Walking onions

11 years ago

I do a lot of cooking with onions and garlic as a base for Indian food.

Dreaming of big juicy onions, ....This spring I planted Sweet onion sets. Did I get any harvest? No sir none. Nada!

I grew a whole bunch of weeds. :-(

So, I figure, with my lack of green thumbs, for onions anyway... I need to try growing some that do well without too much trouble and are foolproof and grow in my zone ( 7B),.. Raleigh to be exact.

Would it be easier to grow Walking onions / top set onions? I have never seen them.. and from what I read, they seem a fool proof way to grow and get something to eat!

I might add Garlic chives too, the perennial kind. Would like to grow a bed of each, of, Garlic chives and walking onions.

I would like to try growing them. I have no idea.. Where to get them, when to plant them etc... . I would love to hear your experiences and advice, especially , from folks here in NC . Thanks.

Featured Answer

trianglejohn

11 years ago

I'm no expert, but some years I do grow good onions - this year was not one of those years. I prefer to grow the variety 'Candy' and I prefer to grow it from seed. This is not one of the prime onion growing areas so plenty of things can go wrong. I know farmers whose onion crops failed this year. I grow mine in full sun with rich soil that I add lots of compost to. They like water but also to dry out between waterings. They hate weeds - so they can be a lot of work.

Home grown onions are much tastier than store bought onions but you aren't going to have great onions every year. I can rarely get mine to store well so I usually chop them up and dehydrate them.

I grow chives and garlic chives and use them both often. The only problem with garlic chives is that they will take over the world if you let them. You have to cut off the blooms before they make seed. They are impossible to weed out of the garden, and they grow in all the places you don't want them to grow. They are a great pollinator plant this time of year - all sorts of bees and wasps like the nectar. If you cut them back they will bloom up until we have a hard freeze.

Now is the time of year that companies sell Walking Onion sets so I would look for them online or at a local garden center. I am also going to be buying a bunch of them. The few gardens I have seen them in locally, they seem to be doing just fine whereas all the other onions failed this year.

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Comments (6)

andreap
11 years ago
I have walking onions and could give you some top sets. They are trying to take root right now here in Durham. I love them. Care-free, and surreal-looking in late spring when they 'bloom,' with greens you can harvest almost year-round like scallions, and base bulbs the size of shallots for cooking. Multiply but easy to control, bc you harvest them, eat them, and give some away. You can even eat the top sets when they're young, and some people pickle them.
Sabji garden (7b), Raleigh NC thanked andreap
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Sabji garden (7b), Raleigh NC
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Thanks John, Andreap ! We have such a wonderful group of members always ready to help!!

I guess I have too much shade in that garden box... so no more regular onion growing for me.. Which is why I like the idea of topset / walking onions.

Andrea, I would love to have some of the the top set onions.. Thanks you so much!!

What would you like in return? Check my trade list in the Exchange forum.. I have already posted for the swap. We can meet then or any other time as both live in the triangle.

You can message me by going to my profile and see the message button. It is enabled.. Send me a message and we can connect..

Thanks again..
Sabji garden (7b), Raleigh NC
Original Author
11 years ago
John, You know me!!

I use up everything that grows in my garden ; even the weeds, purslane and amaranth leaves, are chopped and cooked with lentils or frozen for later..

I use a lot of garlic ( along with ginger and hot chillies) to make a paste for curries..In winter it will be a welcome addition to soups. I use the greens for chutneys too!! make a good dipping sauce with everything..Hungry ???? Hehe

We use both green and bulbs.. For my needs, the weedy nature of garlic will fit the bill. That they attract pollinators too is a huge plus for me. Right now i spend a lot of time doing hand pollination.

Garlic chives gets a big yes for me!! Oh and they look so pretty in a bed..
trianglejohn
11 years ago
Sabji - I noticed Chef Rick Bayless said on a recent cooking show that he now grows tons of Garlic Chives in his restaurant garden. They are a handy crop to have around. The warning about them being invasive is real. Only plant them where you want them and always cut off the flowers before they go to seed. You can't get rid of them if you let them sprout where ever they want, they will crowd out everything else in your garden. Pulling them by hand only makes them stronger. Again, they are impossible to get rid of - and this advice is coming from someone that likes them in the garden. Your neighbors will thank you.
Sabji garden (7b), Raleigh NC thanked trianglejohn
Sabji garden (7b), Raleigh NC
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Hey John,

You know what, I saw the same show!! and yes his garden they (Chinese garlic chives) looked so pretty. I like cooking pasta salads , Stir fry ( Chinese and Thai) but vegetarian... garlic chives make it tasty.. Also green papaya salad. I make a real tasty one.. Just yummy on a baked potato with sour cream.

I will do my best to keep them in tow... It will have to be in raised bed! or in the swimming pool tubs. on concrete.

As for the neighbors, they are pretty laid back and they love Indian food and fritters, :-) . Especially with the chutney, that has a lot of onion and garlic in it..

Thanks again!!!