beginner question

ChiliPeppa · August 23, 2015

Hi everyone,

I'm growing onions, garlic, shallots, and walking onions for the first time this fall. I may be attempting to collect seed from some of these when they mature. My question is - is it ok to plant these near each other or even in the same bed? thanks

ChiliPeppa · August 24, 2015

anyone??

KarenO · August 24, 2015

http://www.seedsave.org/issi/904/expert.html

Hi there

Onion seeds would be easy to collect but onions are biennial so seed needs to come from second year bulbs.
the blooms are easily cross pollinated by insects. This information indicates for purity of seed, at least 1000 feet or up to a mile between varieties for purity. It's Likely easier to buy seed or sets for onions in order to know what kind to expect for certain
chives and bunching onions or scallions are easy from seed

garlic and shallots in particular would be easier planted from cloves or bulbs.
I prefer onions from seedlings but I buy them already started. Also, be sure to grow onions appropriate to your area as day length matters quite a lot for bulb development

KarenO

ChiliPeppa · August 24, 2015

Thank you KarenO. Very helpful.

KarenO · August 24, 2015

You are most welcome

Welcome to Tomatoville too!

KarenO

bower · August 24, 2015

I'd say sure you can plant some different alliums in the same bed, but best not to plant alliums in that same bed next year - rotate them somewhere else. At least, that's recommended to reduce risk of losses by pest or disease. Some people seem to do alright using the same bed for several years so for sure it depends on where you are and what the resident pests/diseases have to say.

The Egyptian Onion is perennial, so although you can move them if's more to the point to put them somewhere you want to leave them for a few years. I got some great topsets from a friend last fall and stuck them into a couple of small beds or as borders with other perennials - I must say they are very ornamental with their tops happening. I'd like to try the little topset onions for pickles when they are ready.

ChiliPeppa · August 25, 2015

Thanks bower. I'm excited about starting the Egyptians. I have a rather large garden area and a spot planned for them but plenty of room if they need moving. My attitude is that everything in the garden is an experiment. Oh except the asparagus which grows so well here that it inspired me to try a lot of other things.

bower · August 25, 2015

Perennial vegetables... yes I like that drift. If asparagus likes your soil, I bet you'll do great with the onions and garlic. I wish my Egyptian onions were next to an asparagus bed!

I have a couple of varieties of green onions which are supposedly perennial - Hardy Evergreen and another unnamed variety, which I'm leaving in the field as an experiment this year, along with some American Flag leeks of various age groups.... a colony of leeks if you like.

Still hoping for self seedng celery here, they are taking forever to be done wtih their mass of flowers.

Lorri D · August 25, 2015

My Egyptian onions never grew large. I used the top bulbs eat or to replant and I used the leaves for green onions. The bottom bulbs I was always told were exceptionally strong tasting and hot, so I never tried those. They don't take up any more space than regular onions, maybe that is because I used them a lot though. I moved and lost them all, but I never really got attached to them, because the bulbs are small and hard to chop. I always thought about giving potato onions a try. I plant my onions from seed and I've always had a few bolt. I have saved seed from them and just add them into the mix for next year. I always plant around 6 pks of different bought varieties and I add a 1/4 cup of whatever I saved from the year before in. So, I've been mixing them and not isolating them and they all taste just fine to me. Unless you are really into saving without cross pollination, I would go for it.

ChiliPeppa · August 26, 2015

All good info thanks. I did start some bunching onions. They are still in the tiny thread stage. What size do potato onions grow to?

Lorri D · August 26, 2015

Potato onions/multiplier onions should be larger than shallots. I don't know the reason, but many people say their's only get to about shallot size. Either way, they'd be bigger than the Egyptian's and that is what I was interested in.

And, I have good success with my shallots, they get pretty big for me. Below are some of my shallots that my chickens dug up a few days ago.

