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just been down my plot today and all my red onions that i planted over winter have all gone to seed they havent grown very big should i leave them in or lift em thanks

If they`ve gone to seed then that`s it, rip them out and get something else in. 8)

hi, i have been told to cut off the ssed shoot at the bottom and should be ok? :-\

That's what I've done when it's happened to me, but I believe they don't store well, once they've bolted. Mind you, I've never grown enough of them to need to store them for a long time.

It is a problem with red onions. They need much more water than ordinary onions or else they will go to seed. Yes you can rip off the seed pod and hope to get a bigger onion (you probably wont)  but the basic thing is to keep them well watered. Too late once they have started to go to seed, sadly.

Just remember for the future that they need watering. A lot of watering.

In damp, cool summers (In the UK) they do well. In dry hot summers they just go to seed.

They are worth growing though. Being a mild onion, they work well raw where as other onions can be too strong to eat raw.

A lot depends on what you are growing for.

I grow for the kitchen. Others grow for show.

If you are growing for showing then red onions are a NO_NO

If you are growing to eat then they are a YES.

Very few overwintered onions are immune to this especially if we get a hot or dry spring.... which we did.... Next time either go for heat-treated sets or grow from seed.... Normally with onions I'd say go from seed for everything, but it's a dogs job getting the things to germinate at the right time for overwintering sometimes. Overwintered onions don't store too well at the best of times and are really just a stop-gap to get you through the hungry gap until the maincrops start coming in...

Mine have too. Blame it on either the extremely dry weather we've had or the fact that they've done their growing.

Take the flower spikes off at the base as said and I chop them up and use them in cheese and onions sarnies or as salad

We've had a better time with the long red florence from seed, most of the bought sets have gone but , so far, none of the long reds  :)
you watch, we've been away for a few days, hope they're ok tomorrow , fingers crossed  :)

90% of my reds have bolted in the past, so I don't bother with them now, well maybe the odd handful in the jug.   :D

I've given up on red onions too as I get 100% going to seed.

Just chop the middle out, and use the rest of the onion, you can always chop them up and freeze them...

this year i'm growing red spring onins, no sign of going to seed yet, but will have to wait and see

Red Baron are notorious for this (maybe all reds are),but I found a really good way to use the smaller sets to avoid total disappointment. Cram them into a large pot as tight as possible,shoulder to shoulder. The sets have only one way to go and that is up! This way you will get a fantastic bunch of spring onions,they are on the strong side,but at least you wont be totally let down by the annoying red onion syndrome. PS; Im not claiming this idea,it is tried and tested by many before me, but it does work ;)

I am giving Garnet Onions from T&M a go this year, early days yet but they were the best onion sets I'd ever seen, every one a good strong bulb.  As well they might at £4 a bag and if they don't do reasonably well I will let them know through their website's review system.

Also have a row of overwintered Electric which did OK last year but are succumbing to White Rot this year.  The Garnets may be my last chance of getting any onions at all  :'(