Confused over onions

[SPierce]

I'm so confused. Sorry for another thread, but, help!

Everything I've read says that onion tops fall over when they're ready to be picked and eaten- which is all well and good- except that my onion tops have fallen over, andddd... none of the bulbs have grown! (I dug up 2, that had tops all the way down) I bought them in sets.

What should I do? Give up on having onions this year, or leave them in ground and see if they come back up/grow? It seems a bit early, they've only been in the ground for a month, and I'm getting lots of nice greens- there haven't been any crazy storms that would have knocked them over, either.

Should I rip them out, and plant more sets, or...?

Edit: whooops! I forgot I had a previous onion thread going, too. if someone wants to merge the two, you're welcome to do so!

[orgoveg]

I would leave them alone. Many of them fall over early for me, but they keep growing as long as the tops are nice and green. In Massachusetts, after one month I'd say they still have alot of growing to do.

[SPierce]

I would leave them alone. Many of them fall over early for me, but they keep growing as long as the tops are nice and green. In Massachusetts, after one month I'd say they still have alot of growing to do.

I agree- theyre so small!

but I'm a self admitted control freak, and a worrier. I don't want to be without onions. I will leave them be- glad to hear I'm not the only one with falling over onions. thank you! so I should watch for when the tops start to die off?

[orgoveg]

That's pretty much when I know they're done. The tops start to lose their color and the bulbs don't seem to be getting any bigger. You should be able to see the tops of the bulbs if they were planted at the proper depth. Personally, I harvest as-needed whether they are fully mature or not.

[SPierce]

That's pretty much when I know they're done. The tops start to lose their color and the bulbs don't seem to be getting any bigger. You should be able to see the tops of the bulbs if they were planted at the proper depth. Personally, I harvest as-needed whether they are fully mature or not.

Gotcha. Thank you! And, I think I kinda planted a few of the sets too deep (2 inches or so)- but they're coming up and those seem to have the strongest greens... should I dig them out and move them up a bit, or leave them?

[Francis Barnswallow]

I've had my onions in the ground for 7 months and they're no bigger than a golf ball. They produce the grasslike stalks and the seed pods, but the onions themselves are still very small.

[SPierce]

I've had my onions in the ground for 7 months and they're no bigger than a golf ball. They produce the grasslike stalks and the seed pods, but the onions themselves are still very small.

Augh! I bet that's frustrating. too. At least your onions got bigger! Mine are still the size of my pinky finger. Are the tops falling over.dying off at all? Maybe you can use them for soups and things

[orgoveg]

Gotcha. Thank you! And, I think I kinda planted a few of the sets too deep (2 inches or so)- but they're coming up and those seem to have the strongest greens... should I dig them out and move them up a bit, or leave them?

Don't dig them out. That will disturb the roots and ruin everything. They just tend to grow better when they are not too deep. Over time, rain and watering will wash off more of the soil.

[Francis Barnswallow]

Are the tops falling over.dying off at all?

Only on a couple. The rest have stalks around 2 feet high, some with seed pods.

[jal_ut]

I plant onions in April and they will be harvested about mid August. You see that is near 5 months in the ground. Just let them go. Onions send out a leaf for each layer on the onion bulb. If some of the leaves fall over, no biggie, it will send out more.

Onions may be harvested and eaten at any time in their growth cycle. The little green onions are great in a salad. Both bulb and green tops can be eaten.

If the onion decides to bloom, you can eat the bloom. Enjoy!

[SPierce]

I plant onions in April and they will be harvested about mid August. You see that is near 5 months in the ground. Just let them go. Onions send out a leaf for each layer on the onion bulb. If some of the leaves fall over, no biggie, it will send out more.

Onions may be harvested and eaten at any time in their growth cycle. The little green onions are great in a salad. Both bulb and green tops can be eaten.

If the onion decides to bloom, you can eat the bloom. Enjoy!

Thank you Jal! That gives me a better time frame idea, and I just wasn't sure what to do since the tops were dropping. I have noticed that the onions in question are still sending out new shoots

[gixxerific]

Yes don't worry about them falling over they seem to always do that and is normal. You may be confused with harvest time being around the leaves have "died back" by about 1/3 not when they fall over.