Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: muddifoot on June 04, 2008, 09:34
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i planted 2 welsh onions in my herb bed that are beautiful but are now going to seed- at first i thought i won't use them because they are such lovely things - now i want more to grow - and to use. I bought them as herbs -now i just wonder if anyone grows them as a proper crop of onions and how do i get more- remember I'm a novice at this gardening game that is why i ask such stupid questions--
gardener of four months and loving it.
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Leave them alone, they grow out in a clump. Every year or two, just pull them up divide, and replant. You can use them just like spring onions (but they're smaller).
You'll be giving them away in a year or two:)
cheers,
Derek
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If you let them mature, doesn't the flower tip change into tiny onions - which you can then plant??
I has some years go and that's what someone called them.
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They may do - my neighbours plant leek 'pips' once they're about 3-4 inches long for next years leeks, which results in stronger (and easier) leeks than from seed (I've started from last year myself, so we'll see).
But it's easier on welsh onions to divide the plant, they're such enthusiastic growers.
cheers,
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The onions that have tiny onions on the 'seed head' are usually called walking onions, tree onions or Egyptian onions. They differ from the Welsh which put out actual seeds.
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Welsh onions grow rather sizeable and also strong enough to cook with - mine do anyhow, only am growing one type - , plant up individually about a foot apart. Harvest when you have about 6 or so, by putting back as many as you want, individually.
There are 2 very different types: non-flowering, division only, often referred to as perennial or everlasting Welsh onion and the flowering ones, often referred to as 'annual' - not true - Welsh onion. This latter one can be propagated both ways, however, deteriorates with age and needs re-sowing at least every few years, hence the name, the common way of cultivation.
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we had welsh onions for years , untill the area where they grew was redeveloped and they were nt saved for posterity. i miss them as they were a very handy veg ,to replace either cooking onion or spring onion.
so where do i go to get some new stock.
Like chives they needed very little assistance once established.
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Ok,I feel a bit daft asking as you all seem to know, but what are Welsh onions? I've only ever seen onions and shallots.
Do you buy them as sets?
They certainly sound good.
Elaine
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Ok,I feel a bit daft asking as you all seem to know, but what are Welsh onions? I've only ever seen onions and shallots.
Do you buy them as sets?
They certainly sound good.
Elaine
They are pretty much like Japanese bunching onions, the very same things, historically, just developed in several different directions.
I didn't buy any, there is some on most lotty sites here and they just go around as an infection of a very good kind. :lol:
Try Jekka's herb farm, if nothing around you, you really want to track down a forever type, without seed, if you can.
If no joy , I can send you some. :wink:
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The onions that have tiny onions on the 'seed head' are usually called walking onions, tree onions or Egyptian onions. They differ from the Welsh which put out actual seeds.
I read it that they meant you get a ball shaped head with lots of medusa like green hair (onions) radiating out from it, which you can separate, root and then plant as onions (which you definitely *can* do with leeks).
My welsh onions must be the 'not true' ones, because I get the flowers, but its definitely easy to divide them. But, the bloke I got them from has been using his for the last 20+ years, all from the original plants, always just by division, so it seems you can divide them more or less indefinitely...
Elaine G, welsh onions are like chives in stature, where you can use them like spring onion (harvesting down to the bulb). But, they're much hardier, will easily stand through winter, and just keep going.
cheers,
Derek
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hi there ,we have some 40+ welsh onions , thios year we divided theminto little groups of 5 , by next year we should have at least doubled in number , if anything you should feed them with a little 1/2 strength tomato feed, leave them alone and they will multiply , they are a lot stronger then spring onions , nip a small piece off anf chew the leaf
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The onions that have tiny onions on the 'seed head' are usually called walking onions, tree onions or Egyptian onions. They differ from the Welsh which put out actual seeds.
I read it that they meant you get a ball shaped head with lots of medusa like green hair (onions) radiating out from it, which you can separate, root and then plant as onions (which you definitely *can* do with leeks).
My welsh onions must be the 'not true' ones, because I get the flowers, but its definitely easy to divide them. But, the bloke I got them from has been using his for the last 20+ years, all from the original plants, always just by division, so it seems you can divide them more or less indefinitely...
Elaine G, welsh onions are like chives in stature, where you can use them like spring onion (harvesting down to the bulb). But, they're much hardier, will easily stand through winter, and just keep going.
cheers,
Derek
Derek, I think, you are confusing them. The tree onions, Trillium mentioned, that grow the onion on top, are a cross of Welsh onion with some other, not Welsh onion proper at all.
By not true I meant that they were annuals not being true, they are not. Just that they deteriorate to look like chives with time.
Even the everlasting onion does, if not cultivated properly. :wink:
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Hi Gobs,
yes, I know the tree onions, but I was referring to the comment made by garddwr bach to which I replied to and trillium then replied to. I thought garddwr bach was suggesting that welsh onions might get 'pips' (like leeks, for growing on) though I haven't seen it.
Then after reading your post, I figured I must have the type of flowering welsh onion, because, well, it flowers.
So, now I'm confused... what is it that I am confusing?
cheers,
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Hi Gobs,
yes, I know the tree onions, but I was referring to the comment made by garddwr bach to which I replied to and trillium then replied to. I thought garddwr bach was suggesting that welsh onions might get 'pips' (like leeks, for growing on) though I haven't seen it.
Then after reading your post, I figured I must have the type of flowering welsh onion, because, well, it flowers.
So, now I'm confused... what is it that I am confusing?
cheers,
I don't know, what we are talking about. Might be my misunderstanding. :?
Leeks have round flower heads, with proper seed in , pretty much like onion, the both of those. The little plants that can be planted up form on the base of the plant as tiny divisions and already have roots, like with all sorts of bunch forming allium.
Medusa like green things on one of my ornamental onions, called Hair, these are part of the flower, neither seed or plant.
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now i'm terribly confused- the ones that i bought and put in my herb garden are starting to get a ball on top- if they multiply I will have to remove them as my herb garden is quite small 4x4 (yes silly size) so when should i move it? ah yes- us greenhorns need constant advice and thank god for this allotment site or we would be in deep trouble..
thanks everybody
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Hi Gobs,
Leeks have round flower heads, with proper seed in , pretty much like onion, the both of those
Yes, leeks do have seed, but towards the end of the year (early to mid october) the head has grown tiny leeks - tubes of greenery - out from the head. You cut the head off, and then separate each bit of green 'hair' (which has a white lump at the base).
Stick each of these in a pot or bowl of water, and within a few days, its started to root. In fact, you can put the whole head in water, and they'll root in together, and you can transplant them with roots on. By planting out time (May-June) each plant is easily the thickness of a pencil (not just the lead).
That's how all the old blokes here on the allotment grow their leeks, and they get enough between them all from just one head. They call them 'pips'. I'd never seen it myself till last year, and tried it with a few spare - they seem to be going nicely. One of them used to show his leeks, so he obviously knows his stuff :)
I just did a quick google and found this on pips/bulbils:
http://www.medwynsofanglesey.co.uk/Articles/991111.htm
cheers,
Derek
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I'm with you now. 8) Leeks and tree onions, :lol: , once a guy thought he was being teased with these growing on elephant garlic, which is a leek hybrid of some sort, they can do to.
I prefer collecting the seeds and am trying to grow open-pollinated stuff of most things.
Muddi, just eat the Welsh ones, when you need them.
I don't know much they self-seed, as I'm not growing those.