I did this with Leeks this year - I kept two of the Leek plants last fall and transplanted them to the end of a garden where they would be out of the way. This summer they both sent up seed stalks which turned into huge seed heads. This fall I got more Leek seeds than I could ever plant, which will turn into Leek seedlings next spring. And, as a plus, the Leek blooms were beautiful!
Very nice! I would worry a little though because you had only two leek plants and from what I understand, 10 would be better, 40 would be best! Although that's more for commercial people. Just watch out for any lack of vigour in the seedlings next spring. Or if they are strong, you have succeeded!
Los que no cultivan no tienen idea del tiempo que toma poder disfrutar de una hortaliza!!! La verdad es que nadie paga el trabajo tan arduo y paciente de un agricultor!!! Muy agradecida siempre de su generosidad al educar regalandonos su tiempo y conocimientos!!❤😂
Thank you Charles. I'll be sharing my onions with my spouse only. lol. Home grown taste is incredible. Blessings and much respect from me in Zone 6b. usa.
I had 40 first year onions that didn't make it threw the winter so started a new row in February, back to the ground, they bloomed gave me beautiful seed to plant the nested January, had this year the most beautiful 600 onions you every seen, am doing the same thing again. 5:05
Those are the best seed grown onions I've seen. I must confess that I've never done very well with onions. Perhaps next year. Some years ago I came to fully appreciate the saying '... knows their onions'.
Thanks for the information Charles! I didn't know that about cross-pollination for carrots. I let a few go to seed in a bed last year and ended up with lots of nice sprouts this spring. When I finally pulled them out, there was NOTHING!! I was so disappointed, because I was very excited about them (I even recorded it)... Now, I think I know the problem... Too bad I don't want to dedicate enough space to do this. It's just good to know so I don't waste my time trying to save just 1 or 2 again.
Oh no! That is a shame! I have found that if you have a lot of wild carrot in your area as well (here in the NE USA we have lost of queen annes lace) that can also mess with saving seed. It is tough for us to save carrot seed due to the prevalence of wild carrot around us.
What a beautiful flower, I love letting my veg go to seed because I enjoy the flowers so much and for pollinators of course, but have been slack about collecting them for planting. Thanks as always for the encouragement.
Good morning, Charles, from Windermere, Florida 9b 🇺🇸 🧅 Thanks for always laying out the information in a simple to understand manner. ❤👍❤️ This morning at 6a.m it was a cooler 75°F with 94% humidity. This is the first sign of Autumn approaching. It's been 80°F overnight throughout August and 90's daytime. I'm about to start a Fall Garden 👩🌾👍🥕🫑🥬❤ Take care ❤Peggy❤
I love your weather updates Peggy. We have just experienced unusually warm nights, the warmest of the year at 68°F!! I can't imagine what it's like in your climate. Autumn must be so welcome.
Very informative. I listened twice to make sure I got all the info. I had a beautiful onion crop this year (from sets), so I will plan to save some to put in the ground for seed in the spring. Can’t wait to see the fun happen! Also, the web site is looking great. The on line courses appear to be an awesome way to spend my time in the cold,cold winter.
Glad it was helpful and thank you for that nice feedback which I really need, because we've had a lot of teething problems. Nothing unusual but just aggravating and that can stop one seeing the bigger picture! I hope you enjoy an online course if you choose to do one.
A great tip. I nearly always learn something new from you ! Like keeping fleece over leaves in the summer = I have had no Flea Beetle this year & have the best Rocket leaves I have ever grown (BIG & healthy !) Thank you once again.
