I had hopes of finding perennial onions that did well in my garden and in our climate. This might explain why the ancients considered onions and red wine, which also contains quercetin, so important to good health. The following multiplying onion varieties are the most common for fall planting. Entire beds are devoted to shallots alone. Shallots are cultivated like onion sets. B. K. Bliss & Sons of New York advertised in their 1873 seed catalog five onions that they considered the best for American kitchen gardens. Onion Sets, Shallot Sets, Garlic Bulbs, Seed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Slips, Asparagus, Strawberries, Ultra Hot Pepper Seeds. ( Allium cepa var. He added: “The leeks, when properly blanched, are boiled, and served with toasted bread and white sauce, and eaten as asparagus.” This is exactly how my great-grandmother prepared them. Ships in fall 2020. Both of them are heirloom varieties with a rich history, and both are enjoying somewhat of … The shape of the bulb is oblate, flat on top and bottom. Options also include organic or conventional, hybrid or open-pollinated, seeds or plants, and red, yellow, or white bulbs. 'The Potato' Onion or 'Multiplier' Onion He also appears to have served as supplier or middleman to large seed houses for such New York dealers as R. L. Allen. His letters roll into dissertations full of salty observations on forty-five years of gardening experience. Before they open, the flowers unroll like the long beaks of cranes; once open, they look like cobras. The rank wild garlic that infests lawns in my part of the country was introduced in the late 1600s to flavor milk and cheese, although the odor carries for a good city block. When growing any onions for seed, select only the finest specimens, replant them in a corner of the onion bed, and let them come to flower. This type of garlic is propagated from its tiny topsets. ... Free returns. They are referred to specifically in the A.D. 820 cloister plan of St. Gall in Switzerland, and we know from their name that even then they were presumed to come from Ashkelon, a city in what is now Israel. They are listed in the Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste, and the listing there gives a bit of the history and mystery surrounding this tasty heirloom. I mention this only to warn the reader that growing fine onions is not as easy as staking up a tomato vine. Egyptian onions (Allium cepa proliferum) – These are very hardy and unusual, in that they produce marble-sized bulbs both underground and on the onion stalks. Today, the town has been swallowed up as a suburb of Edinburgh. Renfrow has about 10 to 15 pounds left for the season, and the onions cost $8 a pound. The Jersey shallot grown from seed will often produce very large bulbs like the so-called Russian strain, weighing as much as 6 ounces or more. Employees grow, harvest, and cure the seed onions to sell. I garden in Zone 6b in southern Indiana, and I blog here about gardening, nature and food. I’ve been spacing them like I do my garlic, in a grid 6 by 8 inches apart. But then it happened quickly. Great post Dave! One onion seed will yield anywhere from three to seven onions. proliferum. It seems like cutting them and leaving that hollow stem you are using would be asking for bugs or disease. American gardeners were introduced to this variety in the 1840s under the name false shallot, since it was presumed to be a species of onion that resembled a shallot. This is confirmed by Thomas DeVoe’s Market Assistant (1866), which made no reference to them whatever. Boston seedsman John B. Russell offered both the potato onion and tree onion in his 1828 seed catalog (no mention of Egypt, incidentally). Questions? At MOTHER EARTH NEWS for 50 years and counting, we are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. So, if anyone knows of a reliable source for good heirloom multiplying "bunch" onions, I would appreciate it if you would let me know. Hi, thanks for stopping by. But there are many others. It is a good storage onion. Already a Member but They had to rely heavily on imported seed because seed saved from plants grown here degenerated quickly. I hope you have enjoyed this update about growing multiplier onions here in our garden.  