Just harvested mine yesterday. Planted in October, same time as Garlic. I finally figured out the secret to large bulbs. Plant them so that the tip of the bulb is just visible, then give them a good layer of mulch over the winter. The mulch has all decomposed away, and the clusters of bulbs were literally sitting on the soil surface. In spite of the early, hot, dry spring and summer, these are the largest I have ever gotten. Planted 6 bulbs, and harvested 30, every one the size of a golfball. Finally success, or they were on the short list for elimination! Steve

Kevin, Like Landscraper says, it does depend on quite a few things. For storage onions, generally if you see a full sized onion at the base they are getting close. Next, check the neck of the plant just above the onion bulb. When the onions are finishing up this part gets soft and the tops start to flop over. If it's still firm, you have some time yet. When it does soften, stop watering and plan on harvesting within a few weeks. If you do a google search on "when to harvest onions" you'll get a ton more info and some pictures too.

Those are what I call potato onions, also called nest onions. They look like the yellow strain sold by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. They have a growing guide that's probably posted online. Wish they were mine, but you do need to wait for dieback to harvest if you want them to store well.

Amanda, Well, only you can decide that. I wouldn't plant them, but that is based on trying onions from sets a couple of decades ago and not being happy with their growth or performance. Your results could be entirely different. Since they are not labeled with the variety name, I suspect they are "hot" or "storage" onions merely because that is the type most often sold as sets, and I feel like a company would be more likely to label sweet onion sets if that's what they were simply because of their uniqueness. If you have the space to plant a row of them, then why not plant them and see what you get? Otherwise, you'll never know whether or not they'll grow for you. After all, onions sets could have improved in the 20 or so years since I tried them. : ) Then, in order to "guarantee" you get onions, plant some from transplants. The stores still should have plenty. You'll find them in little bundles, often in boxes or crates made of very thin wood, at garden centers, feed stores, the lawn and garden centers at big box stores, etc. If you like sweet onions, plant something like Texas 1015Y (aka Texas Supersweet), Candy, Super Star, Contessa or Bonnie's White or Yellow Granex. Almost any white or yellow onion sold in bundles of tiny plants in Oklahoma ought to be sweet onions because that is what grows best here. Dawn