Bored with winter

[jal_ut]

I am ready to get to gardening again, but Not much to do here until April.
Here is an idea for you: Grow your own onion seeds. Plant a large onion and it will flower and make seed. The flower clusters are interesting.

[soil]

you can also grow the blooms to eat, we always plant a few extra for cooking and the biggest ones for seed. try battering them and deep fry onion blossoms.

[DeborahL]

James, when will you start seeds? Can you hang on till then? : )

[jal_ut]

I will start seeds in the garden in April. I cut all the mature heads and put them in a bag. I guess I should thresh them sometime soon.

[garden5]

Jal, do you just take one of the onions you stored during the winter and plant it in the garden in spring?

I've never thought about eating the blossoms. I know you can eat those of squash. What do they taste like?

[DeborahL]

James, I thought maybe you start seeds in cells or something like that.

[garden5]

Most of us who grow onions from seed do start our onion seeds about 2 months before we plant them out. Many folks here just buy the plants already started when they go to plant.

Jal does it both ways, but when he grows from seed, he has good luck just planting them at the same time he puts in onion sets. The resulting bulbs are a little smaller than the ones from the sets.

He has a great picture of the resulting bulbs from the different starting methods. Perhaps he will post it again for us.

[jal_ut]

Flashback.

[jal_ut]

Jal, do you just take one of the onions you stored during the winter and plant it in the garden in spring?

Yes, I just plant some of the onions I have stored over winter to get these large flowering onions.

I will look for that other onion picture you mention.


On the left are two Big Daddy onions that were planted from plants bought at the garden store. On the right are 4 Yellow onions planted from sets. Top middle are 7 yellow onions that were planted from seed. All of these were planted the same day early in April. On the bottom center are some bulbils from the egyptian onions.

I have never tried planting onion seed in flats for later planting out.

[jal_ut]

These are the onions I got this year from seed planted directly in the garden in April. They are nice onions, but not as large as onions from sets. The larger ones are probably about 3 inches diameter.

[jal_ut]

Flashback

[jal_ut]

Flashback


OK, I feel better now I have seen some green.

[jal_ut]

Now you've got me looking at pics....... I have to share this one.

[applestar]

I have the feeling your wife was right
When the winter is over, you'll be out there, planting and planting....

After seeing your pictures, I'm also dreaming about planting my garden!

[digitS']

That "Spilled Wheelbarrow" picture is a great photograph, Jal!

Steve