Pearl Onions

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, I'll have a look.

[1Bee]

Heh. This feels like something I have only partially understood, but I'll remember to come looking if I ever have any bolted leeks!

[Jay-ell]

It's basically eat the scapes, leave the leek and it should regrow in autumn. Simples

[veggiechicken]

I don't eat the scape - but leave them to flower and self seed.

[Jay-ell]

After all the palaver of "trying to kill her off" by introducing my mutha to scapes she'd now skin me alive if she thought I left some unharvested.

I do have special dispensation to leave them on the Babington, Vine and sand Leeks and the permanent patch of elephant garlic but leaving another patch to flower when we could eat the scapes would be utterly intolerable

[1Bee]

I take it they're good, then...

[Jay-ell]

Leeks, onion, garlic, elephant garlic - I'm under orders to harvest all scapes.

[veggiechicken]

I need a ladder to reach the elephant garlic scapes. They're at least 6' tall. Flowers opening now.
Do the flowers turn into bulbils or seeds?

[Jay-ell]

Ellephant Garlic doesn;t produce bulbils unless t's tresses - I hade my first one produce bulbils by ghrowing it in a pot and sporadically watering it. The scape grew about 4" then produced bulbils.

You can shave your leek to force it to produce bulbils.

I've never collected seed from them and I haven't noticed any seedlings for it grow so I don't know it it produces viable seeds (I have seen one continental seed supplier selling the seed for them (I think) but they also had seeds for Babingtons and there's a few variations of Allium ampeloprasum )

[Jay-ell]

You harvest the scapes from the bottom - and carry them home tied in a bundle over your shoulder

[veggiechicken]

Ellephant Garlic doesn;t produce bulbils unless t's tresses - I hade my first one produce bulbils by ghrowing it in a pot and sporadically watering it. The scape grew about 4" then produced bulbils.

You can shave your leek to force it to produce bulbils.

I've never collected seed from them and I haven't noticed any seedlings for it grow so I don't know it it produces viable seeds (I have seen one continental seed supplier selling the seed for them (I think) but they also had seeds for Babingtons and there's a few variations of Allium ampeloprasum )

Last year I dug up a few and left the rest to do as they pleased. A few plants came up outside the expected area which must have grown from seed/bulbils but, could alos have grown from some nearby leeks, This year, I'll be more observant!