Need onion seed help, please

[freshfood]

Ok, folks, here's the deal:

Last year, the weeds in part of the garden got completely out of hand, with the result that my onions didn't grow much if at all. I pulled them in the fall anyway, and stuck them in a box on the back porch (enclosed). This spring, they looked pretty darn good, so I stuck them back in the ground and waited to see what would happen (didn't know whether they thought they were in their first or second year). Well, they knew how old they were, and they flowered. I've now collected the flower heads, which is one question: How best to extract the seeds? Do I let them dry, and then the seeds will fall out? Or what?

The next question is, is there any reason I can't eat the onions that grew the flower heads? Some of them grew quite large in spite of having flowered.

Many divided into three or four smaller onions. What would happen if I planted those next spring? Are they now first year onion sets like I would buy in the store?

And, since I didn't know whether those onions from last year would be edible, I also planted a row of our usual onion sets...and a row of scallions...and a row of leeks....and our rows are 30 feet long...WHAT THE HECK DO I DO WITH ALL THESE DANG ONIONS????!!!! And remember, I should also have the seeds from the flower heads of the last years' onions to plant....EEK!

Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

You can eat the onions that flowered, just use them right away because they won't store very well.

If I were collecting seed, I would leave the flower on the plant until the seeds were fully matured and dried. I'm not sure what will happen if you cut the flower before the seeds have formed (which it sounds like you may have). You may as well leave them to dry and see if they mature into seed.

Yes, the small divided onions should probably be treated as if they were onion sets.

I don't know if you can ever have too many onions, or their like. Enjoy them.

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

I am doing onion seeds for the first time myself this year and they have actually SPROUTED! I am so proud of myself then today I almost let the sun scald them

Anyway, I let mine flower then the seed bulbs formed. If you pulled yours before the flowers closed to look like little triangle thingies then you may have pulled them too soon. If they are the little triangles then what I did was stick the flower/seedhead whole into a paper bag and left it for about 3-4 weeks. This way the little things dry out. the little triangle things will turn papery-white when they are ready for you to harvest the seed from them. The seeds are very small, hard, and black (at least mine were).

I ate the onions of mine that sprouted seeds with no adverse effects...

Dunno about the 3-4 sprouted and if they would be like new onions

As for the overage of onions - hand them out to family, friends, and EAT LOTS OF ONIONS!


Oh, and plant more tomatoes for salsa and spaghetti sauce

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Good information, Broke Down Ranch, about collecting onion seeds. I didn't have the patience to leave mine to make seed this year.

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

Good information, Broke Down Ranch, about collecting onion seeds. I didn't have the patience to leave mine to make seed this year.

Well, the whites kept INSISTING they bolt so I yanked them all and gave them to the neighbor (was growing them for her anyway). I grew the yellow Texas 1015 for myself which were slow to bolt (and of course I had decided to save some)....

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Good luck with your onion seed, Broke Down Ranch! I hope to save some next year, and now I will know exactly what to expect.

 

[freshfood]

I am doing onion seeds for the first time myself this year and they have actually SPROUTED! I am so proud of myself then today I almost let the sun scald them

Well, our sun here in upstate NY is nothing like yours in Texas! I can't plant mine until next spring!

Anyway, I let mine flower then the seed bulbs formed. If you pulled yours before the flowers closed to look like little triangle thingies then you may have pulled them too soon. If they are the little triangles then what I did was stick the flower/seedhead whole into a paper bag and left it for about 3-4 weeks. This way the little things dry out. the little triangle things will turn papery-white when they are ready for you to harvest the seed from them. The seeds are very small, hard, and black (at least mine were).


Yep, they were triangle thingies...some had dried on the plant and turned brown, but most of those fell off the plant and are gone...my triangle thingies have been white for a while, I cut them because of the ones that had dried and fallen off...didn't want to lose all of them! I may have cut them a little soon, but hopefully not soon enough to ruin the chance of viable seed in the spring.

I ate the onions of mine that sprouted seeds with no adverse effects...

Dunno about the 3-4 sprouted and if they would be like new onions

As for the overage of onions - hand them out to family, friends, and EAT LOTS OF ONIONS!


Oh, and plant more tomatoes for salsa and spaghetti sauce

I wish I could plant tomatoes...every one of our 85 plants got the blight this year...I only have 3 gallons of stewed tomatoes from last year which will have to get us through until next summer's tomato harvest. Hopefully we won't get another disease. What a rotten summer we had up here...but you can send me some of your tomatoes to make sauce...good plan, huh?!