I planted onions in the spring…
Duh, I guess I should have thought about that. Apparently onions are not supposed to flower in their first year and if they do the bulbs will be very small. The bulbs also won’t store well since they have been pierced where the flower stalk pushed up. The only explanation I can find for this is extreme temperature fluctuations during the growing seasons. Yep, we’ve got that going on here in Michigan.
So what do you think? Has this happened to you? Am I missing something? Is this more likely to happen when you grow from onion sets? I’m so bummed.
Never grew them, so I'm no help. But I did grow leeks from seeds with little work and much success. You should try them next year!
You don't want them to flower and make seeds because then they won't make bulbs….
When they send up the flower stem you step them over so they don't develop.
I haven't gardened for awhile but if I remember right I never got very big bulbs when I started out with onion sets. From what I understand is you get the biggest bulbs when you start out with seed. Guerneys sells onion seed I'm pretty sure. 🙂
P.S. I found you from the Ravelry post about Blogger blogs!
So….I found your blog because I too was having a blond moment. I was so excited about the pretty little flowers and the seeds. I rushed up to my computer to find out how to use the seeds and quickly found out the same thing you did. Flowers = pretty. BUT… Flowers = little onions. BUMMER! Next year I’m taking Marilyn’s advice and growing them from seed.
Hiya,
Although I knew that your wouldn’t get large onion bulbs from flowered sets…….I am hoping to get some seeds from the flowers..Have you harvested the seeds from your onion flowers, and grown them on to make sets?
I did save seed from mine but I didn’t use it this year. Maybe next year!