Red Karmen, Onion Sets

Red Karmen Onion Sets

Ruby-red sets provide a flavorful head start
Prestarted bulbs shorten the wait to harvest
Zesty onions add color to salads and cooking
Cure mature bulbs thoroughly before storage

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Key Attributes

Botanical Name

Allium cepa

Days to maturity

80 Days

Sun

Full Sun

About Red Karmen, Onion Sets, Onion Sets

The Red Karmen Onion Set is a delicious zesty, ruby red onion! Why take the time to start your onions from seed when you can have an already started onion set? Harvest the Red Karmen onion sets a couple months earlier.

Growing details

Planting

Days to Germination

7–14 days

Row Spacing

12-18"

Plant profile

Maturity

Summer

Life Cycle

Annual

Plant Height

24 inches

Growth Habits

Clumping, Upright

Type

Onion Sets

Seed & variety

Color

Red

Seed Type

Sets

Growing Season

Cool-Season Crop

Before Planting

Sort the sets before they reach the garden. Small, solid bulbs generally make the best storage onions; oversized sets often send up flower stalks, and any soft or moldy bulbs should be discarded. Prepare a sunny, weed-free bed with a fine surface and enough fertility for vigorous leaf growth.

Planting

As soon as spring soil can be worked, place sets upright with the tip pointing skyward. Bury the base while keeping the neck close to the surface, using roughly 1–2 inches of depth and 3–4 inches between bulbs intended to reach full size. Settle the row with a gentle watering.

Watering

Shallow roots cannot draw moisture from deep reserves. Aim for about an inch of weekly water, increasing frequency in sandy ground and easing off after the bulbs finish swelling. When tops begin to fall naturally, discontinue irrigation so the crop can mature and cure cleanly.

Fertilizer

Early leaf production determines eventual bulb size, making timely nitrogen more useful than late feeding. Apply nutrients before bulbing according to soil needs, then stop high-nitrogen applications once bulbs expand. Continued lush growth at that stage delays maturity.

Harvesting

Lift onions after about half the tops have bent over and started drying. Handle the necks carefully, brush away loose soil, and spread the bulbs in a warm, airy place. Storage begins only after the neck closes and the outer skins become papery.

Tips

Hoe only at the surface because even minor root injury slows onions. A thin layer of clean mulch suppresses weeds without covering the bulbs. Use bolting onions promptly, and exclude bruised, thick-necked, or diseased bulbs from long-term storage.

Pests & Diseases

Onion sets can carry white rot, Fusarium basal rot, neck rot, and viruses into clean soil. Plant only firm, dormant sets without mold, soft bases, or premature shoots. Remove bulbs showing white growth with tiny black bodies, sanitize tools, and never relocate sets or soil from an infested bed.

Thrips hide between the inner leaves, onion maggots attack belowground, and cutworms or wireworms injure young plants. Rotate away from recent allium beds, remove discarded bulbs, and install row cover before maggot flies arrive where this pest has been troublesome.