Onions gone soft

[divvy]

It's my first year growing onions , I planted them as it said , with just the tips showing. They have grown nice leaves that look healthy , but if you squeeze the onion it is soft. My Son's and Mum's are the same . Are they no good ? .

[horticultural_hobbit]

Too much water, perhaps? I was advised to water onions regularly, and was a bit worried that too much might make them squidgy. Especially as onions are mostly water anyway. I was harbour a guess that if there was less rain and watering, with the weather drying up, they might dry out a bit. (The Ma regales me with grandad growing them years agai and watering twice a day, so who knows). Onions might just be squidgy until they get pulled up, as you have to dry them when you do, for a fortnight.

[rustylady]

You shouldn't be squeezing the onions at this stage, poor little things are still growing. Leave them be until they start to form nice big bulbs (hopefully). If the leaves are healthy they are probably fine.

[Alison]

It may also be that you're watering too much though, never normally water mine at all and don't have any problems.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Onion sets live off the flesh of the bulb after it is planted before the new growth takes over. There comes a time when all that is left of the old growth is a little squidgy but it is nothing to worry about. Don't know why you felt the need to squeeze them though. They should grow on to become nice onions unless of course they succumb to the maggot of the onion root fly, white onion rot, neck rot et al.

[divvy]

Very cheerfull Aberdeen plotter ) I will leave them alone , no more squeezing , promise )