Can you tell the difference between wild and regular onions?

Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:40 pm

I had clumps of onions pop up last fall and well there they are again. I am not 100% on if they are wild or not. I am thinking they are not. They are in rows and in the same place I planted onions last year. I just can't remember if they went to seed or not. But I have several clumps of 8+ stalks at each spot. The thing that gets me is if the onions went to seed wouldn't they be scattered and not in neat little clumps in a neat little row? :shock:

Here is a pic

I also have some volunteer Cilantro and it looks like some of the lettuce That I had going when it first froze and just left might be setting new leaves. It's gonna be crazy for volunteers this year.

Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:42 pm

Oh and don't mind the mess those are all the coffee filters I threw out during the long term snow and ice. It is too wet to get out there and remove them to the compost pile. :lol:

Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:10 pm

Gix,

What variety of onion did you grow last year. Could it have been a bunching onion or multiplying onion? Many of my storage onions, in storage, will put out multi tops.

Eric

Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:30 pm

They don't look like wild onions to me. Maybe you missed a few when you harvested because their tops had fallen off, and they survived the winter to start growing again. Like Eric said, they could be sending up multiple shoots.

You could just cut the greens to eat and just let some of them grow out and see what happens. Maybe they'll flower and you could get seeds for next year.

I thought you did plant some Egyptian onions too, though the ones I got from Ozark Lady had dark frosty green leaves.

Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:58 pm

I don't think they are wild onions. I would dig those clumps and separate the little onions and replant them. If you don't want to do that, just let them grow a while then pull them for green onions.

Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:31 pm

They were Home Depot onions, just your regular onion. I guess that answers my question as to when I can plant onions since they have been coming up on their own for a few weeks now I suppose now is good.

Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:35 pm

OH and I don't think I missed any onions last year in fact I had lettuce growing in that spot in the fall. I will dig them and replant them. They are separate bulbs. The same thing happened last fall though weird for it to happen twice.

Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:44 pm

Wild onions have a very skinny top and leaves, in my experience. Although I don't think I've ever left them to get bigger than an inch bulb. But even the biggest I've seen had very skinny, dark leaves less than 1/4" across and quite firm compared to regular onion tops, less hollow space in the middle.