ChiliPeppa · August 26, 2015

Nice looking shallots

So potato onions are started the same way as shallots right? Planted as bulbs I mean.

troad · September 5, 2015

ChiliPeppa,

See here at Tomatoville:

Have: Egyptian Walking Onion bulbils (

1 2 3 4 )

ChiliPeppa · September 5, 2015

Thanks troad

Tormato · September 8, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorri D

Potato onions/multiplier onions should be larger than shallots. I don't know the reason, but many people say their's only get to about shallot size. Either way, they'd be bigger than the Egyptian's and that is what I was interested in.

And, I have good success with my shallots, they get pretty big for me. Below are some of my shallots that my chickens dug up a few days ago.

With the potato onions I've tried (an unknown "variety") a small one planted generally produce one large bulb, and a large one planted produces many small bulbs. The medium sized ones, inconclusive.

August 23, 2015	#1
ChiliPeppa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mojave Desert - California Posts: 368	beginner question Hi everyone, I'm growing onions, garlic, shallots, and walking onions for the first time this fall. I may be attempting to collect seed from some of these when they mature. My question is - is it ok to plant these near each other or even in the same bed? thanks

August 24, 2015	#3
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	http://www.seedsave.org/issi/904/expert.html Hi there Onion seeds would be easy to collect but onions are biennial so seed needs to come from second year bulbs. the blooms are easily cross pollinated by insects. This information indicates for purity of seed, at least 1000 feet or up to a mile between varieties for purity. It's Likely easier to buy seed or sets for onions in order to know what kind to expect for certain chives and bunching onions or scallions are easy from seed garlic and shallots in particular would be easier planted from cloves or bulbs. I prefer onions from seedlings but I buy them already started. Also, be sure to grow onions appropriate to your area as day length matters quite a lot for bulb development KarenO Last edited by KarenO; August 24, 2015 at 01:37 PM.

September 5, 2015	#13
troad Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Des Moines, WA. Posts: 358	ChiliPeppa, See here at Tomatoville: Have: Egyptian Walking Onion bulbils ( 1 2 3 4 ) __________________ There's a fine line between gardening and madness.

August 24, 2015	#5
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	You are most welcome Welcome to Tomatoville too! KarenO

August 24, 2015	#6
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,793	I'd say sure you can plant some different alliums in the same bed, but best not to plant alliums in that same bed next year - rotate them somewhere else. At least, that's recommended to reduce risk of losses by pest or disease. Some people seem to do alright using the same bed for several years so for sure it depends on where you are and what the resident pests/diseases have to say. The Egyptian Onion is perennial, so although you can move them if's more to the point to put them somewhere you want to leave them for a few years. I got some great topsets from a friend last fall and stuck them into a couple of small beds or as borders with other perennials - I must say they are very ornamental with their tops happening. I'd like to try the little topset onions for pickles when they are ready.

August 25, 2015	#7
ChiliPeppa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mojave Desert - California Posts: 368	Thanks bower. I'm excited about starting the Egyptians. I have a rather large garden area and a spot planned for them but plenty of room if they need moving. My attitude is that everything in the garden is an experiment. Oh except the asparagus which grows so well here that it inspired me to try a lot of other things.

August 25, 2015	#9
Lorri D Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NorthWest Posts: 267	My Egyptian onions never grew large. I used the top bulbs eat or to replant and I used the leaves for green onions. The bottom bulbs I was always told were exceptionally strong tasting and hot, so I never tried those. They don't take up any more space than regular onions, maybe that is because I used them a lot though. I moved and lost them all, but I never really got attached to them, because the bulbs are small and hard to chop. I always thought about giving potato onions a try. I plant my onions from seed and I've always had a few bolt. I have saved seed from them and just add them into the mix for next year. I always plant around 6 pks of different bought varieties and I add a 1/4 cup of whatever I saved from the year before in. So, I've been mixing them and not isolating them and they all taste just fine to me. Unless you are really into saving without cross pollination, I would go for it.

August 26, 2015	#10
ChiliPeppa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mojave Desert - California Posts: 368	All good info thanks. I did start some bunching onions. They are still in the tiny thread stage. What size do potato onions grow to?

August 26, 2015	#12
ChiliPeppa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mojave Desert - California Posts: 368	Nice looking shallots So potato onions are started the same way as shallots right? Planted as bulbs I mean.