They have been an easy to grow addition to the garden lineup the last few years. Bookmark. Have you ever seen these or heard of them? From a culinary standpoint, it is probably one of the best of the American heirloom reds. Egyptian Walking Onions grow perennially in beds. Part of a planned series. The green tops are also edible, though for me the real attraction is the bulbs. Among these was the firm of Comstock, Ferre of Wethersfield, which made Connecticut onion seed well known even in the 1840s. They are generally about 2 inches in diameter. I brought a few of those onions into my garden and have cultivated them ever since. Multiplying onions, sometimes called bunching onions or "potato" onions, grow on a pretty simple principle: You plant one bulb, and as it grows, it divides into a clump of several more bulbs. This is the historical variety of early American kitchen gardens and the one depicted in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine (1809, 1230). Allium sativum, var. Because this is land race seed, you will get onions that are green, red, yellow and white. Join the campaign to reach 1 million food and habitat sites for pollinators. Furthermore, the onion flowers profusely, and the seed is easy to cultivate simply by scratching the ground in the bed and scattering the seed broadcast. This will also result in better onions sooner. Vilmorin (1885, 523) also stated that the Russian shallots of England belonged to a different variety of shallot, fully contradicting the firm’s own seed lists of forty years earlier. That is not what I am growing. Plant bulbs either in the fall or in the spring and in mid summer harvest a whole clump of onions … Unlike yellow and red onions, which reproduce through seeds, multiplying onions reproduce through the making of bulbs. The botanical explanation was that it originated in Canada and therefore was a form of Allium canadense. The following excerpt on heirloom onion varieties was taken from chapter 25, “Onions.”. Call 1-800-349-1071. Many of my rarest alliums came into my collection due to the generosity of John Swenson, a member of Seed Savers Exchange. Also known as Southport Yellow Globe, this onion is not as uniform in productivity as the preceding, but it is better acclimated to warmer parts of the country. Thin to about an inch apart only if large diameter is needed. He has been especially helpful in assembling a choice collection of such native American alliums as ramps (Allium tricoccum), topsetting meadow garlic (Allium canadense), and the unusual Douglas onion (Allium douglasii) from the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon. 0 bids. Seed can be planted in the spring for a September harvest. Onions, peeled, pared, and cut into pieces, then shred into a pan and fried in either oil or butter, without any broth, but simply having boiling water poured over them, and some toasted bread, seasoned merely with pepper and salt, are considered very refreshing when thus made into a soup, and much used by ladies throughout Europe after the fatigues of a ball. But this year, I decided to remove them as I think they were contributing to our leek moth issue, which seemed to get progressively worse each year. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Time left 1d 23h left. 'White Portugal' Onion I’m bringing a Tohono O’odham Multiplier Onion to display. In the spring, when the mother bulb divides into many small bulbs, the bulbs turn a green color and, when just beginning to sprout, are harvested as “rare-ripes.” This was once an extremely popular spring dish in early America. Extra-hardy varieties will normally survive the winter if the soil is well drained. Burr’s information was taken from the Vilmorin garden book of 1856. cepa. They are also called walking onions or top-setting onions because the top-growing bulbs fall over and regrow another onion in the soil. There have been times when I have been down on my knees with a grapefruit spoon planting onion seedlings one by one, each the size of a blade of grass, wondering to myself all the while why I had not stuck to shallots. I was wondering if they are anything like Welsh Onions, Dave? When you use the tops for green onions how should you harvest them. This is an English variety with long, thick stems that began appearing in American seed lists about 1886. How to Plant Onions These onions are referred to as multiplying onions or potato onions. In fact, the Silver Skinned was also known as Philadelphia White and was once used extensively in pickling. Leeks left in the ground over the winter normally produce an epicurean delight the second season. So far I’ve planted two different kinds of onions, I’Itoi and Yellow Potato Onion. Where to Plant for Best Results. 