[chriscross1966]

I've got several varieties (I'm a bit of an allium nerd if truth be out) and the one you want to watch out for is Catawissa. It has the biggest plants/bulbils and it grows multiple decks so if you keep a couple at the front of the plot then you'll find folks dropping by to look at them.... it's a good way to get to know the rest of the poeople on a site if nothing else :-)

The only obvious problem with Catawissa is it gets big in a hurry, and it needs staking as a result.... on the upside it produces bullet-hard bulbils that are ideal for pickling and the bigger ones are good as roast onions in stews etc. They'#re quite a strong onion too. You can use the basal bulbs as onions,  they multiply there like a big, loose, untidy shallot, but they're not the easiest thing to prepare and they are a bit ferocious .... I'm going to try and make some french onion soup out of some of my spare bulbs, but I'm expecting to have to take special measures to peel the 8-10 that |I will need.....

chrisc

[Pip Judgeford]

(I'm a bit of an allium nerd if truth be out) and the one you want to watch out for is Catawissa.

chrisc

Good to see another allium fan :  my aim this year is to be completely self sufficient in alliums and not buy a single sad skungie onion that sprouts (or worse doesnt sprout because of the anti-sprouting agents its been sprayed with) 

I love Penny Woodward's "Garlic and Friends".  Also I have discovered that it is possible to buy imported asian garlic thats different to NZ types and patiently reacclimitise it to opposite seasons.  The specialist "solo" garlic took me 2 years but doing well now

Note to self: check import standards for alliums to NZ and find something chriscross1966 does not have.

Love and extra parsley (for garlic breath) Pip