Five cured Buan Onions on a wooden table
Close up of a cured Buan Onion on a wooden table
Hand holding Buan Onion over a wooden table to show side profile.
Lots of freshly harvested Buan Onions laid out on a wooden frame to cure in a greenhouse.
Five cured Buan Onions on a wooden table
Close up of a cured Buan Onion on a wooden table
Hand holding Buan Onion over a wooden table to show side profile.
Lots of freshly harvested Buan Onions laid out on a wooden frame to cure in a greenhouse.

Seeds of Scotland

Onion - Buan

£2.50

GROWN IN SCOTLAND by Seeds of Scotland


Allium cepa ~ approx. 300 seeds

Brought back from near extinction by Irish Seed Savers who repatriated the seed from the Vavilov Gene Bank in 1997. Originally bred in Ireland by onion enthusiast Barnie Crombie in the 1980s, this is a lovely large golden onion that grows particularly well in Irish and Scottish conditions. Translated from Gaelic, ‘Buan’ can mean: long-lasting, durable, hardy or tough which is particularly apt as it stores extremely well, lasting throughout the winter.

Find out more about the Irish Seed Savers Association and the great work they are doing here: https://irishseedsavers.ie/

 

Growing Info

Sowing: Sow into pots or seed flats in Jan/Feb and place on a sunny windowsill, in a polytunnel or greenhouse ideally with a little heat. Alternatively, direct sow in March/April and thin to desired spacing. 

Spacing: 20cm

Harvest: Aug-Oct. Keep a close eye on the weather, you may need to lift your onions slightly early and dry/cure them undercover if a lot of rain is forecast.  

Tips: If sowing in pots/seed flats, transplant to final growing position in April/May. If you are looking to store your onions, harvest after the tops start to drop and the bulbs start to go papery. 

Germination: 95% Jul 2025

Resources

For more information about growing and saving seeds check out the Grow North Growing Guide a fantastic resource produced by Transition Black Isle specifically for growers in the North of Scotland.

Postage

All seeds are posted via Royal Mail 48-hour tracked service. Prices will be calculated at checkout. Please note, due to legislation covering the inspection and sale of seeds, we can only post orders to Scotland, England and Wales. Please read our Shipping Policy for more information.

What our customers say

Your seeds are just great! Always excellent germination rates. This is the second year we have had your Robinson peas which are really lovely and grow so well.

Lisa, Bridge of Allan

I thought you should know that your seeds have been wonderful. In an otherwise rubbish growing season, everything I bought from you has thrived. I’ve been eating purple mangetout and Carter’s Polish beans for weeks now and they’re still going strong.

Laura, North Kessock

Desert Spirit Landrace did exceptionally well in my polycrub here in the Western Isles - I even won the pumpkin growing competition that we put up for local growers and allotment holders.

Susanne, Isle of Lewis

I want to thank you for my Garden of Abundance. I’m a new gardener to Scotland and your seeds have given me such joy. I can hardly keep up with eating the rocket and I’ve planted my 2nd set of lettuce already.

Gay, Moray

My Black Isle broad beans are germinating after four days. How is that possible? ! Fab seed!

Janey, Highlands

I wanted to pass on the great success all of the seeds I bought from you have been.
Greatest success was ripe tomatoes (Scotland Yellow) on 7th of July - in Orkney!! Over two weeks later and none of my other varieties are even close to ripe.

Jenna, Orkney