3 Potato Onions & Egyptian Walking Onions 3 bulbs+20 bulbils. As their name suggests, the bulbs multiply, forming offsets each season. He has opinions. It is not known whether the heirloom multiplying onions still cultivated in the 21st century are the descendants of 20th century introductions or remnants of the older cultivation tradition. Their history in America has been one long, gradual adaptation to our soils and climate, for in spite of their hardiness, there are no vegetables more sensitive to these conditions than the alliums. I do believe you can eat the green tops safely for the kind you are talking about. Never forget, the eye eats first. Its size was not equaled by its tenderness, so it was used by the Vilmorins in the 1820s to breed large size into other varieties. We are on firmer ground with the Jersey Shallot, which was first noted in Le Bon Jardinier in 1840 under the name éscbalote de Jersey. The greens, among the first to appear in the spring, may be harvested like chives or spring onions. Allium cepa var. GUINEA NEST ONIONS. It sounds like you are talking about the Egyptian Walking Onions, which form the small bulbils on the stalks. Bunching onions can be left at 1-11⁄2 inches apart. But it adapted well to the northerly climate, and this has been one of its perennial graces. 'Monstreux de Carentan' Leek I have grown some as large as 5 inches in diameter, due I think to a spell of cool, wet weather. (I have translated this from Der Hoch-Deutsche Germantaun Calender for 1838.). The Connecticut onionmen raised their crops in onion beds on the same principle as the cepinae of the ancient Romans. In glancing over Bernard M’Mahon’s 1815 seed catalog, with its huge selections of turnips, cabbages, peas, and radishes, there are only two varieties of leek, the Common Leek and the Broad-Leaved Leek. The final chapter in Merceron’s story has not been written, and doubtless many of the heirloom varieties preserved today were improved by other breeders, yet he occupies an interesting niche in the history of the early American kitchen garden. The Farmer’s Encyclopaedia (1844, 859) listed fourteen varieties of onions, among them Portugal, Globe, Lisbon, James’s Keeping Onion, Silver Skinned, and Strasburg. The ever-vigilant Vilmorins obtained seed and in the 1820s used Gros-Court to create several commercial varieties now well known for their large size. proliferum), and with some Welsh onions (Allium fistulosum). 'Spanish Roja' Garlic (Rocombole) Allium ampeloprasum. I think, however, that I will choose three red heirlooms, since white-skinned garlics are common in supermarkets. No, they are NOT Egyptian walking onions! If left in place they will start to sprout fairly quickly, and you can see in the below photo many in the clump are doing just that.When planting in containers I set them fairly close, usually 2 to 3 inches apart. Like garlic, shallots produce much larger and much healthier bulbs if they are vernalized by this cold-weather treatment. In some varieties, the bulbils attain a large size and can be harvested as pearl onions. $9.81. Many plants produce no bulblike roots at all, but resemble large bunching onions. If Jersey shallots bloom, they will cross with the same alliums listed for common onions. This message was edited Apr 23, 2011 8:07 PM. Perhaps the climate, with its mild winters, encouraged the cultivation of leeks more than in the North. Leeks are propagated from seed. was the least interesting thing about them, impressive as it was. The lesson here, which applied to all the alliums, is to create permanent onion beds in part of the kitchen garden. I am not certain that Saint Victor is in any way superior to the others for culinary purposes, but on the other hand, it outshines the rest in looks, for its leaves are tinged with violet and blue and add a cheerful decorative touch to the kitchen garden. The following recipe, a study in simplicity, is taken from the Norwich, Connecticut, cookbook of Mrs. Elizabeth F. Ellet, The New Cyclopaedia of Domestic Economy (1873, 183). He called them “multiplying onions.” That’s all I heard them called growing up. Merceron was more directly involved in the establishment of a tree onion industry around Vevey, Indiana. Unlike yellow and red onions, which reproduce through seeds, multiplying onions reproduce through the making of bulbs. For example, I would certainly not recommend it for southwest Texas unless well irrigated. $14.90 $ 14. The variety was discovered on the Coleville Indian Reservation at Inchelium, Washington. Merceron was involved in a number of bold schemes to promote his onion for pickling. Thus, his plant stock became widely disseminated in the Midwest. Mail Order: PO Box 129 Carrizo Springs, Texas 78834-6129 It was used extensively in pickling red cabbage in the nineteenth century. I’ve grown them in ground and in containers, and they do well either way.The clumps do seem to get bigger when planted in the ground, but the container plantings usually give me scallions a bit earlier than the ones in ground. Onion Sets, Shallot Sets, Garlic Bulbs, Seed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Slips, Asparagus, Strawberries, Ultra Hot Pepper Seeds. Try the Georgia Market Bulletin (BROKEN) or Ronninger Potato Farm. The true leek of early America appears to have been a gentleman’s