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
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.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on August 17, 2009, 20:59:31
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
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.
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
Quote from: chriscross1966 on August 18, 2009, 01:28:07
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
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
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.