Onion 'Ailsa Craig'

Allium cepa var. cepa

How to grow Onion 'Ailsa Craig'

  • Full Sun

  • High

Will not grow well in clay soil. Keep soil moist, keep weeds under tight control.

Position in a full sun location and remember to water often. Keep in mind when planting that Ailsa Craig is thought of as very hardy, so this plant will tend to survive through freezing conditions. Ailsa Craig requires a loamy, clay and sandy soil with a ph of 6.0 - 7.0 - it grows best in weakly acidic soil to neutral soil.

Growing Ailsa Craig from seed

Best started in flats 1-4 months before last frost date.

Ensure a distance of 1.95 inches (5.0 cm) between seeds when sowing - look to sow at a depth of approximately 0.98 inches (2.5 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 13°C / 55°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Ailsa Craig about 28 days before your last frost date.

Transplanting Ailsa Craig

Will grow best in a fairly rich, light loam adequate in potassium, phosphorus, but not too much nitrogen.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Ailsa Craig is a very hardy plant.

By our calculations, you should look at planting out Ailsa Craig about 28 days before your last frost date.

Harvesting Ailsa Craig

Can grow to five pounds each or more.

Expect harvests to start to occur in early autumn.

Onion Ailsa Craig Etymology

Introduced in 1887 by David Murray, gardener for the Marquis of Ailsa. A cross between Danver’s Yellow and Cranston’s Excelsior.

Ailsa Craig folklore & trivia

Ailsa Craig is a 1,114 feet high volcanic rock in the South Ayrshire council area, Scotland, at the mouth of the Firth of Clyde. Documents from the early 1400s show Crossraguel Abbey as the earliest recorded owner of the island. The Craig is now a bird sanctuary; home too more than 70,000 birds.

A castle was built for the Hamiltons in the 1400s/1500s, a lighthouse was completed in 1886. The Craig has vast quantities of fine granite that was mined for manufacturing curling stones from the early 1800s – 1971. Many of the finest curling stones still used today are made of this granite. Ailsa Craig was acquired by the Kennedy’s of Cassillis in 1560 and is still owned by a member of that family.

Misspellings of Onion 'Ailsa Craig'

Alisa