bunch without peeling through layers of dried skin. Its compact growth habit and frost-hardy nature mean it slots seamlessly into small spaces and tolerates spring cold snaps that would stall other varieties.
Red Long of Florence shines as a fresh onion for immediate kitchen use rather than long-term storage. Pull bulbs by the bunch at whatever size suits your meal, washing them easily and adding their mild, refined character to salads, light sautés, and fresh preparations where you want onion flavor without overwhelming intensity. The absence of thick skin in early season makes them particularly suited to quick cooking and raw applications.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost, sowing at a depth of 1/4 inch in seed-starting mix. Keep soil temperature between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Transplant seedlings outdoors once they've developed true leaves and soil temperatures have stabilized.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7-10 days before transplanting. Move to the garden after your last frost date when soil is workable and can be kept consistently moist. Space plants 3-4 inches apart in rows or blocks.
Direct sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in spring as soon as soil can be worked, or in late summer for a fall crop in warmer zones. Keep soil consistently moist until seedlings establish.
Begin harvesting Red Long of Florence whenever you need fresh onions, pulling by the bunch starting as early as 60-70 days from seed when bulbs are still small and tender. The defining feature of this variety is the absence of protective skin for the first 2-3 months of the season, which means you can wash and use them immediately without peeling through layers of dried outer layers. Continue harvesting at whatever size suits your cooking needs; there's no need to wait for full maturity unless you want larger bulbs.
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