Perennial bunching onions

[svalli]

This is first time I am growing perennial bunching onions and now I wonder if this is normal for them to start dividing during first year. I started the seeds in the greenhouse this spring and transplanted to large container outdoors later. Since I expected them to grow one single onion during first year we did not harvest any as scallions. Those have kept growing whole summer and are still going strong. Now I noticed that the single plants have already divided. Is this normal for them? I was planning to plant all of them to a raised bed this fall, but maybe we will harvest some of them already before first frost comes.

I am very grateful to bower for the seeds!

Sari

[bower]

Hi Svalli,


Mine divided in the first fall as well.

I was cutting them to eat instead of pulling, but when I dug some to transplant last fall I found they had a pretty large bulb under the ground as well. That was after two years in the same place though. Now I'm wondering if I could grow these as a multiplier onion, for the bulbs as well. I guess we need to experiment!
The seeds came to me originally in Nicky's swap several years ago, so I'm not sure who sent them in. But perhaps that person will see your post and tell us more about them.

In the second year mine also flowered around the middle of the summer season. This year the mature ones are flowering quite a bit later, almost as late as leeks which just opened a few days ago.


One more thing about them, I overwintered some in the greenhouse, but still they went completely dormant for at least a few weeks, although temperatures were not that cold but the shorter day length would explain it. Leeks continued to grow in the cold and dark. Amazing creatures.

[svalli]

I had to transplant the perennial onions from the container where those were growing, because those would not probably survive the winter in it. When lifting them up I noticed that they look like the scallions. There was plenty to transplant and my son wanted also to taste them, so we harvested some to use in kitchen. Those are great! Usually green onions or scallions are available here only during spring, but now we have this late harvest of fresh onions to use.

Sari