Japanese onions - when are they ready?

[umshamrock]

Hi,

I planted some Japanese white onions in the fall. Some have started to send up flower shoots (I have broken the shoots off) and all have thick green foliage. I pulled one up yesterday, and though the bottom is large, there is no kind of thinnner 'neck'.  I mean, it doesn't look like a normal onion - a large bulb tapering to a thinner neck to where the leaves are.  Does the foliage on Japanese onions turn brown? The one i pulled yesterday looked weird, but tasted fine. Should I start eating now, or wait?

Thanks!

[umshamrock]

[Curryandchips]

Yes, you can start eating them now. They should continue to grow for a while, through June and into July. I only use overwintering onions as a supply of onions through the summer, relying on my maincrop for most of the year.

[Merry Tiller]

Overwintering onions are usually ready around July

Are you from the USA?

[umshamrock]

Thanks, guys. I am organic so it is so much cheaper to eat my food than to buy it! Curry, I have also planted maincrop onions this yea (I ate all of last year's long ago!). And, Merry, yes I am American but I live in Plymouth now.

Thanks for the help!

[Curryandchips]

I agree with you on the 'organic' issue, but I much prefer eating my own vegetables anyway ...

[Mrs Ava]

I find when onions start to bolt the necks go thick as they have the chunky flower stem running through the middle.  Those ones are okay, but they need using quickest.  My overwintering onions are still only about golf ball size so have a good 6 weeks growing ahead of them before I start pulling.  Shame as I am down to my last 4 leeks!

[umshamrock]

Hmm...about half have bolted, so i'll use those first. Thanks!

[marjrie]

I am still a bit confused here, do you wait for the green shoots to turn brown before using overwinter onions?  ???

[growmore]

normally yes  but autumn sown sets are prone to bolting ,going to seed ..
A thick stem comes up from middle which would carry the flower and the seeds .So you break this off on the plants that do this ..You then use these first  as they would not  keep like a normal onion ...The ones that don't bolt,go to seed ,treat as normal .Let leaves go brown and die back for storing ..Cheers Jim

[saddad]

If you catch the flower stem while it is still quite small you can geta nother couple of weeks growth out of them...
;D