Flowering onions

[Stroppy scotte]

Hi
Could do with help!!
Our onions are flowering already!! Have beheaded the beasties but have heard that means the onions will now go soft!!
What do we do???
Thanks
SS

[cheshire61]

looks as though you plated them out far to early they will keep trying to run to seed you could plant some sets now there a a few plotholders on our site who have just put sets out

[Stroppy scotte]

We put them out to overwinter. Does that mean all is lost!! Should we pull the larger ones or write it off as a failure!!

[cheshire61]

sorry i thought these where main crop onions are they winter ones ie grown through the winter from last year if so they should not be running to seed yet i have never heard of this type of onion bolting this early
perhaps if they are large you should think about lifting them and letting them dry out

[Stroppy scotte]

I didn't really make it clear. They were indeed put out to overwinter ie last Autumn. Some are large enough to pull but others are tiny yet still flowering.
What would happen if we just kept watering them? We're desperate since we have about a hundred all of which have flowered.
Thanks
SS

[rustylady]

Take off the flowering heads (which I presume you have already done). Onions that have put up flowering heads won't store well, but you can leave them in the ground and just pull them up as and when you need onions.

[Snadger]

There's still time to plant this years spring planted sets or onion plants can be picked up quite cheaply at garden centres just now.
To make sure of some onions I would cut my losses and just give the Autumn sown ones up as a bad job!
If you dont need the land they are on you could just leave them and after taking the seed heads off use them as quickly as possible!
I must admit, I have never had this problem with autumn sown onion sets but I always have problems with red onions from sets going to seed!

[Stroppy scotte]

Thanks
Onion soup sounds like the order of the day!!!
SS

[Dobby]

we have thesame problem with some of our onions
one of the uther plot holders toled us to just brake of the flower stem when it starts and they should be ok

[vicki lorraine]

Sorry didnt see this thread. Just started one myself with the same problem.

[Stroppy scotte]

At least I now know we are not alone!!!
SS