Onion and garlic questions

[Poddington Pea]

Hi everyone,
I'm planting loads of garlic and onions this year. Just wanted to check, do you allow them to flower or not? When I grew some on my allotment last year, some helpful chappy said 'I've been over and taken the heads off your onions for you' he'd chopped the flowers off, but many other allotmentees had left their's on.
Also, how do you prevent lettuce, spinach etc. from 'bolting'?

Many thanks for any help with this

[Kristen]

Remove the flowers. Mark the ones that flower as they won't keep as well, so use them up first.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Yep, you really don't want your onions or shallots to flower unless you want to collect your own seed that is.

Things bolt/ run to seed when they get stressed. With things like spinach, lettuce, broccoli raab (anything really) its usually to do with the weather conditions being unfavourable - often too hot and dry. The best thing to do is sow little and often, so that as one lot is running to seed, the next lot is ready for picking.

[zazen999]

I'd have been livid if someone had removed the flowers from my onions, as I routinely leave one type to flower each year for the seed.

Remember - it's your allotment, and only you should be on it! It's your decision to make whether you remove flower heads or not.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I'd have been livid if someone had removed the flowers from my onions.

Yes, that's true, I would have been too. I have pointed out to a new plot holder that it wasn't a great idea to let the whole lot flower, but I would never have presumed to deadhead them for them.

[Poddington Pea]

I'd have been livid if someone had removed the flowers from my onions, as I routinely leave one type to flower each year for the seed.

Remember - it's your allotment, and only you should be on it! It's your decision to make whether you remove flower heads or not.

I was a bit miffed! We've moved now and have a large garden of our own to grow in, so if anyone chops the heads off my onions this year I'll be on to the police!!
Thanks for the advice guys.

[Poddington Pea]

Oh! Also, can you eat the garlic shoots? My son pulled a bit off and it was delicious! But will the bulb still grow without the leaves? And at what point do I trim the flowers, is it when there's a bud?

[Two_Sheds]

Oh! Also, can you eat the garlic shoots?

You mean the leaves? Yes, but why not grow garlic chives instead?

will the bulb still grow without the leaves?

No, because the leaves are there to feed the bulb

at what point do I trim the flowers, is it when there's a bud?

As soon as you notice them

[Poddington Pea]

Thanks two sheds. I thought that about the leaves, I'll try the garlic chives, we love all things garlicy!

[garlicgirl06]

what are the chances my garlic is ok?

I've heard a few people saying their garlic is growing well with growth already visible whilst i have nothing visible at all. I'm a bit concerned i planted them to deep - a consequence of one book saying one thing another saying something else and me opting for the middle ground.

I put them out on 26 Nov. As with the rest of the country we've had tons of snow but this past 10 days has been much warmer. I'm in the West Midlands.

Also is there anything i can do if to promote good growth or rescue them now?

[Dottie]

I don't leave onions to flower, but I delibrately leave my elephant garlic to flower, as they produce nice big flower heads. I also grow lots of chives around the plot for the flowers, companion planting and for eating. Not got around to sowing or buying garlic chives yet, for the white flowers.

[davetheforker]

Oh! Also, can you eat the garlic shoots? My son pulled a bit off and it was delicious! But will the bulb still grow without the leaves? And at what point do I trim the flowers, is it when there's a bud?

hi poddington pea,yes you can thay are lovely added to a stir fry.

[Two_Sheds]

I delibrately leave my elephant garlic to flower

I left onions to flower last summer (huge heads) and they were extremely attractive to those millions of horrid little pollen beetles we had last July

[SarzWix]

garlicgirl, I think your garlic will be fine. Only the odd one or 2 of mine are showing any green shoots, but the rest of them have developed a fairly decent root system, so I expect they'll be shooting up any time now

Davetheforker, do you mean that you can eat the leaves of garlic (the shoots) or the flower-shoot? If the latter, then yes, that's fine to eat, also known as a 'scape'. But I think Poddington Pea was referring to the leaves

[maytreefrannie]

Garlicgirl, I put down garlic in October and there are green shoots - though they vary from 2-3 inches to barely tipping through the soil. Also there are some not showing yet.

I also put down some shallots in November and there's nothing showing at all there.