Bunching onions gone to seed - ???

Avonnow · Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:30 am

I have a bunch of bunching onions and they have a flower - I guess! Anyhow I noticed today some have started to get a flower of sorts and I suppose seed. How do I harvest this to collect seeds. I have never done it before and would like to salvage some. They are in pots, I do not have them in the ground as I have a small yard. So I can't just let them scatter. Any suggestions, I appreciate it. I did see the other post, but I didn't see a answer on if I should cut them off now, or let them grow to a certain point. I have two of these flowers.

[img]https://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc119/Avonnow/DSCF0378.jpg[/img]

annastasia76 · Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:11 am

I would be interested to know how to collect the seeds also. I was thinking about putting something around the neck of the slower to catch the seeds as that fall.

jal_ut · Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:32 am

If you want seeds, just let the flowers be. After a while (a month or more) you will see that the seed has formed, and before it drops out of the head you can clip the head and put it in a paper shopping bag and let it dry. Shake the seed out of the head, sometimes it takes a bit of threshing. Depends on how firm the capsule holds the seed.

With the price of seed these days it is a good thing to save seed where you can.

soil · Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:19 am

I do what jal does, except I check the seeds every few days to see when they start to turn from white to black. at this time I cut the stalk as low as possible. hang it upside down over a small bag or a box or something to catch any falling seeds. chances are most will stay inside until you pull them out. when the stalk is fully dry and the seeds are nice and black, break open the seed head into whatever you want. separate the seeds and plant when ready.

each flower will give 2-3 seeds so you can see youll have a lot of seed to plant.

Avonnow · Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:18 am

Thanks so much, I am going to try my hand at letting a few things go to see, I noticed one of the lettuces I am growing looking like it is getting a flower - I thought why not. I actually love browsing seed catalogs and buy way to much but the thought of doing it myself is so interesting. Thanks for the tips. I may post this separate but another question - I do have way too many seed packets

I have a huge conatiner I had to buy just to house them and my garden is small - and I have heard there are organizations you can mail them too (to donate) when I find something I do not like I hate throwing anything away - does anybody know any that I can mail them too, I have only been doing this a year so many of them are pretty new. Thanks Again