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Spanish Onion

Last post 27-06-2009 1:57 PM by hydropiper. 1 replies.

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  • 25/06/2009 11:02 PM
    • MeAnEr
    • 25 Jun 2009
    • 1
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     Hi, I left a rather large spanish onion on a shelf next to my chimney and rather unsurprisingly it started to sprout. We decided to actually plant it in March. (Dug a hole, dropped it in. A little unceremonious but we are a bit haphazard in our gardening style ) I thought it would just die, but instead has sent up 3ft stalks with flower buds on top. Didn't expect that! So what happens now? We know it is going to flower and so there'll be seeds, but what about the bulb in the ground?  We are about to move house and want to know if it is worth pulling it out of the ground, or to just leave it here.

     

    Oh, and while I'm here, would this be one of those part time or full time onions? ;) I'm serious though, we really have no idea, as I am sure is apparent.

     

    Thank you kindly 

    Me'an'er 

     

     

  • 27/06/2009 01:57 PM
    In reply to
    • hydropiper
    • Cardiff
    • 23 Jun 2009
    • 60
    Top 75 Contributor
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    I'm not surprised that your spanish onion flowered. Many vegetable plants if left in the ground for more than one growing season often flower the next. The bulb you planted will not store well now it has flowered, so it is not worth keeping the bulb to eat. You could try collecting the seed, although if the parent was an F1 hybrid or named cultivar it may not come true from seed, i.e. you are unlikely to get a large spanish onion similar to the bulb you planted from the seed you collect and sow.  It's probably better to buy onion "setts" which you get from garden centres around autumn/spring time. These are immature onion bulbs grown during the previous season which you plant directly in the soil, and are probably a more reliable method of growing large spanish onions.    

    Chris