green onion experiment
 

Hi All,

My grand experiment.

I have a small area about 6' long by 1-1/2 ' wide
that I let garlic, shallots, and onions just
grow without picking them. I do this just out of
curiosity to see what they will do when they
go feral.

So, I purchased a clump of seven organic green onions
(shallots) from the grocery store. They had about 1/4" root
left on the bottom. I cut off the white parts (about 3")
and planted them in my feral bin. The green tops will
go to the dinner table.

They will probably die, but it will be interesting!

-T

green onion experiment
 

On 7/12/19 4:44 PM, T wrote:
Hi All,

My grand experiment.

I have a small area about 6' long by 1-1/2 ' wide
that I let garlic, shallots, and onions just
grow without picking them.Â* I do this just out of
curiosity to see what they will do when they
go feral.

So, I purchased a clump of seven organic green onions
(shallots) from the grocery store.Â* They had about 1/4" root
left on the bottom.Â* I cut off the white parts (about 3")
and planted them in my feral bin. The green tops will
go to the dinner table.

They will probably die, but it will be interesting!

-T

Hmmmm. They have actually start to sprout.

green onion experiment
 

T wrote:
....
Hmmmm. They have actually start to sprout.

hard to keep them going through the hot part
of the season, they may grow a little and then
die back to regrow again in the fall when it
gets cooler and wetter again.

good luck! :)


songbird

green onion experiment
 

On 7/23/19 6:46 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
Hmmmm. They have actually start to sprout.

hard to keep them going through the hot part
of the season, they may grow a little and then
die back to regrow again in the fall when it
gets cooler and wetter again.

good luck! :)


songbird


They are about 4" tall now and loving the hot weather.
I did not expect them to grow at all!

green onion experiment
 

On 7/12/19 4:44 PM, T wrote:
Hi All,

My grand experiment.

I have a small area about 6' long by 1-1/2 ' wide
that I let garlic, shallots, and onions just
grow without picking them.Â* I do this just out of
curiosity to see what they will do when they
go feral.

So, I purchased a clump of seven organic green onions
(shallots) from the grocery store.Â* They had about 1/4" root
left on the bottom.Â* I cut off the white parts (about 3")
and planted them in my feral bin. The green tops will
go to the dinner table.

They will probably die, but it will be interesting!

-T

Now this I did not expect. I thought they'd just
rot.

https://ibb.co/b54Y4h1

They now range from 6" to 10" tall.

The three in the foreground, I planted under the ground.
The four in the background, I planted with a nub sticking
up. It made no difference.

I did this because I can not grow green onions from
seed for my life and I wanted to see what would happen.

Next experiment with them: cut them back (eat the tops)
in the fall and see if they over winter! Maybe that is
the way to start a self renewing crop!

green onion experiment
 

T wrote:
....
Now this I did not expect. I thought they'd just
rot.

https://ibb.co/b54Y4h1

They now range from 6" to 10" tall.

The three in the foreground, I planted under the ground.
The four in the background, I planted with a nub sticking
up. It made no difference.

I did this because I can not grow green onions from
seed for my life and I wanted to see what would happen.

Next experiment with them: cut them back (eat the tops)
in the fall and see if they over winter! Maybe that is
the way to start a self renewing crop!

so far the bunching onions i've been growing have not
ever gone completely dormant even during the worst part
of the last winter there were still some green stalks.

i tried to eat one last week, but this isn't a good
time for them i guess because it was pretty tough.

i did harvest the seed tops and have tons of seeds.
i'm going to plant some of them in the early fall to
see how they do and if i can get a few rows of young
plants going so i can eat them through the fall and
also have them for the next spring too. i also have
to divide up and replant the two clumps i have so i
can have a few rows of larger plants going.

once i get enough plants going then i don't have to
let the seed tops reach seed stage, but i do like
watching the various bees visit them.


songbird

green onion experiment
 

On 7/28/19 4:26 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
Now this I did not expect. I thought they'd just
rot.

https://ibb.co/b54Y4h1

They now range from 6" to 10" tall.

The three in the foreground, I planted under the ground.
The four in the background, I planted with a nub sticking
up. It made no difference.

I did this because I can not grow green onions from
seed for my life and I wanted to see what would happen.

