A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Picture of an onion....

Ok, so I bought this onion a couple weeks ago at the store.. it was under my counter, and I just never got to use it. I went for my onions, and found this...



Ok, so it's not the first time something like this has happened, but it is the first time it ever got this big! And now it's got me wondering.. can I plant this thing? What will happen if I do? It's kinda neat.

Meg

Try it Meg....
The least thing I think you'll get is
a flower???
(some what like a chive or garlic flower)

I don't think you'll be able to harvest another onion, as it's the second year of growth when
you see big honkers like that come out???????????
The seed stalk comes the second year, I thought???

Weezie

Hey meg, i sometimes grow onions using onion sets. This is where you plant seed and leave them in very poor soil and overcrowded. They only get to about 1" max in diameter by the end of the season. Pull them out and dry them. Anyway, next season you replant them into well prepared soil and they go berko. Get gigantic in no time. I don't know if your already big onion would do the same but i'd be interested to know how it goes.

Hi,
If you plant that onion what you will get is a load of small black seeds. After it has flowered.These seeds can be saved until next year.
I plant my seeds at the end of January, in the basement, under lights.I keep the plant at about 4ins high by cutting off the tops.After hardening them off they can be planted outside in the garden.To grow into big fat juicy onions.

Dave

Hi there!!!
I just recently came across an onion in my pantry just like yours! I let it grow in front of a sunny window and, like yourself, wondered if I could plant it. Nobody seemed to know the answer, so I just let it stay in the sunny window unplanted. Then I got a magazine in the mail a few days later and it had a picture of an onion, just like our onions, and it was sitting in a glass of water with the greens shoots at the top and white roots growing into the water. So, naturally, I ran over to my onion, stuck toothpicks in its side, and sat it in a tall glass of water and put it back in the sunny window. The very next moring it had 2-inch long white roots, and now, about a week and a half later, it's still growing and has yet to form a flower.

I was wondering, would anyone care to share how to grow actual onions for eating? Would I be able to use parts of this onion I have growing after it flowers and I dry it out?

Good luck with your onion!!!

This is just the topic I was hoping to find. I think we all have that onion somewhere in the kitchen. My question was is the green shoots edible? Like scallions? Or is it now inedible and has to grow into it's next stage of life, ie flowering and seed production?

yes, the green tops are edible. i have done that many times when mine have sprouted and i needed the onion and had no more.

How funny! I had an onion just like that last night...but all I thought about was eating the darn thing...never thought about planting it! I cut the green top off and used as a garnish on my deviled chic platter!