Tough love works just great with these onions. I pull up the whole mess -- parent plants and topsets -- and put them in a pile on the ground in a shady spot. The topsets continue to ripen and dry, and small elongated shallots cure out from the bases of the plants. In late Aug I plant some of the topsets where I want the onions to grow the next year. I always move them to a fresh bed to prevent problems with onion root maggots. Good luck!

Thanks Planatus for the info! Are the main bulbs (at the base of the plant) edible at this time of year and will they have a good taste? Or are they only tasty in the Spring?

i too will periodically dig whole clumps, divide them, replant single stems, and cut off the tops to withing 6" or so of the roots. They will dry down to a shallot-like structure that will store marginally well. They are a very hot tasting onion! I think they are best as a Spring Scallion type onion as they tend to come up as soon as the snow is off the bed. Those stems that bear the top sets are inedible once the bulbills set. Many people use the bulbills like a pearl onion, blanching makes them easier to peel, and they store for a long time.

Steve