[digwell123]

Help! A lot of my over wintered onions are bolting. Good large bulbs, but putting up a seed stem. I have pinched these off. Will the onion be any good for storing? What should i do to prevent this happening again. They were a proper set foe planting in the autumn. Advice needed, thanks.

[Ian_A]

cut off the flower "bulb" I pulled a few from the ground last week that had bolted, they had already swollen to a good size and many i have used. The rest I have frozen: onions freeze wonderfully: just peel, and finely chop or slice.

[mumofstig]

yes, cut the flower heads off and use these ones first.
But be aware none of the overwintering onions are good for storing for very long.
They are a sort of stop-gap for when last summers stored onions are used up and before this years spring planted ones are ready
Freezing is a good option if you have too many to eat at once.

[DD.]

As mos says, they don't store for long anyway, there's probably more bolted this year due to the dry weather. They need to be kept well watered.

[Jay The Digger]

I had about 100 overwintering red onions and every one has bolted.

The dry weather is almost certainly to blame.  (Although interestingly the overwintering whites are completely unaffected)

[fatcat1955]

I thought you should not over water onoins once at harvest stage in case you induce rot.

[mumofstig]

down souf we've been dry since march, so we're talking about lack of water for months before harvest, unless they've been regularly watered they will have had a set back

[DD.]

Plus, they're not at harvest stage yet!

[fatcat1955]

Overwintered are picked in June, stop watering and leave for 2 weeks to dry out. Date now 23rd may  8 days time  it's June. 8 days is less than 14. Picking mine already.

[DD.]

A lot of people are pulling theirs to use, they may just as well rather than buy, but they are by no means mature. They've got quite a few weeks growth left yet, the harsh winter may well have pegged them back.

It's sufficent for me to stop watering when there's signs of yellowing or the stems beginning to wilt.

If we get any, you can't stop the rain either!

[shokkyy]

cut off the flower "bulb" I pulled a few from the ground last week that had bolted, they had already swollen to a good size and many i have used. The rest I have frozen: onions freeze wonderfully: just peel, and finely chop or slice.

How do you stop the chopped bits sticking together in clumps once frozen?

[fatcat1955]

Split them up into a meal size portion and put into individual freezer bags.

[mumofstig]

or lay them in a thin layer on a tray to freeze, then bag them up

[Yorkie]

I freeze them in a single layer on an open baking or oven tray, then put them into a bag once frozen.  They stay separated that way.

*Snap*

[digwell123]

pickled some onion and cucumber last year, a recipie from this website!! Very nice. Will freeze these onions till the cucs are ready, then use them for this. Thanks for the advice.