Description
A Welsh Onion. Sow from January to March for harvest in September to November or sow in September to December for summer crops. Plant at 30 per 30cm x 30cm square or 6mm apart in rows. “Excellent to have in the garden, grow all year round, keep dividing themselves for continuous supply of slim spring onions (even when some set seed). Good to plant in a permanent position.” (Karlene Herdman). From E.Stonehouse, 2015; Euphemia Stonehouse, 2015.
Ross Lill –
The bunching onion forms perennial clumps and doesn’t bulb, so can be available year-round for use as a spring onion, rather like a grand cousin to chives. The flavour is typical of onions but mild. We use them as a garnish on savory dishes, in green salads, and as an ingredient in bread and butter pickles. They flower freely in spring and produce good quantities of seed. But because they are perennial and can be propagated vegetatively, you only need a small amount of seed to last you a lifetime.
The plants seem quite forgiving and need little care. They do get rust which knocks them about, but they hang on until the rust goes away and they can get on with making more offshoots.
The seed harvest is straightforward. When the capsules on the flowerhead start to split, I gather them and dry them in a shed. When they’re nice and dry, I rub out the seeds, sieve the big trash, and blow the dust out with the winnower.