If you have a sprouted white onion and were to want to divide it after it sprouted: Remove the outer scales (layers) of the onion that will not completely encircle one of your divisions. Then cut the basal plate in sections to separate your desired transplants. Next, plant in prepared soil 1 foot apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart. For your effort you will have multiplied your original onion that would have happily gone to seed with several clones that will go to seed, and if they survive, the seed yield and quality will be less than that of the original. But why stop there! If you were so taken by this onion and wanted to briefly share with the world. Scaling or chipping the bulb would have been an option. Sadly, preparations would have had to had been made months ago... I looked at your posts made this week (It has been a banner first week) ... YOU have wasted my time and that of others who wish to help a fellow gardeners. If that is what you have wanted 'TrollKingster' or whoever, be happy! take it and go away. It would be interesting if someone who could check the IP addresses could check those supposed forum "conversations" out... With that moniker, supposed clulessness about simple matters about concern over replacing your soil after using fertilizer and buying soil when it is everywhere, you asked these questions while somehow being aware of fairly specific differences in the growth habits of alliums? - ya, right! I have noticed over time there have become fewer that can answer a question on this site- trying to help at some point must just not be worth it. Best wishes. This post was edited by cheapheap on Sat, Mar 29, 14 at 6:38

Socalgirl, While I don't know a thing about onions my best advice to you about the garlic is to Google "how to grow garlic" you will find umpteen different sites telling you what you need to know about when and how to plant them. Seed bulbs are just like the bulbs you eat...the only difference really is the size of it. People grow big garlic bulbs just to sell to others like yourself. There are many different outlets for planting stock out there and is easy to buy online. Ebay is a good source for garlic bulbs in September. A local farmers market is another. I would not go to the big seed retailers your first year growing though..they're pretty expensive. You can go to your local grocery store and buy some bulbs in October-November and plant those is you want to play with the idea of growing garlic without a big outlay of cash. Hope this helps

I grow garlic in 18" containers for clean seed. I grow the main crop in raised beds and the virus load gets too high and the crop starts to show signs of distress so this year I decided that I could probably clean up my seed stock by growing in completely clean soil. I have always grown in containers when I want to preserve a strain, but do not want to commit to a large bed of them. When I checked they yesterday I could see roots just busting out of the drain holes--they might be a bit more work as far as watering and feeding goes (takes more of each), but the results are really worth it to me.

"I've ditched the bunching onions. For some reason they just always come along all weeny and small..." Sunnibel, you must have one of the smaller bunching onions, like the variety "Four Seasons". It is very hardy & multiplies like chives, but has very small scallions - only 10" long or so, and about pencil width or smaller. Some of the larger varieties can be seen in the photo below: Onion trials These onions were part of a nine-variety trial of bunching onions (garlic was in the blank spots). Those in the foreground are "Franz" and "Stevenson", heirlooms from an SSE member. They are both very vigorous, and virtually indistinguishable. The clump in the background is "Welsh". Close-up of "Welsh" (note quarter in foreground) The rest of the trial was grown on another site, and unfortunately, no photos were taken. The photos are of first-year plants started early from seed. The second part of the trial was to test for winter hardiness, and the degree of multiplication. Large-stemmed varieties (like "Welsh") had heavy winter kill in my Zone 5 location, and multiplied very little if at all. Smaller-stemmed varieties ("Franz", "Stevenson", "Four Seasons") were much hardier, and had virtually no winter loss. They also multiplied extensively, splitting the first year, and again in the Spring. They form clumps very quickly. The majority of the plants were eaten, given away, or destroyed after the trial. I did keep a few plants, though. The thing is... they were moved, and I can't positively identify the varieties. I have a clump of either "Franz" or "Stevenson". If you would like to try them, PM me through my member page, I'll send some plants when the weather warms.