Topic: Why are my red onions bolting?

[Hyacinth]

Like Svea, I planted over-wintering Electra and lifted them 10 days ago. None bolted. 8)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I wouldn't say that; there's been none of the waterlogging! It's been cool and damp, but no excessive rainfall, and not a lot of Smith periods. Some warmth would be welcome, as long as it's not excessive, but I'm not complaining apart from that.

[vegmandan]

I would really recommend anyone who grows onions from sets to pay the extra bit of money and only plant Heat Treated onion sets,especially red ones.

This will virtually eliminate the possibility of them bolting especially with our crazy Summers we have these days.  ;D

[joie]

hi skateboard we`re up north in durham and some of our onions have bolted to
so any suggestions would be gratefully recieved  -  joie

[antipodes]

I pulled up all the red onions yesterday - some had not bolted but the majority had. I am letting them cure in the pantry near the window then I will just try and use them up quickly. The flavour is nice, they are just teeny tiny. Grown from (expensive!) sets in early March.

My neighbour has HUGE ones - I must ask her how she does it and what variety it is, she is very well organised so she will know.

The shallots (echalotes?) planted to next them did very well, several bulbs per plant and they have an excellent flavour. If we get a few sunny days I will expose teh tops and lets them dry out before I dig them up.

[cornykev]

The first year I did onions all the whites bolted,  :( so the next year I stuck with yellows and reds, yellows were good  ;D while the reds were very small, last year most of the onions on our site were not very good. This year my wintering onions were v good  ;D and the summer yellows and shallots are fatterning up nicely, ;)  but again the reds are small in comparison, most are golf ballish size but no bolting,     he says.   ;D ;D ;D

[cacran]

My red onions are not much bigger than when I put them in, thought it was me who had done something wrong but sounds like a common problem. Must be the weather, I guess.