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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 12, 2014 13:13:45 GMT -5
There is a sweet point in the life cycle of the annuals that is just after flowering in which the root bulbs are at their peak size and they are taking a bit of a rest before dividing and resprouting. Bulb diameter of my variety can be about 2" at that time. For storage I break the flower stem from the bulb. Egyptian Walking Onions have become the main onion on my farm... I plant all season long and harvest them continuously during growing season. I love growing bulbing onion sets. I used to always plant small sets that I got from growers in Texas. But then I made the decision that I would grow all of my own seed for every crop. Spending up to $100 per year to buy onion sets doesn't work for me any more. I really aughta spend the time to learn how to grow my own bulbing onion plants or sets. Weeds are my biggest problem with delicate little onion plants. I suppose that I could start them out in a specially prepared weed free nursery bed. Hmmm. One more project: learning how to create weed-free nursery beds. This is what I was wondering if was possible. Thanks Joseph. So for growing out all year, do you store bulbils and replant all year?
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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 12, 2014 13:15:49 GMT -5
Oh and speaking of weed free nursery beds. Have you tried black tarping to pre-germinate weeds during the warm period? That wouldn't eliminate weeds but…
I need to set up a whole swath of nursery beds. I'll let you know how it goes :/
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 12, 2014 13:36:11 GMT -5
Yesterday I picked a half bushel of Egyptian walking onion topsets. I replanted some into the greenhouse for greens during the winter, but most of them will sit in the garage until planted. I may plant some in the field this week, and some in the spring. There are lots more bulbils that will spend the winter in the garden to be planted or not in the spring. I'm intending to dig up the perennial bed next spring for use as green onions. I till my fields in the fall, and there are always rows of Egyptian onions that didn't get harvested. They will be my first harvest in the spring. There would be a lot that could be done culturally with this variety if I paid attention to planting dates. But I just wing it.
I have tried "solarizing" my soil. It doesn't get hot enough here to be effective. I really like growing on the ashes of bonfires. That cooks the soil enough to get rid of weed seeds and rhizomes. A few years ago I dug a bed 12" deep, and screened the soil through a 1/2" mesh. That did a great job of eliminating rhizome roots. I might could tolerate that much labor for a nursery bed, but not for general planting.
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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 12, 2014 14:32:31 GMT -5
Fire weeding: I like it.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 12, 2014 15:11:23 GMT -5
I really aughta spend the time to learn how to grow my own bulbing onion plants or sets. Both are simple. For plants, buy seeds of varieties which will mature in one growing season and start them at least 6 weeks before time to set them out. For sets, buy seeds of varieties which require 2 seasons to mature and start them on the longest daylight day of the year. When they go dormant two months later, you have the sets for the following year. Do not try to produce sets from the first type nor plants from the second. Doesn't work. Martin
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Post by templeton on Nov 12, 2014 16:47:31 GMT -5
T
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Post by steev on Nov 12, 2014 21:15:45 GMT -5
You're a man of few words, T.
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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 12, 2014 21:40:39 GMT -5
Martin: Yes, "spring" onion is what I'm calling "summer" onion I guess so we're more or less speaking of the same thing except that I'm seeing a size in the bulbs that approaching something called a "little onion" in Spain or early onion meaning that it is an onion + greens and is generally the earlier stage of a regular A. cepa rather than what I see typically sold as a spring onion.
Thanks everyone!
And T. "Hello."
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Post by philagardener on Nov 12, 2014 21:59:47 GMT -5
4 2 or 2 4 T?
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Post by templeton on Nov 12, 2014 22:28:03 GMT -5
None of your browsers support the new GooglePsi telepathy add-on? Sheesh, what happened to North America's technological leadership?...ah well, back to the keyboard, I s'pose. Or lend you my Mr Propellerhead psychic amplifier helmet((modified from my avatar hat)
(...and that's 2,4 D I think Phila...but why are we talking about defoliants all of a sudden?)
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Post by steev on Nov 12, 2014 22:44:52 GMT -5
NorAm's techie leadership is currently occupied developing the "Terminator" line of self-targeting drone missiles. Telepathy? Sounds like that could lead to empathy, clearly at odds with currently popular trends in Capitalism.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 13, 2014 1:19:30 GMT -5
Martin: Yes, "spring" onion is what I'm calling "summer" onion I guess so we're more or less speaking of the same thing except that I'm seeing a size in the bulbs that approaching something called a "little onion" in Spain or early onion meaning that it is an onion + greens and is generally the earlier stage of a regular A. cepa rather than what I see typically sold as a spring onion. Thanks everyone! And T. "Hello." There are a lot of problems with this thread. Main one is lumping all topsetting onions into the same boat. At my peak, I was growing 7 different. Because of virtually no demand for them, down to just one of the tree type which I think is the same as the one which was growing here on 7-7-63 when I bought this home. If nothing else, that gives me over 51 years of knowing what they can and cannot do. For dual-purpose, it's not the best since it'somewhere between Red Egyptian and Catawissa with no super qualities. I lost the best one which is hardly documented as having been discovered on an old Canadian homestead and never offered commercially or via SSE. Topsets averaged close to an inch and were almost silver in color rather than red. Very finicky plants and would not tolerate competition. If left to themselves, I would say that they were suicidal rather than forming clumps like most other multiplier types. Of the 4 which I abandoned due to lack of interest, that's the only one which I probably regret losing. I'm keeping the odd red one going merely because it does not meet the description of any other named variety. 100 or more years ago, it would have been important for vitamin C after a long winter. As with all others of its type, they are now primarily a novelty plant rather than one depended upon to supply a person's life or death needs. Martin
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Post by steev on Nov 13, 2014 2:27:33 GMT -5
It's a damned shame when something disappears just for lack of interest, rather than lack of utility.
We all could be discarded for lack of one or t'other.
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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 13, 2014 8:04:03 GMT -5
Unfortunately I don't know what kind of A. xproliferum I have other than awesome! In good weather, it produces huge top sets and is extremely vigorous. I would probably just grow bulbing onions if it wasn't that bulbing onions do not perform wonderfully for me (could be me, could be them, could be our relationship) and I've tried a large number from seed appropriate for my location. We have a few pests/diseases/climatic challenges that make them meh. I also accept responsibility Anyhow, in comparison, my potatoes/shallots and other perennials are rocking! I think it's because they put up with spring weather and are mature or at least not active during peek bug weather. But I choose to see these things as opportunities. Anyhow, my real question is I would love to see a catalogue of A. xproliferum (and build up your old collection Martin). As it is a A. fistulosum x A. cepa cross, I'm intrigued by the variety. Each one a separate instance of hybridization? Some part mutations? Anyone got any real in-depth references that address this? Or perhaps this has already been covered in the other walking onion etc… thread. I will look.
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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 13, 2014 8:11:16 GMT -5
So it looks like Richardw has already posted great pictures in the other thread alanbishop.proboards.com/thread/6478/walking-onions-catawissa-red-tree It's exactly what I was talking about I'm delighted to see that it is more or less what I was talking about. Actually it is more than what I hoped. Yay! Anyhow, I"d also wager we have very similar varieties.
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