Onion Help...what are these and what do I do with them?

15 years ago

Hello, I'm new to posting on the gardenweb forums, but I do visit here very often.

I have three questions. My husband and I are experimenting in all kinds of vegetable gardening, and we don't completelhy undrstand onions!

His friend gave us onion sets which we put in the ground this past year (in May maybe?) and here's what we got. I put the photos on photobucket here so you'll have to copy and paste to view the photos (sorry)...note the green tops still on all of them:

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k632/cmyencha/onions_fromsets11.jpg

What are these and can we eat them or just throw them out, use them as sets? HELP!

I started these (long of Tropea) by seed in February and here's what I got. Again, are they edible or can they be used as sets for next year?

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k632/cmyencha/onionsred11.jpg

Finally, these little "seeds" came from the topf of a big onion we had just stuck in the ground....are they sets, can they be used as such or are they useless?

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k632/cmyencha/onionsets.jpg

Everyone says onions are easy, but I don't beleive it! It has been very confusing. Any help or suggestions would be greatly apprecaited!!!

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Comments (2)

wertach zone 7-B SC
14 years ago
Pic 1 and 2 eat them, greens and all! They should have been left it the ground until the tops died back to use as sets later. But will be tasty in a bowl of beans!

Pic 3 looks like a top setting onion, like Egyptian walking onions. Save them for sets. I don't know about zone 5, but here in zone 7 we plant them in fall and harvest in the spring.

I don't think they will over winter if the ground freezes. Plant the sets in spring, as soon as the ground thaws and the soil is workable. Light freezes will not hurt them.

Maybe someone from the land of cold winters will chime in soon!
NancyPlants
14 years ago
They do great here. We get below zero at times during the winter. Just plant the lil top parts and you'll have onions next year. My FIL had them for decades and never had to buy 'sets' again. Now they are growing in our garden.
Enjoy :)
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