Topic: noooooo onion sets starting to flower

[kymrob]

noooooo onion sets starting to flower what to do?
should i b worried ???

[Melbourne12]

Water copiously would be my advice!

[jennym]

You can use the onions that have started to flower but use them quickly or they'll go rock hard. You aren't too late to sow some onion seed, that'll be guaranteed not to bolt this year, and you'll get a crop around Sept/Oct.

[kymrob]

the onions still havent swelled yet so not worth eating, could i let couple flower to get some seeds from them?
if so when would b best time to sow them once the flower produced the seed? i am assuming it will b good few weeks before it will produce seed as flower head have just appeared.

[jennym]

Even if the onions haven't swelled you can still chop them up and use them. I think you'd have to buy seed if you want to sow it and get onions this year, as if you let your onions flower and develop seed, I don't think the seed would be mature until the autumn.

[Jayb]

I've just pulled 2 flowering onions from my overwintered ones. Bulbs are on the small side but very welcome as I'm just out of stored onions. Hopefully it will only be a trickle running to seed.

I wouldn't recommend saving seed from your early bolting onions as it is not a desirable trait to breed for. If you want to grow for seed saving at saving it would be better to save the best of your harvest. Store the bulbs overwinter and start them into growth next year, when they will flower. They don't self pollinate so grow several, 16 is often quoted as the minimum needed.

[Robert_Brenchley]

If you plant that seed you'll just get an early-bolting strain. You need to save it from the plants that don't bolt. Use them as green onions, as soon as possible, and don't forget you can eat the buds.

[cornykev]

Once they flower or bolt they will more or less stop growing
Take the flower head off as soon as you see it
It will grow into a thick neck but just use it first what ever size it is
They will not store
Do not save the seed, as said the best, biggest onions are the ones you want the seed from.   
 ;D