Just because they have a bulb (called bolting) at the top doesn't mean they are walking onions. Onions are biennial and naturally want to go to seed their second year which is what you are seeing when you grow from the root tips.

I was clueless and curious so I checked and found this.

“From root to tip, this plant is entirely edible and can be used as you would any onion, although it must be noted that the flavour is much stronger. The green leaves can be cut and used as scallions, and the topsets and bulb itself can replace onions in any dish. The tiny onions are often served pickled and this is starting to gain some popularity among gourmet chefs.”

Thanks. Mine seem to live through the winter, but if they are biennial, I’m apparently seeing a new plant?

Yesterday I went to my raised bed to pick some scallions. They were there about a week ago. NOTHING! Huh?? I have pretty much always been able to walk outside, around the corner, and grab a few green onions except in winter. This is mid September! I used chives instead — bland chives.

This was my attempt to add some flavor to a takeout I ordered from a ”Vietnamese” restaurant. There was nothing Vietnamese about the original order — very bland. I suspect this place orders precooked dishes, then reheats them for orders inside or takeout. I am a decent cook. This dish was without seasoning. They do not seem to have anything like cilantro, Thai basil or even lemongrass on hand. Never again for that place.

I live in an out of the way culinary desert. I do not like living here. DH can’t get it together to help us relocate. I’ll order him the above dish while I make some good stuff. ;) ;)

Here’s an article I’m about to read:

▪️ https://sowtrueseed.com/blogs/planting/egyptian-walking-onions-a-perennial-wonder-crop

Thanks. Mine seem to live through the winter, but if they are biennial, I’m apparently seeing a new plant?

No, it's the same plant but it thinks it's growing in it's second year. Some adverse environmental conditions can cause onions to bolt to seed in the first year.

This might be what I have growing from ”scallion” roots from grocery store green onions. They seem to come back every years and many have those bulbs/bulblets at the top. For some reason (my not weeding), my raised bed are bereft of green onions right now.

QUESTION: I have a packet ofI have a packet of scallion or green onion seeds (maybe a copule of years old). I am in southern New England. Is this an okay time for me to sow them?

Sorry to sound lazy, I’m just exhausted most of the time. I might also be ”lazy” from that.

PS I love green onions and when I am out of them, you’d think the sky had fallen.

The flowers may look similar, but the Egyptian (walking) onions I grew were stronger, larger and a little bit tougher than the green onions sold in stores. I grew Welsh onions too - they were also top setting, and seemed even stronger than the Egyptians. Both as strong as regular bulb cooking onions, so can be used in place of those.

Funny, but here in FL, my walking onions didn't topset very often, and some years not at all. I suspect it was our climate - too hot and humid? They did continually multiply tho.

I tried walking onions several years ago. I found them too much of a pain to manage and much prefer perennial bunching onions, which are indeed perennial, flower in spring (and you need to cut off the seed heads) then just spin off stalks all season. All you need to do to get a scallion is cut off a stalk just below the soil.