I have just received next years Calender (2024) and its great. best Calender yet I would say. has loads of usefull sowing dates for 1st ,2nd 3rd plantings its a brilliant thing! didnt know where to put this as I couldn't find anywhere for reviews on your website. Well Worth a buy I would say
@@CharlesDowding1nodig How’s the weather across the pond? We are finally enjoying a cool down from the summer heat over here. Oh how I love the fall time of year. Next week I start my rock work around my cabin at Strawberry Arkansas in the woods. Sharon and I have a getaway place where we can go and watch the deer and turkeys and just kick back and slow down. “No hunting allowed.” That’s what I tell my church friends when they ask if they can come up and deer hunt. Ha, mommas orders. Keep up the great videos. Take care my friend and God bless y’all. (Old guy from Arkansas)🇺🇸
Love this video. ❤ Thank you so much. I was wondering, is regular watering and a top dress of compost needed? Also, once harvesting the seed head, is the onion below edible?
Thanks Mr Dowding. I now apreciate the need for numbers for seed saveing success. So probably will continue to buy and not resent the expense as I'm trading money for space and time. I do save runner beans and the lambs lettuce sows itself and this year amazingly despite July and August seed saved from a butternut squash has produced ripe fruit !
Thanks Charles! With the price of seeds going up it's a good idea to save whatever you can yourself. The biannual stuff is a bit of a hassle though if you have limited space and would rather be planting something else there.
This is such good knowledge, particularly about the need for several plants to get a good cross-pollination! My own seed-started onions did very poorly this past season -- nearly all of the bulbs stopped growing while they were still quite tiny -- barely pearl onion sized. I'm wondering if I popped these little guys into the ground next spring, will they start up again and gain a good size? Or should I just use them in a beef stew this winter?
Thanks, and I would use those onions because I'm pretty sure they will flower if you replant them, having had a whole season. That sounds like a compost issue during propagation or soil issue during growth, onions like rich soil.
I've noticed the price of seeds have became very expensive, especially with the current crop of seed catalogues being sent out this month. Any advice about keeping the seeds over Winter would be appreciated, eg: fridge or just a draw. Thanks.
Tu meke brother Charles its spring here in Aotearoa so will have to plant a few of last years onions to save me some seed and keep growing some onions with vigour Chur chur brother keep up the good mahi
I didn't know this. Thanks for the education about how many onions you need for cross-pollination. Sounds like for me in my personal garden the focus should be on buying seeds. of trading seeds with friends.
Charles, do you do much with cover crops in Winter? Do all your beds have something growing in them in Winter? I don't believe I've seen you mention it ever, but if you have then please let me know where and i'll watch/read it etc. They look like a lot of hard work, especially successfully terminating them in Spring. Was wondering if spreading a compost mulch on top over Winter wouldn't be as good.
What I do is as you say in your last sentence. I have vegetables growing in 80% of my beds until November and that leaves almost no time to start cover crops before winter, when you cannot sow new seeds. So it would be quite a waste of time and seed and also make it more difficult to have beds ready in the middle of March. Also would add a few slugs because leaves on beds over winter tend to give shelter to slugs, here at least
I tried saving seed some years ago and wow, the vigor! Something even more interesting I found, though, was that the year AFTER the onions had flowered and seeded - those same onions came up with flowers once more on the third year! Never thought they could even do that.
I kind of a plant nerd. (I’m surprised I have any friends) But I did not know that onions were biannual. Very interesting video. Always learn something growing gardens and listening to other gardeners.
Do you think We in Sweden (around Stockholm) can owerwinter the onion in the ground outside for seeds next year? But We have snow and periods with -20 or -25 degfree some period. OR… Shall I take them up and dry them and planting them again next spring? I try that last year, but it was No seeds in the flowers. From Helene in Sweden.
The ends of green onions worked good this year. Stuck the unused end of tiny store bought green onions in a raised bed with no amendment and they grew to huge onions with 2 foot tall green tops to harvest over and over for months. One produced a flower with seeds.
Hi Charles A garlic question, I’m moving house 2nd week of December so will only be able to plant my garlic then, some people say put the garlic in the fridge for about a month before planting, I’m not sure that it might spoil the garlic. Also in my area, we rarely get a frost, 3 deg C is a norm for Dec / Jan.