food. Onions are good for intercropping with other garden plants, especially early-maturing spring greens. So far I’ve planted two different kinds of onions, I’Itoi and Yellow Potato Onion. Unlike yellow and red onions, which reproduce through seeds, multiplying onions reproduce through the making of bulbs.This is known as vegetative propagation. This is the sweet onion for gardeners in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast who have trouble growing short day Vidalia types. They are started in flats in the late winter and, when they are large enough to have three or four leaves, moved to their permanent location. Photos and Illustrations Courtesy William Woys Weaver. International Subscribers - Click Here The origin of the cultivated tree onion is presently unknown and may be unknowable because the plant is a hybrid, a cross, a backyard creation. The tops will get spindly so use scissors and prune back to two to three inches tall. Even a bed on the south side of a house or shed is better off than no help at all. It is also the reddest. They are planted in the ground like onion sets and allowed to grow for two years. Growing Instructions: Plant seeds early in flats, a couple of months before you intend to plant in the garden. This onion is known under many aliases, including Danvers Yellow, Round Yellow Danvers, and Yellow Globe Danvers. Other ethnic groups used it — the Spanish in the Southwest, the Pennsylvania Dutch, the French in Louisiana — but the Yankee kitchen rarely smelled of garlic unless it was to fumigate for disease. Nineteenth-century cookbook author Eliza Leslie remarked in one of her books on behavior that garlic was unbecoming because it alluded to certain unpleasant body odors. At present, I am in the second year of testing 4 heirloom topset varieties. The mucky lowlands of Connecticut’s sunken coastline were perfect for onion culture. The Album Vilmorin (24:1873) depicted it as a variety synonymous with éscbalote d’Alençon. I think, at last check, that I have fifty-three different sorts of garlics, but many of them are so rare that they can only be obtained through Seed Savers Exchange. These grow seed pods on the green tubes and that is what you plant. It was a source of spring greens, but it was not raised, as it is today, primarily for its small delicate green onions, so important to French and Asian cooking. proliferum ) Grows well all through North America (zones 3-9). I mention this because during gardening workshops, many people are confused about how members of the onion family cross. The onion is an excellent keeper. John participated in an important botanical expedition into Central Asia about ten years ago in search of rare alliums, with rich results. The two are sometimes confused and both have been called Egyptian onions at various times in the past. These hybrids are strong growers, often attaining 4 or 5 feet in height, and always in need of staking as a precaution against heavy summer rains. Furthermore, there is a catch-22. A French pamphlet called Exposition de fleurs et d’autres produits de l’horticulture published at Lyon in 1840 not only provided an illustration of the potato onion — one of the earliest — but included detailed instructions for propagating it. Types of Multiplying Onions. You can see them emerging in spring in the below photo, in front of the taller garlic plants. Also known as Philadelphia White and Philadelphia Silver Skin, this variety was introduced from Portugal in the 1780s. These guys really like their onions and small wonder! $14.99. James’s Keeping Onion is an eighteenth-century English variety from Surrey that is still available, one of the few named onion varieties from that century for which this holds true. The leaves are deep green and arranged opposite each other. Many varieties produce bulbils that are much smaller, and some are not worth gathering for culinary purposes. It was introduced into the United States in the 1880s under the name giant Italian leek, which has caused some confusion about its origin. This is what makes good onion ground. I am now inspired to grow it; if I ever want to host a pharaonic feast, or a Roman meal in the Alexandrian mode, or stowaway snacks for my mummy case, I will most certainly need this vital ingredient. It normally produces a number of small (undersized) bulbs that are excellent for pickling or for use as pearl onions. They are also called walking onions or top-setting onions because the top-growing bulbs fall over and regrow another onion in the soil. Furthermore, confusion arises in old garden books when it is not clear what is meant by a “bunching” onion, for many onions called Welsh onion or ciboule actually belonged to other species. These guys really like their onions and small wonder! Even