Interesting tidbit #2; The so called ''sweet onions'' like Walla Walla and Vidalia are delicious just to eat even when they are thumb size to golf ball size.

I think all onions grown from seeds can be bunching onions or scallions. If and when they mature will grow onion bulbs. It is the same for planting/growing from sets. The difference is that sets will be bigger when they come out. While with the seeds it will take couple of months perhaps to be the same size as sets. Onions are not meant to be perenial, because when you pull them up as green or pick the mature onios, it will be the end of it. So, one seed or one set (tiny onion) will grow just one onion, no more. Obviously then, it does not make sense to plant a regular onion to get just another one like it. The sets are actually scallions pull up and kept for replanting.(You can actually plant store-bought scallions. Just cut the green part off, eat it and plant the remainder root) Right now, I have bought some yellow sweet onion seeds (Ferris Moore?). I am going to plant them almost like grass (closely packed packed). As they get bigger I will keep thinning (use the green as chives, scallions) Then when they are about 2" apart I will let the rest to taay and become onions. You can also plant seeds in trays and then separate tyhem and plant them in your garden. To my experience, onions are very good gardening produce, as you can store them for months and continue enjoying them. I will alo be on the look out for sets and in-expensive pearl onions to plant in December or january (I am in zone 8 GA) By no means, what I wrote should be taken at its face value. I could have been wrong in part. So, keep reading other comments as well and sift them hrough. Cyrus

In zone eight we always plant garlic in the fall but I'm not sure about your zone. I usually harvest garlic mid summer when all but about seven of the leaves have turned brown. Pull them up and let them dry out in a shady spot for a week or so until all of the leaves dry. At that point you can use it or store it for the winter. It will last from four to ten months or so depending on variety. Onions from sets usually do better as green onions rather than bulb onions. The green onions can be harvested all winter if the ground isnt frozen. If the onions don't go to seed in the summer they will start to grow large bulbs and when the tops start to die down they are ready to pull. Good luck. Theresa.

I have a large amount of Egyptian walking (tree) onions to trade for potato onions ("multiplier" onions). Any amount, hopefully large. Now would be a great time to be planting either. Egyptian onions are not a sweet onion and can be rather hot and they don't get huge but they multiply like crazy. First of all, the parent plant muliplies into a large clump of onions. Secondly, they produce clusters of babies at the top of the stalk and these babies make their own leaves and those babies even make their own babies. All these babies can be replanted. They are hardy even in Canada. I planted my very small bulbs last November 1 and they were sprouting leaves in 3 days. They survived our very frigid winter and made a huge amount of babies in spring 2010. You'll have onions and green onions year round no matter where you live. The grasshoppers ate them all to the ground this summer but keep on putting out new leaves. Here is a link that might be useful: