[Jake]

My onions look pretty good, until I look at the blokes on the next plot. His are HUGE and my best ones look like an ordinary shop bought size and my worst look like spring onions.

Anyway, I think I read over the weekend that I should have snapped the stalks so they look messy(like the guys on next plot). Is this correct? and is this why 2 of mine have flowered? is flowering bad? I don't know where I read this and can't seem to find it now.

They taste great btw.

[Debz and Jon]

Dont know about flowering but I thought mine were doing quite well until I had a look next door - mine look like pickled onions!  :cry: The bloke on the next door allotment said to give them loads of water so thats what Im doing  

[Heather_S]

Cut off the flowering stalks, don't bend the whole leafstalk over, though, this should happen naturally. If you bend the whole leafstalk over to try to hurry up the process, it just introduces fungal infection, rotting your crop in the process.

You didn't mention if these are from sets or seed. I believe onions from seed usually take longer. Mine were from sets planted in March or so and they're starting to fall over naturally. They're not huge but that's because I planted them close together to control their size.

[Jake]

Ah thanks.

I've just found out this

What can one do if flower stalks appear? Should the flower stalks be removed from the onion plants? Suit yourself but once the onion plant has bolted, or sent up a flower stalk, there is nothing you can do to eliminate this problem. The onion bulbs will be edible but smaller. Use these onions as soon as possible because the green flower stalk which emerges through the center of the bulb will make storage almost impossible.

LINK

I didn't know anything about bolting until this year. From right here

They say fluctuating temperatures cause this. And I won't bend them over :oops:

Edit: Oh yes they are from sets. I did some from seed (again :x ) but they went all floppy and died.

I think its 2 of the red onions that have gone and flowered. All the others, yellows and the rest of the reds seem fine. Just not as BIG as the main man next door

Edit again, (I'll stop after this) that site talks about obscure laws to do with onions.

And in Spades, Indiana, no onions can be purchased after 6 p.m. without a doctor's prescription.

 :shock: link

[GrannieAnnie]

My onions are quite small too, but then they went in a bit late because of the rotten weather.  One of the red ones is going to seed.  Don't know whether to dig it up and use it, or let it seed?  I usually grow from sets as I didn't have much luck with seeds a couple of years ago.

[Beanzie]

Yip, I have also had bother with red onion sets for the past couple of years. Its usually the variety Red Baron that causes the bother.

I don't think its worth letting it seed since an inferior plant will "begat" inferior seed (not unless you want decorative allium type plants). If there is any bulb at all best to use as a salad onion.

[Eristic]

The ultimate size of an onion is pretty much locked into the variety before the seed even germinates, as is the flavour, keeping qualities, disease resistance etc. Before comparing the size of your neighbours assets, check the varieties.

If your onions are the normal Stutgarter, you should get bulbs in the region of 0.3-0.5lbs, although they can be pushed a lot further. Your neighbour may be growing Ailsa Craig or similar which can easily grow bulbs of 4-6lbs.

Onions by their nature are apt to simply switch off and rest out any dry spells giving rise to the myth that they do not require watering. We do not want them to sit around sunbathing all summer, we want them to grow. To achieve this they need fetrile soil with lots of manure and a regular supply of water.

Any Northener with Kelsae onions only getting to the 5lb mark may be spotted sneaking them off the plot in the dead of night to avoid the shame. :cry:

[John]

I can confirm the growing qualities of Ailsa Craig onions - they are the best looking and biggest onions I have grown (but not show standard).
Eristic - do you know anything about their keeping qualities and taste?

[Eristic]

Ailsa Craig is a good tasting onion but sadly does not keep too well. Stutgarters are one of the best for keeping but do not get so large.

[Sadgit]

Well Mr Next Door took 1 look at my red onions and said "I see your onions have gone to seed" I looked at him with my youthful lost eyes, so he showed me. 80% of my red onions are ruined, no idea why and a bit gutted. Tis strange how some have and others haven't, and they are next to each other.

Well I live and learn... not quite sure what I did learn, except damn my onions to hell...

[John]

Tough luck with the onions, I gave loads of seedlings away and they're doing really well on other people''s plots - I got 6 pathetic specimens out of 50. This is called the 'Law of the Sod'.

[Ali]

Try the autumn ones. I know nothing(!) and only about 4 bolted out of about 70. And no manure or watering either....

[GrannieAnnie]

Try the autumn ones. I know nothing(!) and only about 4 bolted out of about 70. And no manure or watering either....

Why doesn't my "quote" go white like other people's?

What variety of autumn onion was that Ali?

[Sadgit]

Tough luck with the onions, I gave loads of seedlings away and they're doing really well on other people''s plots - I got 6 pathetic specimens out of 50. This is called the 'Law of the Sod'.

lol sounds like sadgits law...

[John]

Try the autumn ones. I know nothing(!) and only about 4 bolted out of about 70. And no manure or watering either....

Why doesn't my "quote" go white like other people's?

What variety of autumn onion was that Ali?

Annie - I don't know why your quotes don't work either! Checked you have BBcode enabled and you do, tried editing your post and it is right. I think you have offended the god of computers
I'm 99% sure it's not your 'fault' but it is weird. When I quote your quote it works perfectly..