We just moved into a turn-of-the-century home. The previous owners had a fairly large garden in the back and one thing that is still there is a big patch of green onions. My questions is...how do you pick them? Do you just pull them from the ground? I have done this, trying to be gentle and have broken many leaving the best part in the ground. Should the onions be dug up? Thanks! Jodi
If they don't come out easily, you do have to dig them with a shovel. If you don't want the whole bunch just break off what you want set the rest back out. Be sure and save some sets for next year when the tops die back, dig and store in a cool dry place.
Jodi, I'll bet they are walking onions. If you leave some, they'd form topset bulbs which will grow into more onions. They do tend to form deep bulbs since they need strong anchors to support the huge plants. If you want the bulb as well as the greens, best to dig them. Martin
Walking onions? I've never heard of these?? They do seem to be kind of spread out in different patches. They smell and taste wonderful!!! I also have two other plants growing that are identical to each other. Couple people have speculated they are either cucumbers or some kind of squash. Haven't seen any buds yet, but the plants are huge! Might have to take a pic and post it so I can get it identified. Thanks! Jodi
Squash plants grow taller than pickels. If the plants get over a foot tall they are probably squash. If they are really dark green with big leaves they could be zucchini. Watermelons can come up volunteer also. Gourds are another possibility. Are they vining yet? Couldn't be burrdock could it. Do you recognize rhubarb?
No need to dig those onions and disturb more roots than neccesary. Just take a small, sharp knife and run it through the soil an inch or so under the plants you want to harvest, while holding on to their tops.
I cut off some of the green portion of my onions, chop it up and use it to top my pasta or potatoes. I leave some of the "leaves" on the plant and the bulb in the ground so it will continue to grow. They do seem to die back in the heat of the summer, but they do come back to provide more green onions for the rest of the year.
Thanks for the onion tips!! As far as the mystery plants. They're not rhubarb. I also have that growing and have harvested it 3 times....rhubarb is one thing I do know what it looks like! Love rhubarb. These two plants are now about 3 feet tall and do not seem to be vining. Any guesses? Squash maybe? Wish I could get a pic...but since our move have been unable to locate our digital camera. Hope it didn't get lost! These plants were planted stratigically in the garden, one at each opposite ends. So, I'm sure they are somthing that will produce something. Will probably just have to wait and watch. Jodi
How big are the leaves, what are they shaped like? Ect? If they were squash, they should have squash on them at that size, and that's a good size squash plant (I'm speaking mainly yellow summer squash here, don't know much about other squash).
