Onions going to seed

[ChrisB]

Managed to get an hour in at the allotment today and noticed that some of the onions are going to seed

Is anybody else having this problem, and can anything be done about it?

I seem to recall that pulling them lightly, breaking some of the roots helps prevent this or is this something I dreamed up?

[SMS6]

I have the same problem so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for other comments

[Two_Sheds]

Onions bolt because of temperature fluctuations.

It is nothing to do with watering, or lack of. See here for a fuller explanation: Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Sowing & Planting Onions

The bolted onions won't store, so use them up first. Red onions are notorious for it.

[jackie j]

My onions are starting to flower another chap told me to take them off or the bulbs wont grow although they look quite big anyway.

[heebiejeebie]

One of my overwintered onions was developing a flower so I removed it. I'll be keeping an eye on them from now on!

[gojiberry]

Remove the flower spike as soon as you see it, otherwise all the plants energy goes into the flower production. You can still get very decent sized onions but they wont keep as the flower stem goes right down into the center of the bulb and will start rotting. One reason for bolting tends to be planting to early. If you have freezer space you can slice and freeze your onions, just make sure you wrap them well to stop the smell transfering to other foods.

Ian