[viettaclark]

Planted these in November and it's the first time I've grown them. They are all in one big new raised bed and have a lovely growing medium (mix of manure, my compost, top soil and Wicke's compost.) The bed isn't too dry and there are enough nutrients.
Garlic is growing strong and leaves are healthy dark green. I lost a shallot or two but most have perked up and may be producing small ones because you can see the separate leaf clumps but all I can see above ground is the original bulb which is soft and looks like it's rotting away?
The onions are very variable in strength and size. I think they're  rooted because I gently tugged on one of the little ones (paranoia about white rot) and the roots were holding. But I can't see any new bulbs unless they're those little dried up spring onion things? So where are the original sets then? Nobody actually explains the GROWING PROCESS.Also the plants have been flopped over on the ground for a while now, but they are healthy and green.
I researched it on line but all the pics and videos have huge onions on the surface with upright foliage which goes yellow and flops when harvesting comes.
Mine aren't like that!!!
Have I got anything to worry about? Is it just a patience thing again? (Not doing very well then...am I!!)
Can anyone describe HOW alliums develop?

[Nikkithefoot]

Garlic needs a cold spell so it divides into cloves. Garlic will be developing its cloves under ground and 'putting on weight' as we speak. They should be ready end Jun / July ish depending on variety.

Onions grown from sets (baby onions) put on leaf growth first using the set as energy. Once leaves developing well the bulb will start to grow and develop. Some will go to seed regardless, cut off any flower stalks and use these up first once you harvest as they don't store so well. They could be ready anytime from June again depending on variety.

Shallots grown from sets develop in a similar way to onions but split like garlic to produce several shallots from each original.

Onion and shallots are ready once their foliage has flopped over.

[peanut]

Allegedly onions concentrate on growing leaves until the longest day, then they transfer all energy to develop the bulb instead - just like that, overnight, as the days get shorter.  Clever hey?

[viettaclark]

So not to worry about onion plants lying down if they're healthy, then?

[Muddylou]

Last year (my first), my onions and shallots developed curly leaves, someone on here (sorry but I forget who) advised me to give them a feed of Phostrogen. It worked wonders, the leaves straightened out and I ended up with a decent crop.

[Jamie Butterworth]

Mine were exactly like this, dead strong foliage growth but no bulb. Thanks for putting my mind to rest

[Cazzy]

So not to worry about onion plants lying down if they're healthy, then?

Some of mine where lying down, I just stood them up and pushed them into the ground and they seem to be fine.

[SG6]

Not sure about the onions lying down, mine do it and for whatever reason I am a little doubtful if it best for them. Lying down means a bend somewhere so a possible crease in the leaf which stops food getting down, this means stress and under stress they can bolt.

Have a small bed of overwintering onions and I put supports in to stop them falling over, they look much better then in previous years. I know it is paranoia.

OK to try on the small number of OW onions I have but not practical on the bigger "normal" onions bed.

Onions can be of 3 types, forget the range of terms, basically they will bulk up depending on the number of daylight hours. So they will sit there growing greenery until the right time of year when they get the number of daylight hours then start to bulk up the bulb. We then pull it up and cook with it.

May have been the mammothonion site that I read it on.

So it may be that what is good for Dorset isn't so good in Aberdeen.

[DD.]

Allegedly onions concentrate on growing leaves until the longest day, then they transfer all energy to develop the bulb instead - just like that, overnight, as the days get shorter.  Clever hey?

Very clever.

However, we're talking winter onions here, not spring planted ones.