Did you buy the regular sets or multipliers? The sets don't usually flower - the onions grow until sometime in August when the tops start falling over. We knock over the ones that don't fall and the onions mature in the ground until we pick them before a heavy frost.

We grow dutch sets and have for years--some of them flower every year. Break off the flower head or all the good will go into making seeds.

Some people knock theirs over but we don't. Some fall over and that's OK. The bulbs continue to grow as long as the tops are green and it's better to leave them in the ground until fall if you can. However if the tops are brown we pull them especially if they are calling for a prolonged rainy spell, because then they would start to rot.

We discovered years ago that to grow the biggest onions they need space in the garden. We plant them 6 inches apart and the rows are about that far apart too

When we dig them we lay them out on an old plastic tablecloth in the shade and leave them to dry the soil off of them. I cut the remaining tops off with a scissors and we store them hanging in mesh bags.

thanks for the follow ups. I've always put 'some' garden in but have to admit there is a lot I don't know yet. I just hope I didn't plant these onions too deep as they have perhaps too thick a neck!!!! Will that really hurt their storage? Oilpainter, I have to ask.....are you an oil painting artist?

We've found that the ones with the thicker necks do not store as well.

As far as spacing goes, we plant them closer together but thin them as green onions. To dry ours once we pick them, we have a screen in a frame that allows for air circulation all around. Sometimes when it has been very wet we cure them in the house or the garage.

marciaz--We do that too if it has been wet and we do turn ours. They should be very dry to store well.

This is for you too Canadianprairiegirl too--a little onion story

Many years ago I planted the onions. I did the same as you, marciaz, planted them close together and planned to thin them for greenonions. The trouble was we didn't eat enough green ones and we always ended up with small onions. I also planted them too deep and that didn't help.

One year I was sick and my husband planted the onions. He planted them with the spacing I said and he just pushed the onion into the soil leaving the tail exposed. I hobbled down to have a look the next day and muttered under my breath-- I guess we won't have onions this year-- and I went back to my sick bed.

Well I was amazed during the rest of the summer. Those onions grew and grew. Some were half covered and some were sitting on top of the ground with just their roots in the soil, others were just under the soil, but most of them were big. From 3 pounds of dutch sets we ended up with 10 of those orange bags full--I think they are 10 pounds but I'm not sure. You can sometimes get onions in them or oranges too. Anyway I'm sure you know the ones I mean. I'm sure others have different ways and I'm sure theirs do well. Every gardener has their own way of doing things and if it works for them then I say--go to it. Since that time however, that's how we plant onions. You don't argue with success.

Yes Canadianprairiegirl-- I am a painter and I work in oils. No I'm not famous and never will be. I do it for my own satisfaction and pleasure. I have sold a few and given lots away. It gives me a little thrill when people like my paintings and my nieces and nephews request one for a wedding gift.

On the topic of onions ours may not keep well this winter but next year's crop should be better. Isn't that what all we farmers and gardeners say? On the topic of oil painting - I was curious Oil Painter because I'm a wanna-be painter as well....mostly still life but also a little landscape when I can get out. My dream is to be a 'working artist' but there never seems to be enough time!!!!

Keep at it in your spare time or take a class 1 day a week and read. There is a terrific book called "drawing on the right side of the brain" If you follow all the exercises your drawing will improve and you'll see things better when you paint. Hopefully you get as good a teacher as I had. She taught us all the basics like how to get distance in your painting, perspective and how to mix paint. The best exercise she did for the last is to paint a winter landscape with 3 colors and mix to get the right color. Yellow,red and blue--the three basic colors that you can mix any color with. We used yellow ocher, ultramarine blue and alizeran crimson and of course you need white. Your best tool is a color wheel and a hint-- to dull down a color and make it not so bright, use a very small amount--what you could put on the end of your fingernail-- of the complimentary color--the one that's directly opposite on the color wheel.

I was like you and I didn't start painting in earnest until my son went off to university. I was in my 40's then. I never was an empty nester, my art didn't allow me to miss my son. I enjoyed him when he was home and enjoyed my time when he was away. Now I paint in the winter and garden in the summer and my life is full