I was at the farmers market this weekend and saw some nice big green onions.  I took a close look at them and got pretty exited!  These onions were clean white onions with healthy roots.  The bulb was not swollen, the leaves were D shaped in cross section, the woody section between the roots and the bulb was intact and not split, and the bulb itself was deformed.

I asked, “Were these grown from a large bulb?”

“Yes.”

This is not typical.  Usually people grow from starts or seed.  You need a disease resistant, very productive onion to grow one like this.

I asked, “Did this produce ten or more onions from one bulb?”

“More like twenty or more.” was the answer.

After hearing how they grew, I bought every onion they would sell me.  A local onion that produced annually instead of biannually, and gave you a 20 to one or better yield, makes this a very nice onion.

I am pretty enthusiastic about onions.  Half of my garden consists of edible alliums in one form or another.  My favorite type is the dividing onion.  By dividing onion I mean an onion that does not make ring within ring as it grows.  Instead it makes a new onion right beside the first.  So instead of making eight concentric rings, it makes a new onion instead of a ring.  This means you get a lot of delicious green onions.

It is possible however that I may have just gotten a new favorite.

Now my want list on edible alliums is one smaller.  I am still looking for a few others.

Alliums I am looking for:

1. Beltsville Bunching.  it is possible that I have it, but I would love one with a positive ID.
2. Perlwetzel
3. Texas Natve Bear Garlic
4. Perpetual  Leek
5. Texas Potato Onion  (most Potato  Onions require a bit longer day and cooler weather)

I will be heading out to the farmers market early two week ends from now.  I plan for a pair of wonderful gardeners to sell out of onions early.

Bob