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Post by templeton on Dec 22, 2015 4:46:43 GMT -5
...or just a girl who knows her onions? Holly undertook an onion trial a few years ago, shortly after I joined here. Her results yielded Mills Creek as one of the stand outs. She also cleverly noticed that her location and mine, although separated by an ocean and in different hemispheres, had very similar climates, and importantly for onions, day length. I got hold of some seed, and Holly, check these first three out! I've never grown onions with any success, and have been away for the last month, and was totally blown away when i staggered out to the garden jetlagged this afternoon. weight in grams.    excellent selection, H, and thanks for trialing these. Great skills, and generosity. Much obliged. T |
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Post by richardw on Dec 22, 2015 13:11:27 GMT -5
Wow..they are impressive, love to see what it looks like inside.
I like how they have thin outa dry skins that most 'reds' dont have, they tend to have much thicker layers which makes them more prone to rotting if the grounds to wet
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Post by templeton on Dec 22, 2015 16:55:14 GMT -5
Some of these will be going into a christmas salad, so I'll report back, Richard
They weren't exceptional keepers last year when i put in a small crop.
t
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Post by templeton on Dec 28, 2015 22:05:26 GMT -5
Richard,they were very tasty. relatively large layers inside, but probably par for the course with a big onion like this.
T
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Post by 12540dumont on Aug 14, 2016 14:49:36 GMT -5
I'm harvesting onions and seeds! Whew, now I smell like onions. The Mill Creek only last 6 months at the most. If I really want to store them, I bend them over when they are only tennis ball size. I pull them when the tops dry down and they last pretty good. I really like the taste of them. I also have Rosa Savonese this year. A nice little red. The Rosa Tropea Tondo did fabulous, but alas these are not keeper onions. So off they went to Chef, along with about 500 baby leeks. Leo took a package of my OLD leek seed (2012) and liberally sprinkled a row, expecting poor germination. Looks like he got 99% germ, I had to transplant 6, 50 foot beds. I think there will be leeks....
I'm glad you liked them T.
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Post by templeton on Aug 15, 2016 5:04:32 GMT -5
I kept all the best keepers, and the biggest, perhaps 20-30, and they are all in a seed bed. Mills Creek seed crop for the Antipodes!
T
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Post by 12540dumont on Aug 17, 2016 13:13:14 GMT -5
Dude! That's wonderful! Everyone loves Antipodes. x° N/S y° E/W ↦ x° S/N (180 − y)° W/E,
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Post by 12540dumont on Aug 10, 2017 10:25:38 GMT -5
This year I grew my normal allium crops. Garlic from Joseph. Mill Creek and Boretano Onions. I grow the Boretano for an early crop I can give out, and the Mill Creek for onions I can use for the next 6 months. Someone from Down South and across the pond send me Cream Gold Onions, and they are just beautiful! No leeks this year, but I'll get them going for fall. I also planted saffron shallots. Unfortunately for me, I can't seem to find ANY non-hybrid shallot "Seeds". The Saffron's came as organic starts. I always worry about this, as who knows what disease I'll get from planting a start or a bulb. Anyway, leeds on seeds of NON-hybrid shallots greatly appreciated.
I know that I've had some crossing in the Mill Creek's over the years...so I got a Boretano x Mill Creek. Two in a 50' row, planted at 6" apart and 3 rows in a bed. I don't know whether to quickly eat the evidence, or set them out to make more seeds. Really, 2 onions is not enough, but I could maybe crowd some Boretano's and Mill Creeks around them and let those crazy bees do their work. Any thought? Yes, a pink flat onion! Maybe Joseph will post a photo here.
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Post by ferdzy on Aug 10, 2017 12:32:57 GMT -5
Unfortunately for me, I can't seem to find ANY non-hybrid shallot "Seeds". Anyway, leeds on seeds of NON-hybrid shallots greatly appreciated. Hey Holly (Hi!); Zebrune (Banana) shallots are a French heirloom shallot grown from OP seed. I see a lot of people are pushing hybrid versions of Banana shallots, but Zebrune should be okay. I have been working on an OP shallot in a lackadaisical way for a few years now, and have some works-in-progress I could send you; pm me if interested. Pretty sure Zebrune is in it. |
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Post by Al on Aug 31, 2017 16:16:19 GMT -5
I am growing Zebrune successfully with very few bolters by raising sets from a summer (June) sowing of seed, the sets store well over winter & go on to produce good sized bulbs the following year. It is critical that the sets are not planted too early or they will bolt. March planting works well with only 3 or 4 out of 60 bolting. Previous winter plantings resulted in over 90% bolting.
As I grow at a latitude with cold, dark, wet winters I find this method much easier than starting seed in January with heat & lights. I understood that Zebrune is an onion / shallot hybrid.
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Post by fliver on Aug 31, 2017 19:39:43 GMT -5
What are you looking for in non-hybrid shallot seeds? I was growing some red shallots in 2012 when we had a drought here in the mid-west. My shallots flowered and I saved some seed and kept it in the fridge ever since. Last summer I "found" it. I planted some and expected low germination but got just less than 100%. I still have some I would be willing to share, if this is what you are looking for.
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Post by 12540dumont on Sept 2, 2017 21:05:31 GMT -5
I can do onions and shallots twice a year, one planted in October and harvested in early March, and one planted in April and harvested in July. I'm just looking for any non-hybrid. Hopefully, they won't bolt.
I just don't want to buy any plant or bulb, because I'm trying to protect my soil from diseases.
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Post by paquebot on Sept 2, 2017 22:02:13 GMT -5
Shallot seed has only been available for maybe 15-20 years. Prior to that, only banana shallots were available as seeds. Dutch growers developed the hybrids and the French were not happy. True shallots had never been grown from seeds before and the French said that the new ones should not be called shallots. They are correct. In reality, one might consider the seed shallots as onions which grow and taste like shallots. When planted back, they will only divide several times and bolt just like an onion.
Martin
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Post by fliver on Sept 6, 2017 15:39:52 GMT -5
During periods of extreme stress, many plants which usually only reproduce vegetatively will flower and produce seeds in a last ditch effort to pass along their genes. I had grown my shallots for about 8 years with no flowering. Then we had a severe (for our area) drought. (Dry winter, spring and summer with temps in the 100+ f range) Later in the summer I noticed my shallots were flowering and set seed. They then promptly succumbed.
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Post by davidp on Sept 7, 2017 9:18:03 GMT -5
Later in the summer I noticed my shallots were flowering and set seed. They then promptly succumbed. So, did you plant any of the seeds? If so, what was the result? There is an entire thread here on planting true seed of multiplier onions, which it appears are pretty much the same as shallots. |
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