Walking Onions - What Next?

[ceres]

Robert very kindly sent me some walking onions last year which have done really well and sailed through the winter - thanks Robert!  But what do I do next?  They have put out a pod from which some 'baby' onions are uncurling.  I think there is one plant which looks like it has a seed head instead of babies.  Do they produce bulbils too?  What should I detach and when?  Help!!!!   :-\

[ceres]

[OllieC]

Same here!!  :-\

[ceres]

Glad I'm not the only one!  ;)

[Deb P]

You will find that they naturally keel over when ready to bring the bulbils in touch with the ground, the bulbils then root and grow on. You can take them off and grow them on separately if you want to move them elsewhere...

[Robert_Brenchley]

I suspect you'd get bigger bulbs if you took the heads off, but I haven't tried it yet. Lift them when the foliage starts flopping, same as any other onion. If you plant the bulbs rather than the bulbils at the top, you'll get much bigger plants next year, and a better crop. The only drawback is that you have to wait the extra year for a crop.

[thifasmom]

i read somewhere that you can store these onions, how well do they store and for how long approx?

[chriscross1966]

One of mine has started to do the "tree" thing, the others are a bit small yet



note the structure that started off as a seedhead halfway up a stem......

chrisc

[Robert_Brenchley]

My guess its that those started off as bulbils. Mine were mostly grown from bulbs, and they're massive this year. At last I'm in line for a crop!

[chriscross1966]

My guess its that those started off as bulbils. Mine were mostly grown from bulbs, and they're massive this year. At last I'm in line for a crop!

My guess too... I got them as young plants back in March and the cloves they'd grown from were about the size of smallish garlic cloves...... The big one is pretty big though, It's only just being overhauled by the Kelsaes though the Kelsaes were a bit late starting (February).......

chrisc

[Robert_Brenchley]

You'll probably get bulbs the size of manky little shallots this year, just one or two for each one you planted. If you grow those on, you'll get small clumps of 3-4 bulbs like decent shallots next year. That's the size you should be aiming at.

[thifasmom]

Robert any chance of a piccy

and

i read somewhere that you can store these onions, how well do they store and for how long approx?

any ideas anyone ???

[saddad]

I just sow the babies and knick a fresh "bulb" if I need one...  :-X

[Robert_Brenchley]

Robert any chance of a piccy

Once I get some pay for the exam marking so I can give Dan his tenner!