Here's my limited knowledge on onions, based on watching my mother grow them every year. Believe it or not, it's the only thing she grows.

In the spring she would buy what she called "sets" which were really just small onion strings which would grow all summer and make what looked like large scallions.

If your onions are already large, I think they may already be finished with their life cycle, pulled from the ground before making new seeds. IF they are throwing out green shoots, try plant a row and see if they will flower and make seeds for future onions.

It's not like potatoes or garlic where you can divide them and they will multiply. I'm pretty sure this is a seed making deal, with onions.

I often plant green scallions from the grocery store which will send up flowers and go to seed, but I cut and use their green tops as I need them.

As far as I have heard, all onion tops are edible, the younger and more supple the better (and make sure there are no bugs inside the hallow tube stems before eating).

I also let leeks go to flower and grow year round to make seeds. I only pull them if they are crowded.

I think of my green onions and leeks as "perpetual" flowers bed and never pull them up, unless needed, or just to cut a few sprouts. A lot of people like the globe shaped flowers.

If your onions are not sprouting, I think there's a pretty good chance they will rot it you plant them, so instead you could mince them and freeze them in meal-sized amounts.

Wow, Thanks for all that info, Tansy! I had a feeling there wasnt much point to planting them. I dont want to eat them, cuz, like I said, I garbage picked them. hee!

A couple are putting roots out. I guess if they grow some seeds, that's ok, if they rot thats ok too, it can be "organic matter". Im testing them as bunny repellant also.

Just between you and me, I always keep my eye for good throw aways too. I've never climbed in a dumpster, but I've yanked things out of them before! And I always try planting things from grocery stores. I almost got a daikon radish to grow last year, but it didn't make it over the winter. My scallions are coming up green and beautiful and were planted when they were cheap from the grocery store last year.

Probably the entire world could live on the good food America/Europe throw away!

Good luck with the bunnies, they are cute but don't know how to share, the little brats.

I just got an animal trap today in the mail--$35 from eBay. I am going to bait it with apples to get rid of Granny Groundhog who made a big ole hole in my potatoe patch!

Let me know how the bunny war goes.

Probably the entire world could live on the good food America/Europe throw away!

You got that right, girlfriend! The store on the corner leaves alot of garbage out back in carts before the take them out to the dumpster and Ive gotten hundreds of pounds of produce for the compost/lasagna gardens. Most of it is in original packaging and looks "edible", but I get the heebie jeebies thinking about actually eating any of it.

I really realized this whole fuss about the reusable grocery bags is nonsense, just a way for them to sell something with their logo on it. the bags are NOTHING compared to the tons of food that goes out.