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Old 28-07-2020, 03:50 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
songbird[_2_] songbird[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,072
Default onion over winter seed question

Nyssa wrote:
....
I did this last winter, without the straw mats.

I planted onion seeds (Gladstone, which is a day-neutral
variety) in a huge pot in late September/early October.

We had a relatively mild winter, but even with some
sleet and snowy days, the sprouts did fine with little
growth over the winter months, then picked up pretty
much where they left off once the milder temperatures
began.


so this would be pretty much like what natural onions
would do, they flower and then drop the seeds through
the later summer and into the winter/spring. some may
even grow right out of the fallen over flower head itself.

ones that can get big enough to have a bit of a bulb
before they die back or give up then become the larger
start for the following season's bulbs. the largest
will go on to flower.


I've been eating the small onion bulbs all spring and
summer so far, with many having died back. A few are
still showing green and one has started to flower/seed.
I'll let that one do its thing and hopefully get some
automatic re-seeding out of it into the same pot.

I didn't do any thinning of the onion plants early on,
so the resulting bulbs aren't very big. Next time, I'll
thin 'em to get bigger bulbs. (Although I like the small
ones since they're just big enough to slice for a big
salad or stir fry with no leftovers.)


for us there really is no such thing as too much
onion.


I'd say to give it a try. You might want to add a bit of
mulch once the seeds sprout if you live in a colder area
that I do (SE VA). The most you'll lose is the price of
the seeds if it doesn't work out.

Nyssa, who likes to experiment with over-wintering or
late season crops like onions and carrots





songbird