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neptune25

Egyptian walking onions not walking

neptune25
11 years ago

I planted some Egyptian walking onion sets at the beginning of March. Eight of them came up. So far, six have survived the hot summer. The tallest are maybe around a foot. The onions are alive, but they're not doing much. Is that normal?

Comments (13)

  • pnbrown
    11 years ago

    Your climate is probably right on the edge of what they can tolerate so performance maybe is not going to be normal. Yes, mine go quite dormant during hot weather. In the fall the basal bulbs will probably split and produce two or more new plants. Next spring those may produce top sets as well.

  • neptune25
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    OK, thanks, pnbrown.

  • farmerdill
    11 years ago

    They are perennials so they take time to get started. Assuming soil fertility and sufficient water they should get going good next year. Mine are just holding on in this extended drought, but most years they send up huge bulblet stalks in late spring.
    {{gwi:75377}}

  • shermthewerm
    11 years ago

    I've never heard of these. Can they be planted as a fall crop? Do you purchase these as sets or seed?

  • foolishpleasure
    11 years ago

    I've never heard of these. Can they be planted as a fall crop? Do you purchase these as sets or seed?
    =======================================

    I second that and want to know

  • farmerdill
    11 years ago

    Topsetting onions either Egyptian or Catawissa are planted from the bulblets. They can be planted anytime. They are perennials so it best to plant them in a dedicated area. Strong flavor but are suitable as spring onions. Bulblets can be used in soups. They do not form large onions. http://www.asparagusgardener.com/asparaguswalkingonions.html

  • soilent_green
    11 years ago

    In the north we harvest the topsets, separate the individuals, and plant them in rows in the fall. We harvest them as spring or green onions in April and May. Very pungeant, tasty onions.

    They can also be canned like a pearl onion, or used in soups and stews, etc. as farmerdill mentioned.

    The following photos show leftover winter onions that I recently removed from the garden. This is how big they have grown from April to July from the fall-planted topsets. They are golf ball sized and do not get much larger than this before dividing. When cured they store quite well. I have pickled them at this size with good success.

    If desired, click on images to see larger versions.

    {{gwi:81820}}

    {{gwi:81821}}

    Enjoy your onions!
    -Tom

  • pnbrown
    11 years ago

    Tom, yours are very green and fresh-looking for this time of year. Clearly you've got cooler, moister soil than I have.

    FD, your Catawissas look identical condition to mine, so I guess GA 8a is not marginal for them.

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    11 years ago

    If planted from topsets, walking onions usually don't "walk" the first year, or develop only a weak stalk with small bulbs. It can depend upon the size of the bulb that was planted, though. I have one variety this year that produced a few topsets that were almost 2" across... which they have never done previously. It must be a result of the abnormally early Spring.

    Walking onions generally go dormant in the heat of the summer; mine are going dormant now. If I choose to, I can dig up some of the bulbs for fresh use. They have an exceptionally strong flavor, which is not easily destroyed by cooking. Makes really good soup broth, IMO.

    Since walking onions multiply both from topsets & from the base splitting, you can build up a large patch fairly quickly.

    If you wish to use some of your walking onions each year for their ground bulbs, it is best to separate them into individual plants. Some use the topsets for this; I prefer to use the ground bulbs. You can separate & plant individual ground bulbs during dormancy, but these bulbs will then split & produce clumps. You can instead divide them in late Fall, after the bulbs have already split & begun to grow. The individual plants will look like scallions at this point (which they are) and you can separate & immediately replant them with care. Those plants still might divide again in Spring, but most will form a single large bulb. You can further increase their size by breaking off the "flower stalk" as soon as it appears. Without the topsets, the plant will then direct more energy to bulb development.

    It is worth mentioning to anyone who has not grown them, that walking onions are exceptionally hardy perennials. They easily winter over even here, with no protection. Even the topset bulbs are hardy; I keep them in an unheated patio, and they remain viable until late Spring, or when warming temperatures cause them to sprout. You can harvest delicious scallions in early Spring, and again in late Fall.

    Tom, that is a nice mess of onions. I'm curious, though, about your storage comments. The varieties I grow proved to have poor storage life for the ground bulbs. How did you cure & store yours? I had planned to dehydrate some of mine as minced onions, to overcome the poor storage. It's my hope that the strong flavor will make them really suitable for drying.

  • pnbrown
    11 years ago

    I also find that both basal bulbs and top sets store poorly.

    BTW, if anybody wants top sets of Catawissa to plant can send me an SASE. 3 or 4 stamps on a small padded mailer gets a good quantity.

  • neptune25
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, farmerdill, soilent_green, zeedman, and pnbrown for the additional information. Glad to know my onions aren't behaving abnormally. :)

  • soilent_green
    11 years ago

    neptune24 - glad you got your questions and concerns answered. :)

    It is very interesting and educational hearing of all the different experiences with the same plant variety around the continent - this is why I like the discussions on GW.

    I should clarify: I stated previously that they will store "quite well". This is a judgment call. For me, once hardened and cured, these first year bulbs harvested in July or August regularly store into December and often January. I consider that a pretty decent storage length but that is obviously not as long as standard storage onion varieties. I am not surprised that people have varying levels of success. I think the main point is that these onions should be eaten and enjoyed fresh - there are better onions for storing.

    For me the topsets harvested in September usually store well into May of the next year. I store the topset clusters whole, not separated, in the open air in a cool (40-45 degrees) dark place. The reason that I store them is so I can use them in cooking during the winter months. Some years I will plant a bunch of them in early spring.

    I guess maybe the only thing I may do differently regarding storage is that I leave the tops on. They never fully dry down but the curing does harden them nicely. As any other storage vegetable I check for and chuck the soft or spoiling ones on a consistent basis.

    I just like to tinker with doing different things with these onions. My regular onions are always my priority crop for fresh eating and storage. My favorite use of winter onions is as a fresh spring onion - a tradition my father started back in the early 1970s. He absolutely loved them.

    I have never tried dehydrating them - I think that is a good idea and will attempt to dry a batch shortly (outside!) after the basil is done. I bet minced, flaked, and powdered would be quite good. I will try to remember to post results here.

    pnbrown - I would like to take you up on your offer of topsets and will be contacting you shortly. I would like to see how similar or different your plants are from mine. If you want to trade topsets, I would be happy to do that but mine will not be mature until September.

  • hepatica_z7
    10 years ago

    It works! Thanks Zeedman, for your suggestion to separate clumps of small onions and replanted them at about 3" spacing. I also removed topsets as they formed. I just pulled some very usable sized onions, maybe 1 1/2" diameter.

    I did mine in very early spring, but I will try it in fall too.

    The flavor is great when they are used chopped and sauteed in many dishes, and as mentioned, they make an excellent broth. For that, I even use woody bits and the tops, and brown them before adding water and simmering for 30 minutes or so. I strain out all the stringy stuff and voila!

    Hepatica

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