So my TOG gardening friend Flo, who
is known for her onion sets that she orders each fall, came by my house one
time and gave me some “Texas Bunching Onions”. For the last 2 months I have
decreased the water these onions receive and I thought that, along with the hot
temperatures the onions would quickly dry out. No luck yet. These are some
pretty tough onions.
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After dead-heading all of the onion tops. |
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Hoping for some larger bulbs this year. |
In the hopes to save seed from our onions last year, both Flo
and I simultaneously discovered that these onions do not set seed when they
flower. Having uncovered this fact, I decided that this year I would remove any flower heads I
found growing on my onion plants. All went according to plan until recently, some of
the more determined onions decided to produce little bulblets. Perhaps this is a way for gardeners to save the traits of a great hybrid variety - by forcing the onions to make bulblets by deadheading all but a few of the flowers.
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The onions continue to thrive without a steady water source. |
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An onion with claws?! This plant has the will to live as it produces small bulblets. |
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The Onion Bulblets are growing! |
Alas – the onions
that refuse to die. Perhaps if these bulblets grow large enough to sustain
themselves then I can plant them out in my summer garden to see what they
become. At the same time I am trying to select this variety for a larger lower
bulb. I hope a large bulb is a trait I can select for as I divide the onions
this next fall. Wish me luck.
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A strange-looking bulblet forms on the onion stem. |
Wow that is interesting...looking forward to seeing what becomes of these.
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