What is happening to my onions?

SLC · Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:29 am

I was leaving them in the ground and picking them as I needed them, but last week, I went to take an onion, and this is what I found.

This one looks like it's growing a new stem or something?

[img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/SecretlyLovesClay/P1090476.jpg[/img]

And this one split into two and is growing two stems!

[img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/SecretlyLovesClay/P1090475.jpg[/img]

Are they still safe to eat? What does this mean? Why did one split into two?

jal_ut · Wed Oct 10, 2012 5:00 am

Yes, they are safe to eat. All parts of the onion plant are safe to eat at all stages of its development. The only exception is if the onion has actually spoiled because spoilage organisms have taken over. If that is the case it is easily identifiable by odor and it will be a squishy mess.

They are sprouting because they want to grow again. Perhaps they were not dried well enough? Is your humidity high? Onions need a pretty low humidity to store well.

It is the nature of onions to split so that is just natural. The larger bulb you plant the more splitting you will get. When selecting onion sets for planting get those that are marble sized. Larger ones are more prone to split and send up flower strems.

jal_ut · Wed Oct 10, 2012 5:38 am

Oops! In reading closer I see

Posted: 10 10 12 Post subject: What is happening to my onions?
I was leaving them in the ground and picking them as I needed them,

I would pull them all and dry them. They won't store in the ground like that. They will just want to grow. Any that are showing signs of growing may need to be cut up and dried and stored as dried onion slices, or used soon.

SLC · Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:24 am

Thank you so much for the info! My problem is though...it has literally been raining every day here for the past like 10 days....should I still pick them now or wait until it has been sunny for a couple days? Also, if it continues raining, can I just let them dry out inside the house on a table or something? I maybe have just a half dozen or so onions left.

Oh, also, I planted these all from seed.

jal_ut · Thu Oct 11, 2012 1:19 am

I would pull them and dry them inside if you only have a few. They will continue to grow and the bulb will get spongy and shrivel up if left to grow. Of course, you can wait, if you wish, until they make some nice new greens, then eat them as green onions. Like I said though the old bulb will shrivel up, and you can peel it off when you harvest the greens.

Ohio Tiller · Thu Oct 11, 2012 1:40 am

Yep you can't leave a seed in the ground and not expect it to not grow. that's all an onion is the seed of the next plant.

nedwina · Thu Oct 11, 2012 1:57 am

Pull 'em, chop 'em and freeze whatever you can salvage. Since they're already sprouting, you're not going to have much time left before they mush out.

In general, you want to start harvesting your onions when the foliage starts to flop over. That was in late July for me this year for Pattersons, Red Wing & Cippolinis. (All roughly 100 days.) After a few flop, I bend over the others and leave them for a week or so. Then I pull 'em. Some people pull & leave them on the ground for a week, but I go straight to laying them out in a warm & shady spot to cure. Maybe not by the book, but I fear that the deer will stomp them if I don't get them to safety right away~