Next experiment with them: cut them back (eat the tops)
in the fall and see if they over winter! Maybe that is
the way to start a self renewing crop!

so far the bunching onions i've been growing have not
ever gone completely dormant even during the worst part
of the last winter there were still some green stalks.

i tried to eat one last week, but this isn't a good
time for them i guess because it was pretty tough.

i did harvest the seed tops and have tons of seeds.
i'm going to plant some of them in the early fall to
see how they do and if i can get a few rows of young
plants going so i can eat them through the fall and
also have them for the next spring too. i also have
to divide up and replant the two clumps i have so i
can have a few rows of larger plants going.

once i get enough plants going then i don't have to
let the seed tops reach seed stage, but i do like
watching the various bees visit them.


songbird


You are giving me an idea. These nubs I planted, if
they go to seed, maybe they will grow where seeds
from packets will not. (The Wally World seeds
grew to about 1" and then died.)

green onion experiment
 

T wrote:
....
You are giving me an idea. These nubs I planted, if
they go to seed, maybe they will grow where seeds
from packets will not. (The Wally World seeds
grew to about 1" and then died.)

once it cools off in the fall i'd be happy to
send you some of mine to try out as i'll have
plenty.


songbird

green onion experiment
 

On 7/29/19 6:26 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
You are giving me an idea. These nubs I planted, if
they go to seed, maybe they will grow where seeds
from packets will not. (The Wally World seeds
grew to about 1" and then died.)

once it cools off in the fall i'd be happy to
send you some of mine to try out as i'll have
plenty.


songbird


Hi Songbird,

That is a sweet offer.

So far the Wally World onion marbles are going strong!

https://ibb.co/G0gHSKb

Those four green bushes in the background of the yellow
onions are my four Goji's.

The green scrub in the upper right of the red onions
is one of my Choke Berries (not cherries).

I really want to try my hand at harvesting the Green
Onion (scallions) seeds that I have in my feral bin.

I have about five three year now feral red shallots
in the feral bin. I pulled two out and replanted
the rest. They also grow in bunches. And this time
the ones in the feral bin were YUGE, about the
size of a tangerine.

-T

green onion experiment
 

T wrote:
....
So far the Wally World onion marbles are going strong!

https://ibb.co/G0gHSKb

Those four green bushes in the background of the yellow
onions are my four Goji's.

The green scrub in the upper right of the red onions
is one of my Choke Berries (not cherries).

if you want larger onions eventually you will have to
give them some more space between them (eat the thinnings :) ).


I really want to try my hand at harvesting the Green
Onion (scallions) seeds that I have in my feral bin.

I have about five three year now feral red shallots
in the feral bin. I pulled two out and replanted
the rest. They also grow in bunches. And this time
the ones in the feral bin were YUGE, about the
size of a tangerine.

they're all good to eat, the smallest ones can be
used for pickling or eating or replanted to give some
flowers and new plants the next year.

the sweet giant onions here are starting to get
bigger. we've even started picking a few tomatoes.
i didn't expect that for a week or two yet.


songbird

green onion experiment
 

On 8/3/19 7:43 AM, songbird wrote:
if you want larger onions eventually you will have to
give them some more space between them (eat the thinnings:) ).

I did that on purpose so I could eat the thinnings. And,
well, to be honest, I have a black thumb and the more
I plant the higher chance something will sprout. And,
if wonder of wonders, I get lucky and a lot of them
come up, I get to eat the thinnings and not have to
wait to the end of the season the eat any of them.

I thinned last Thursday. This is a picture
of them. They are on 6" square tiles.

https://ibb.co/qgWzZy0

Top to bottom would be Red Shallots (three year),
Yellow Onions, Red Onions.

:-)

green onion experiment
 

T wrote:
....
I thinned last Thursday. This is a picture
of them. They are on 6" square tiles.

https://ibb.co/qgWzZy0

Top to bottom would be Red Shallots (three year),
Yellow Onions, Red Onions.

:-)

looks great! :)


songbird

green onion experiment
 

T wrote:
I have about five three year now feral red shallots
in the feral bin. I pulled two out and replanted
the rest. They also grow in bunches. And this time
the ones in the feral bin were YUGE, about the
size of a tangerine.

-T

When you say "feral bin", is this an area where you just let plants go
to seed and replant themselves? Or is it a little more controlled than
that?

green onion experiment
 

On 2020-01-23 08:45, rust buckett wrote:
T wrote:
I have about five three year now feral red shallots
in the feral bin. I pulled two out and replanted
the rest. They also grow in bunches. And this time
the ones in the feral bin were YUGE, about the
size of a tangerine.

-T

When you say "feral bin", is this an area where you just let plants go
to seed and replant themselves? Or is it a little more controlled than
that?


Just let them do their thing and see what becomes of it.
So the first one.