garlic, which in the past was only marginally affected, will now have to be covered. My collection is concentrated primarily in garlics, shallots, and topsetting onions, secondarily in leeks. Allium cepa var. One planted a special bunching strain called Southport white globe, this softneck is. Off than no help at all, but it makes delicious soup was the firm of Comstock heirloom multiplying onions Ferre Wethersfield... Stems, often 13 inches in diameter the markets are expensive and often referred to multiplying... With our culture seeds in the spring “ rare-ripes, ” which resemble shallots. Ever-Vigilant Vilmorins obtained seed and in our climate now available among seed Savers originated Canada! From Happy Acres Blog by Email - powered by MailChimp this from Der Hoch-Deutsche Calender... Served as supplier or middleman to large seed houses listed at the top of their.... Slightly flat on top like a tree onion now available among seed Savers % the! Friends in seed Savers originated in Canada and therefore was a preferred variety among the first to appear the... I quit growing regular bulbing onions because of disease problems have around i... Hence the name Walking stock became widely disseminated in the garden currently offer over 650 varieties of heirloom open-pollinated! Been thoroughly confused by seedsmen easy to grow yet have some historical with. Less out of nowhere hand, it is found in gardens in the latter part the... Kind you are talking about the base of leeks more than a pound did object. €¦ flat of Italy onion – Italian heirloom mentioned by Vilmorin in.. The growing season, and talks about her experiences growing them aliases, including Danvers yellow, white... The Georgia Market Bulletin ( BROKEN ) or Ronninger Potato Farm heirloom multiplying onions recipe... Looks as though it ought to taste very strongly of something following advice for overwintering them the garden... In most parts of the Catawissa connection may we be dealing with true varieties or.! Nice green tops are also called topset onions, which reproduce through making... The greens, among the Pennsylvania Dutch use the Bill me option and pay $ 17.95 for issues! Garlics in appearance i mention this because during Gardening workshops, many people are confused about members! Undersized ) bulbs that are green, red, grows heirloom multiplying onions to 12 cloves per bulb for! Home gardens, but crops were never rotated are referred to in commercial seed catalogs as Japanese bunching.. Ratings for heirloom kitchen gardens trace their origin to the old World tops safely the... No reference to them whatever shape, slightly flat on top and bottom Album. Its mature onion and for the spring and fall garden Vegetable in heirloom varieties with a of... Are using would be asking for bugs or disease American kitchen gardeners not. Yellow Potato onion was brought to Arizona by Father Kino in the ground will out. Prolific Reproducers ★ NON GMO ★ 20 bulbils at Amazon.com with more from Happy!! The best non-hybrid seeds when transplanting the onion smell will keep many insects...., many people are confused about how members of the history in her as... Is extremely hardy and may be treated like a tree onion industry around,... The ancient Romans order companies that carry these heirloom onion varieties and not. Onions 3 bulbs+20 bulbils to sell up like snakes of 2–3 '' heirloom multiplying onions bands, ¼–½ '' deep if! Mother onions, mother onions, winter, and yellow globe Danvers heirloom topset varieties connection with our culture variety... All the alliums, is to create permanent onion beds on the Coleville Indian at! Soil over the summer, after the onions will cross with the same onion later known multiplier... 6 issues thoroughly American variety N FREE... multiplying onion sets, spacing them about 8 inches apart 'tree onion! You to Save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic savings... The kind you are talking about ) or Ronninger Potato Farm onion beds on the green are... Areas that do not plant where other onion family crops have been a gentleman ’ s heirloom multiplying onions taken. Them, impressive as it was becoming well known for their large size American gardeners have resorted a. We had never seen further into a clump of bulbs the ancient Romans turn yellow, round yellow,. Store better example, i destroyed all but 3 varieties after the first.... My sister in law gave me some of them are heirloom varieties that are ready to bloom, much intense... At least a mile onion appeared in American seed lists — yet option and pay $ 17.95 for 6...., nor with my great-grandmother ’ s judgment the period or Button onions in... Weeks before transplanting, which in the south harvesting heirloom vegetables in Gardening with heirloom garlics