I grow Hardy White Evergreen Onions (bunching Onions-Allium fistulosom) they overwinter in zone 5. I think they are perennial. We call them spring onions. Once they flower (late May) there not as good. I let a few plants go to seed and enjoy these onions spring and late fall until it snows.
Charles, maybe an additional note to tell folk that seed saved from F1 hybrid onions won't come true. Although the madman I am is letting a group of different F1s cross pollinate to see what eventually eats, stores and grows best for me hehe well we'll see 🥴
I've had both onions (Ailsa Craig & Santero) & leeks (Krypton F1) grown from seed bolt this year, probably 20%. All multisown in cells mid February & planted out in May. Any suggestion as to why?
For the leeks it's because February sowing is too early, April is best so they suffer less cold initially. For your onions, I don't know! Try a different variety at least
The flowers which develop seeds about two months later, are something you want only if your desire is to save seeds. Onions are tough to eat once they have started to flower.
I grew onions for the first time from sets. Lots of bolted onions as I learned happens when you plant sets. I decided to let them flower and save seed and am now kind of thinking I shouldn’t ‘put all my eggs in the one basket’ and grow the bolted onion seeds due to what I have read and what you have said. If I multi sow heavily and thin the weakest will the end result still be “good”, do you reckon? Or are your thoughts that the end result of bolted onions not as good as it’s superior straight forward onion seed? I hope that makes sense 😃
I saved seeds from spring onion left over for next year. Already planted 3 almost rotting red onion for seeds only and keeping hi shi ko bunching onions for same purpose.
I left one of mine - the biggest - which were grown from seed this year, to flower this summer and the flower is just starting to come out. Thinking that may be too late for the seeds to mature?
THE LIFE OF AN ONION WAS CERTAINLY A GREAT BOOK BUT NOT AS GOOD AS IT’S SEQUEL…….THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ALLIUM EMPIRE !!!!!! RIVETING………SO MUCH SO THAT IT MADE US CRY !!!!!!😢
I don't think it's all such bad news with onion sets, you do need to learn and work with them. I successfully grow the over wintering varieties in my PT with little bolting, they're heat treated to prevent this. I put some in long plastic troughs in Autumn, then drag them out in Spring to finish off outside to give me space for the Summer crops in there. Others I plant in rows all the way down the PT up against the sides. Because they're tall and straight they don't take up much room so the toms go in 2ft away from the sides in Spring and the two grow together until the onions are ready. If they're still finishing off I put cucumbers and climbing beans in the gaps where an onion has been pulled out, they grow up the sides of the PT. That way i've got an early crop of fresh onions to get me through Summer, Autumn and into Winter, some do save better than others, it's down to the variety. I also grow some outside from seed, it's all about maximising the space you have and growing in it all year round.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig If you're selling then an early fresh crop of onions always sells well too. Funny you mention garlic, I also grow some inside and some outside, the outside ones faired much better this year. Whether down to the conditions or maybe I mistakenly planted last years outside ones inside I don't know, will try again this Autumn.
I actually planted bunching onions from seed in January and some are going to seed now in the garden because I forgot to pull them. I wonder, since I do this annually with some onions, if that’s why I have volunteer onions and garlic every year. 😂
Hi Charles, l planted spring onion seeds with the intention to have them go to seed. They grew but got attacked by black thrip or could be aphids. I’ve sprayed with both a tsp dish det & water, also water jet streamed them only to lose the battle in the end. I planted onion bulbs which copped it the same way. They didn’t appreciate my aggressive tactics! What other pests are known to affect the onion family that you are aware of? Won’t give up, always try again l shall 💪 Cheers Sofia
Hi Sofia, I admire your determination. I'm sure that you can make it much easier for yourself by adding more compost to the bed where are you grow these onions. No dig already I hope. Then when soil is fertile, plants can grow strongly through spring drought. Aphids on weak plants are telling you something. Best correct the soil rather than attacking the eaphids
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thanks so much! My garden grows in over 60 pots and only no dig. I ran out of my own compost, then had to purchase shop bought stuff. I can see what you are saying about the importance of quality, fertile soil and the deterrent effect on these pests. Through your teachings, l had a hunch that these pests endured due to the ineffective soil l had used. Nevertheless, l have started a Dalek again and will remain vigilant! The beauty of being outside and trying again will never leave me. Growing veggies is a lifestyle that will be with me to the end. Through your no dig, no give up style, l will carry on and keep trying. Your teachings are nothing short of marvellous and l thank you. Cheers Sofia
With the onions, you have to have a lot of plants to gather seed from for genetic diversity. Is that true for spinach.? I saved 5 plants to go to seed. Now I wonder if that is enough.
