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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Hector on June 21, 2011, 08:03:32

Title: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 21, 2011, 08:03:32
I have been reading up on the different onions. I'd like onions for cooking like regular onions but was too late planting. Do any of the above taste like regular onions for cooking in stews / stirfries?

I know some bulb and don't bulb...does that effect flavour? I've seen Welsh Onions on ebay and some say Welsh but have red stems...do these taste the same?
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: davyw1 on June 21, 2011, 08:42:57
There a few on here that grow the bunching onion i call them russian onion cos that is exactly what they do rush all over your garden i am convinced they are a weed and virtualy indistructable, but i would not be without them.
Nice strong hot flavor and grow to shallot size if you keep them thined out, you dig up a bunch take off what you want and put the rest back to grow on. when thining them out they split into natural bunches. They also fill the gap between the end of shallots till the main crop onions are ready and there is no need to plant spring onions.
I think they are worth having, i will put some photos on tonight.
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 21, 2011, 18:31:51
Many Thanks for this :)
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 21, 2011, 18:37:24
look up potato onions on the net, I am growing these this year in the fall.XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 21, 2011, 18:56:45
They sound interesting and what a fantastic name :) Are they native to your part of the world :)
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 21, 2011, 19:09:06
No, and they are available over there. There is a seller on e bay..I think his name is Craven.
I am planting  these and three types os walking onions thiis year, from a company called Heritage Harvest, I don;t think they will sell to the UK but it is worth reading what they sell so see the various types.

If yoiu can't find them I will find a link

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 21, 2011, 19:18:23
Snap...had googled and found that seller :) He hasn't any for sale at moment but have emailed him :) Thanks for this. He has different types of walking onons too...so will google them as well :) I'd never heard of potato onions before.
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: davyw1 on June 21, 2011, 20:11:44
Welsh bunching onion

when allowed to grow continuous and not thinned out
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture323.jpg)

When they are thinned out into bunches
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture322.jpg)
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture320.jpg)

When pulled
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture324.jpg)
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 21, 2011, 20:30:32
Thanks Davyw1 for taking the time to post these pics. I'm going to invest in them. We eat lots of stews and stir-fries, so onions are a big part of our diet :)
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: irridium on June 22, 2011, 21:33:24
i got given a couple of Tree Onions (supposedly) sets (that were already shooted) last March and I've been nurturing them for a while now, but now they're flowering with a ball of white flowers not unlike Welsh Onions. So I am a bit confused as I thought they'd be growing with their scapes all twisting and curling before they'll droop to the ground. as it's their first yr, I presume they might need another yr to establish themselves before they get to that stage. can anyone advise here? ??? ???
thanks
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 23, 2011, 07:50:27
Irridium, I'm clueless but I'm sure someone else here will know :)

Jeannine, the supplier you mentioned is sorting me out with some red and white potato onions. Thank you :) I'm going to get some Babbington leeks too...then have some perrenial winter veg 
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 23, 2011, 21:40:48
Does he have Babbington Leeks?.. A couple of months ago I contaced him and he agreed to mail to me. I didn,t follow up it up though, he wasn't advertising Babbingtons then. I thought his postage to canada was very high at the time.

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jayb on June 23, 2011, 21:53:39
Irridium, you may still have a Tree onion. Although they normally produce clusters of small bulbils on flower stalks, they can produce flowers for seed or both. This often follows a stress. Here's a picture of one of mine from last year doing both.
[attachment=1]
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 23, 2011, 21:57:15
Jayb, in the bottom of my fridge I have some tree onions and some potato onions that came a few weeks ago. I sent an order to a company here, they sent me some and the others were back ordered till the fall. I have not done anything with them as I imagined they maybe should be fall planted, should I put them in the ground do you think?

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 23, 2011, 22:15:41
Quote from: Jeannine on June 23, 2011, 21:40:48
Does he have Babbington Leeks?..
XX Jeannine

No, unfortunately he doesn't. Another nursery has them but postage steep even in UK...so checking if I can get elsewhere or seed. I'll let you know if I get a source.
Jackie
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jayb on June 23, 2011, 22:23:13
I think it is a little early for them to be this years harvest. My tree onions aren't ready yet but they do seem to do best if planted straight away. Perhaps not a crop this year but they will be good and strong for next year.

Potato onions can be autumn or spring planted, although I seem to favour spring planting for me. Your call, if your bulbs are hard and heavy for their size it won't be long until you can get them in the ground. If they are softning perhaps more prudent to plant now, I'm not sure of your frost dates but I think they would be after ours so you have a good chance of havesting a small crop. I just went and checked the few I've not eaten and they are a little soft.
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: goodlife on June 23, 2011, 22:31:06
What about this..
http://plantsandapples.co.uk/#/edible-plants/4545503674 (http://plantsandapples.co.uk/#/edible-plants/4545503674)
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 23, 2011, 22:37:16
Quote from: goodlife on June 23, 2011, 22:31:06
What about this..
http://plantsandapples.co.uk/#/edible-plants/4545503674 (http://plantsandapples.co.uk/#/edible-plants/4545503674)

You are a star :)
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 23, 2011, 23:06:41
Well they took an order from me..but theyt may cancel it when they realise it is to canada,

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: lottie lou on June 23, 2011, 23:17:47
Jeannine what have your ordered - plants or seeds?  If you have any probs and you have ordered seeds I am going to Toronto in September (would have been this month except for eye problem).  Could forward fromt here
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 24, 2011, 14:11:27
Lottie Lou, you are an angel.. I am not sure to tell you the truth, some are seeds but one I think was bulbils. I haven;t heard anything yet from them but haven't checked my mail yet. I will go and looke right now..oh you are so kind but be careful I might send you a shipping order,

fish and chips for a start LOL  (just kidding)

XX Jeannine

Just looked, I just have my Paypal receipt, no ther contact.
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: brown thumb on June 24, 2011, 17:00:47
what is the difference between bablington leeks and tree onion and is walking onion  the same as either one confused     please help
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 25, 2011, 13:00:30
Folks, what spacing should I do for a/ egyptian onions and b/ potato onions. I'm quite excited about this!
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 25, 2011, 19:43:01
Babbington leeks are different to tree onions etc.

Tree onions. aka, Egyptian onions, walking onions etc etc

There is a really good link..

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2003-08-01/The-Other-Onions.aspx

In my hand I have a bag of fleemers Top stting onions  from Heritage Harvest, the directions say..

Make a furrow 2-3 inches deep,put bonemeal in the bottomand mix with soil, Plant the individual bulbs 6-12 inches apart and cover with soil.

For potato onins.. I have a bag of Broome Longkeeper

Furrow 4 inches, bonemeal as above,3 5 inches apart.

Hope this helps the previous two questions.

I should add I have never grown them yet so therte may be folks who have personal experience with them
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 25, 2011, 20:25:32
Many thanks :)
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: brown thumb on June 25, 2011, 22:02:05
now i know how i was getting confused which ist hard to do thanks for clearing that up jeannine  i    am  planning a perannual vege plot
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Jeannine on June 25, 2011, 22:04:59
Me too, I have been collecting stuff all this year,I think I started a thread on it.

Found it and bumped it fro you

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Welsh...tree....bunching...etc onions...relative advantages/taste and uses
Post by: Hector on June 26, 2011, 11:23:09
Thanks for info, tree and potato onions now safely  planted :)