Tree Onions

[meg_gordon]

I have been given some tree onion bulbs - I am not sure if I should dry them out and plant next spring, or plant now.  Any advice?

Meg

[meg_gordon]

[Robert_Brenchley]

Plant them now, and give them lots of time to grow. What size are they? Once they get up to about the size of a shallot, you can use them as green onions, but it's not worth it while they're still very small.

[meg_gordon]

Plant them now, and give them lots of time to grow. What size are they? Once they get up to about the size of a shallot, you can use them as green onions, but it's not worth it while they're still very small.

Hi Robert - they are about the size of silverskin onions and the person who brought them said to plant them on, but I wasn't sure when.  How far apart should they be planted and do they need a lot of feeding?

Meg

[Robert_Brenchley]

They're not very demanding, any reasonable soil will do. If you leave them they bulk up quite happily. I put them about nine inches apart, the same as I would shallots, since they form clumps in similar fashion.

[chriscross1966]

Catawissas  will want a bit more space than normal Egyptian trees, maybe a foot and not a bad idea to stake them... other than that I'm with Robert on this one, nine inches would be fine and give em a handful of compost when there planted and some BFB as a top dressing in spring and let them get on with it. The size described might (if Egyptian) or might not (Catawissa) top-set next year.

chrisc

[meg_gordon]

The size described might (if Egyptian) or might not (Catawissa) top-set next year.

chrisc

Thanks for this Chrisc - if top setting means bulbs growing at the top of the plant as well as the bottom, then they are Egyptian - the donor said that small bulbs form at the top of the plant but he has never found a way to cook these to a tender eatable state.  He had picked some of the root bulbs in white wine vinegar and has left a jar with me, but not to be opened for another month or so.

Meg

[chriscross1966]

Top setting onions is a general term, Egyptian Tree is the most common one, Catawissa is sort of a giant version.... I'm a bit of a size queen so I like growing it but from memory of growing Egyptians a few years ago I reckon they're probably a bit easier (I lost several plants top mildew early this year) and a bit more productive as you get more plants into an area.... that said the Catawissa does (pretty much uniquely) commonly throw three or four layers in a year whereas Egyptian (and most other top-setters) will only produce a single deck and maybe the odd second layer but the sets on the second layer will be tiny....They also tend to top-set in their first year which is somethign Catawissas rarely do, they spend the first year making a big shallot-like bulb at the base...

chrisc

[Robert_Brenchley]

If you want to use the top sets, take them as green onions so they don't need the skins taken off. I'd never bother with the ripe ones.