Here's a question. The Allium family, chives, red, garlic, would they cross pollinate? I had all of those pollinate at roughly the same time this year. I should remember to put several onions in one area this coming spring and watch for the seeds to appear. I'm thinking bought onions should produce some seeds. It's interesting to know that self-pollinating isn't going to produce viable seeds. Thank you.
Mannnn I just planted the wrong kind of onions seeds for my region and didn’t realize it. I need short day onions and I planted long day. I’ll see if they grow and use them as green onions if nothing else. Can’t wait for my short day seeds to come in.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you sir! Have you ever seen tomato flowers that don’t fall off but also don’t produce fruit? I’m very familiar with failed pollination and the flowers falling off, but I’m getting flowers where only the pedals fall off but the little teeny tiny baby tomato isn’t growing. Anyone ever seen that before?
At the very least, even if you find the quality of the onions reducing in the years ahead due to low genetic diversity, you can always buy new seeds before the onions are at risk of becoming too poor. That is still a lot of savings in seed for a few years potentially! Curious to see how these pan out next year.
Don't know what happened with my onions this year. Grew them from seed but they just didn't seem to swell at all, harvested them as small little things.
I didn't really understand the biannual bit, you sowed the seeds early this year, and harvested onions 7 months later...? But if left in the ground, they would produce seeds, this year..🤔
Yes that's right, they are biennial in terms of growing from seed to seed which is their whole life cycle. The onions we eat at a winter pause, a store of food for the flowering stems to start growing in the following spring. They happen to taste delicious!
Wish I had known. I planted onion sets last Fall, they overwintered, then young shoots in spring but in the warmth of late spring, all bolted. I was upset I didn’t get the bulbs, waited until the green stalks got a little thicker and harvested as green onions. I should try to wait and save my seeds then. But I don’t have the patience or equipment to sow indoors. Can I direct sow in ground the following spring? Have you done it in your climate ( we’re zone 8b in the Pacific Northwest, similar to yours except a few weeks later).
Yes I have sown onion seeds directly in the ground, around the middle of March here and your timing could probably be similar, on condition that you lay fleece over new sowings for the first six weeks. You could either thin them, or transplant them towards the end of April
I still don't get it. It's me, I know. But I don't understand this onion cycle. I'd love to grow my own onions from scratch, but I don't understand. There's the seed, the bolting, the multiple flowerheads,... too difficult for me I'm afraid :)
Spring, sow seeds, grow onions to harvest late summer. A few might bold but it's abnormal and indeed a confusion! In the winter, save a few of your best onions to plant for seed, at the end of their first year of life. So then it's year two for them. Each bulb makes 4-7stems! Plenty of seed, harvest is in the second year, end of life for that plant so they are biennial, not perennial :)
Sorry Charles, I enjoy your videos, but I'm unsubscribing. You have a ridiculous amount of adverts on your videos, all double 15 second ones that you can't skip. You as the creator have control over how many adverts you have in your videos. There are far too many
Yes at the moment I do have control, however very soon RU-vid are removing the option and making it the mandatory same for everybody, just so you know! It's the adverts which generate most of my income from creating and managing the videos, and replying to questions about these videos, and I feel it's a fair swap. Possibly, there are more adverts on my videos because they attract so many views, victim of my own success!
There is an option to upgrade on YT and have no ads . A lot of time and effort goes into making videos, editing them and researching topics etc before uploading.
