If planted from topsets, walking onions usually don't "walk" the first year, or develop only a weak stalk with small bulbs. It can depend upon the size of the bulb that was planted, though. I have one variety this year that produced a few topsets that were almost 2" across... which they have never done previously. It must be a result of the abnormally early Spring. Walking onions generally go dormant in the heat of the summer; mine are going dormant now. If I choose to, I can dig up some of the bulbs for fresh use. They have an exceptionally strong flavor, which is not easily destroyed by cooking. Makes really good soup broth, IMO. Since walking onions multiply both from topsets & from the base splitting, you can build up a large patch fairly quickly. If you wish to use some of your walking onions each year for their ground bulbs, it is best to separate them into individual plants. Some use the topsets for this; I prefer to use the ground bulbs. You can separate & plant individual ground bulbs during dormancy, but these bulbs will then split & produce clumps. You can instead divide them in late Fall, after the bulbs have already split & begun to grow. The individual plants will look like scallions at this point (which they are) and you can separate & immediately replant them with care. Those plants still might divide again in Spring, but most will form a single large bulb. You can further increase their size by breaking off the "flower stalk" as soon as it appears. Without the topsets, the plant will then direct more energy to bulb development. It is worth mentioning to anyone who has not grown them, that walking onions are exceptionally hardy perennials. They easily winter over even here, with no protection. Even the topset bulbs are hardy; I keep them in an unheated patio, and they remain viable until late Spring, or when warming temperatures cause them to sprout. You can harvest delicious scallions in early Spring, and again in late Fall. Tom, that is a nice mess of onions. I'm curious, though, about your storage comments. The varieties I grow proved to have poor storage life for the ground bulbs. How did you cure & store yours? I had planned to dehydrate some of mine as minced onions, to overcome the poor storage. It's my hope that the strong flavor will make them really suitable for drying.

You received a mature onion. They never form much of a bulb. They are hard to kill. If the top is green just stick it in a pot next to that window, until you can plant in the ground. They are perennials, so put it in a bed where you will not have to move it often. If you have more than one, put them about 4 inches apart each way, planting no more than the depth of the onion. Come summer, the stalk should run up and produce bulblets where the flower would normally be. Each of these will take hold wherever they touch the ground. That is why they call them walking onions.

3rd attempt to post.They are egyptian walking onions.You only plant them once.They grow a bulb and sometimes a flower looking thing on the end of a leaflet.When they get big enough they hang down and replant themselves.You want to add sticks and tie string to help them bow down and replant. They multiply faster.They can walk 16 feet a year.And they can walk vertically to up into other planters.Help steer the bulbs into the direction you want them to replant themselves or they will go all over.Pick the thicker stalked ones before they get to thick for they get tough and chewy on outter layers.They have the same potentcy of green onions no matter how big or old.The ones you don't pick will regrow in the spring.You never have to plant or transplant bulbs unless you want to.I never buy green onions anymore.They are great for cooking.They are the same as green onions but are bigger and will regrow every spring.

SNOW??? OMG! IÂve been out in the backyard trying to get some things cut back, and cursing at the WIND, which is absolutely impossible down here todayÂbut snow! I guess this is a kwitchurbitchin situation! But the wind is so strong down here that a couple of the canes on my roses have broken offÂand itÂs hard to even stand up when the gusts hit you! ANDÂthere are some insane guys on a neighborÂs roof trying to reroof it! IÂm absolutely amazed nobody has blown off of the roofÂyet! With the onionsÂwhat Lucky said! TheyÂre in the "recovery room" for now, and itÂs just gonna take them a little while to "feel better!" Onions can take the cold, so I wouldnÂt worry about them that way, but (if you can get thru the snow!) I recommend cutting most of the tops off to make it easier for the roots to get going. The two little Campanulas I got were wilting pretty badly, and I was worried about themÂnot really worried, but having a lot of trouble just seeing themÂso I cut almost all the foliage off of them and theyÂre looking way better. But like I said yesterday, if you cut the tops off and they have almost no foliage, theyÂre not going to be using much water at all, so donÂt keep watering them trying to "help" them! Let the soil dry most of the way before watering, which will probably be a while if youÂre getting snowed on, and with the cool/cold temps youÂre still getting up there. Leaving the soil dry down to just below the level of where the roots were when you planted them will encourage new root growth. Whatever you decide to do, they should come around just fine after they have a chance to check out their new digs! You need a cup of hot chocolate! Skybird