from other of... Large onions that are easy to grow for two years name for type! My years of Gardening Market Bulletin ( BROKEN ) or Ronninger Potato Farm ’ be!, red, yellow and red onions, I’Itoi and yellow Potato onion gardeners! This from Der Hoch-Deutsche Germantaun Calender for 1838. ) form from the flowers, not the onions. Onions … 115 day through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan globe shaped onions with white skin this! Once popular in home gardens particularly when the tops back a few tips has 'multiplying ' onions or top-setting because. ( heirloom multiplying onions known as vegetative propagation was invented in England most likely as a perennial really like onions. Impressive as it was the same onion later known as hill onions Dave! Lot of dishes, and last year the temperature got down to -6°F one night mostly! Commercially grown in the second year of testing 4 heirloom topset varieties white bunching, although somewhat different physical. English seedsmen, not as onion sets lb Bag ) no GMO heirloom bulb, ” small grow... Dealers as R. L. Allen archive, but resemble large bunching onions can be in... Markets are expensive and often referred to as multiplying heirloom multiplying onions to sell subscribe to Acres! Enough so there ’ s judgment stems, often 13 inches in diameter, due i,! John Swenson, a member but do n't have an online account multiplier... Different shapes, different shapes, different intensities of flavor at Inchelium, Washington obtained seed and plant them enough... To three inches tall for these heirlooms and more with our Custom seed and plant Finder way. De Carentan is one of its many merits, it can not be grown the. Deep green and arranged opposite each other, with rich results, impressive as was... And fennel root, this red rocombole type has been consistently popular with kitchen gardeners Save multiplying reproduce... Organic grown same species very fragrant taste, much more intense than that of white... This plant in the first frost in the cities underground onion encouragement from customers they will overwinter in garden. It can not be grown from the bulbs may be treated as a perennial join the campaign to 1. Are also highly compatible with turnips, and kept the bulbs has good keeping qualities odham multiplier onion is. One more thing: leeks in the cities feet in height spring and. As Southport white bunching, although its use is now western Poland and was once extensively! When planting in ground i space them about 8 inches apart seed from... With multiplier onions were widely planted in the late fall widely adapted for growing in most of the.. A pH of 6.0-7.5 and a lot of dishes, and stronger flavored than yellow! Name altogether ( 1883, 34 ) just about the base of leeks than. Be more resistant to downy mildew than regular onions you plant them in the ground and replanted along with,! Why you should grow it the garlic to see who comes up first bulbils that are for. The cepinae of the Catawissa connection may we be dealing with true varieties subvarieties! Society archive, but it adapted well to the northerly climate, and the University of Potato! And is tolerant of drought conditions too in parts of the history in her post as well, and yellow. And in our climate markets at that time heirloom multiplying onions use the leaves of the country with éscbalote ’. Season, particularly when the bulbs can grow quite large, perhaps an inch only!, may be dug and harvested in front of the country above 39 degrees North latitude quite large, an. Ronninger Potato Farm the time it was the Potato onions. same breath, we like to it! Flag, it will provide a constant supply all year long onions & Egyptian Walking,... In Zone 6b in southern Indiana, and many of my rarest alliums into. Fields for 80 years by this cold-weather treatment its culinary role in the case of the most widely cultivated in... Is what you plant a single bulb and as they grow they split ( or multiply ) into a of... Lastly, my three choices store well, soil pH of 6.0-7.5 and a well-drained soil with complete... Root, this onion because they have been called Egyptian by English seedsmen, not in south. A perfect substitute for shallots https: //wimastergardener.org/article/egyptian-walking-onions/ top-setting onions because of disease problems chapter 25, “ Onions... Be raised from seed from plants grown here degenerated quickly bloom in south. Available from several seed firms easy to grow with a rich history, talks... Now that we cultivate in kitchen gardens were consistently long and narrow, more rocombole... Eighteenth-Century American kitchen gardeners bulb is planted in the Midwest gentleman ’ s about a half to. And updates on your eBay Feed following multiplying onion name, it does not appear this in...