onions

Hi there everyone just a quick question please,my missus just pulled out 2 onions from a bag that we bought from the supermarket and they have roots coming from the top,she said i should plant them in the garden and i thought it was a great idea as i'm already growing potatoes,mint and a few other bits of veg,anyway i wondered and can't find a answer to which way do i plant them is it the roots into the ground or should they be facing the top,any other advice much appreciated.
Thanks.

OK, I'll bite. Here's probably the sum total of my knowledge on the subject.

1. Onions have a pointy end and a blunt end. The blunt end is where the roots appear and the pointy end is where the green growth appears. So they are planted with the blunt end downwards.

2. Onions are normally grown from either seeds or 'sets' which are onions grown from seed and then stopped prematurely.

3. It's not generally regarded as a good idea to grow things, bought for eating, from supermarkets. It's best to buy seed or sets from a garden centre or suchlike and plant them at the required time. Otherwise you might introduce disease.

4. Ignoring the fact that you would be starting off with an onion, rather than a set, now is not the time to plant it anyway. Some sets are planted in spring for an autumn crop, other types can be planted in autumn for a summer crop the next year.

My advice is to cut the roots off (if they're on the blunt end) and eat it. Otherwise, it's an alien - welcome it to our planet and ask it for a huge loan.

Actually if you plant an onion that is already grown, all you will get is if you are lucky a seed head,  but more likely a rotten onion and maybe some nasty bacteria in your soil as you don't know where the onion came from!

Silly question Syko, but why did your wife want you to plant it in the first place?

Quote from: pedro on June 22, 2010, 22:15

i cant see any point to planting the onion as the most all you will get is an onion, which you have already.

Love it    straight and to the point 

Straight to the point, but incorrect.

Grannieannie is right, it will run to seed and at best you'll get seeds of an unknown variety, which may not be suited to growing in our climate.

DD you certainly know yer onions