FRIDAY ROOKIE TOPIC: Egyptian Walking Onions

Egyptian Onions, Also Known as Tree
Onions, Walking Onions, Perennial Onions, Winter Onions, Top Onions.


The Egyptian walking onions can survive freezing cold
winters with temperatures below -24 F.
They are hardy in zone 3-9.


It’s called an Egyptian walking onion because it "walks
like an Egyptian" around your garden, planting and replanting
itself.


The Egyptian onion produces a cluster of bulblets at the top
of the plant instead of seeds, the bulblets are called topsets. Once the topsets are formed the onion plant
will become top heavy and fall over, once the topsets touch the ground they
will root and produce a new onion plant.
The topsets form in the second year.



Egyptian walking onions are one of the earliest plants to emerge in
the spring.


You can harvest the onions at anytime, you can harvest green
onions in early spring, or harvest the onion bulbs growing in the ground in
late summer and early fall. The leaves
can be used like chives.


The onions are generally planted around October. I planted mine just like other onion sets, pushing the topset into Mel's Mix just enough to cover the topset. I planted 16 to a square and will harvest some of them for
spring green onions, I will leave about 4 in each square to continue to grow till late
summer to produce a larger onion bulb in the Mel's Mix. Be sure to leave some of the Egyptian walking onions
to continue to grow to form the topsets in their second year. Once established the Egyptian walking onions will
produce topsets for many years.
http://www.egyptianwalkingonion.com/
http://www.threeandathirdhomestead.com/2010/07/harvesting-and-processing-egyptian.html
So here I am in my SFG with my Egyptian Walking Onions, walking like an Egyptian, and you know me, I like to add some music to my topics every now and then.


Take a look at the music video, and check out the lady with the pink guitar (I like her jeans!)

Thanks so much for the great rookie topic Josh, what a fun onion and I am always looking for new ideas! I love the music too!

Ha, great topic! And NICE PANTS! Need those to walk like an Egyptian! (I love that song) Thanks Josh!

These look like great onions! They do everything. One size fits all. (unlike those jeans that apparently don't fit all knees):

Do you have to mail order these onion sets or would a regular nursery have them?

CC

Josh, I think this is a great topic.
I have some growing and I just clip off some of the green onion (if the bulbits don't fall to the ground, they will put up a green onion) I use scissors to snip into whatever I need onion flavor in.

You might be lucky and find someone that has some growing in their yard, but usually don't find them in nurseries. Lots of mail order cats. have them.

CC, I will send you, or anyone who wants them, some E. onions if you will just pay the postage.
Jo

The Bangles! Too funny.
Hey thanks for the great rookie topic Josh. I know you've got a lot better things to do than come here and entertain us older folks so I appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to put together something for us.
Those onions are very interesting and I may just have to try and get some going
Thanks again Josh. I always love the little personal touches you put on everything!

Thanks everyone! And thank you to all of you for putting up with me

This is a great forum and a great group of gardeners, I have learned a lot of good stuff from all of you!

My neighbor that lives down the road about a mile, brought me the Egyptian walking onions a couple of weeks ago, until then I didn't know anything about them, so I was excited to get some of them and try them out. He told me to plant them now, so I did and they are up about 3 inches.

I looked and the order catalogs have them kinda high in price, ebay might have a better price, but I too have several I could share if anyone is wanting to try them out.

[quote="RoOsTeR"] us older folks...

quote]

Who you calling old Just kidding:D

littlejo wrote:Josh, I think this is a great topic.
I have some growing and I just clip off some of the green onion (if the bulbits don't fall to the ground, they will put up a green onion) I use scissors to snip into whatever I need onion flavor in.

You might be lucky and find someone that has some growing in their yard, but usually don't find them in nurseries. Lots of mail order cats. have them.

CC, I will send you, or anyone who wants them, some E. onions if you will just pay the postage.
Jo

I also have some I can share. Now is the time.

I got my onions! Thanks, Jo! Do I leave them in their bag and wait until Oct to plant them or should they be planted right away?

CC

Beautifully written. Informative, Entertaining.

Josh, I want to be like you when I grow up.

I've read many of your posts, and very much appreciate the information, commitment to SFG and the modeling online of being a certified instructor. Mind if I copy a few things?

Jerry

CapeCoddess wrote:I got my onions! Thanks, Jo! Do I leave them in their bag and wait until Oct to plant them or should they be planted right away?

CC

Hi CC, I am just now seeing this post! Plant them now! They will at least get their roots down before you'all freeze up! They will be one of the first up in the spring.
Jo

I also have some available if someone wants to try them. I use the leaves in place of green onions - great for stir fry and fried rice! The bigger bulbs in the ground can be used like shallots, and even the little bulblets from the top are edible - just harder to work with those tiny things!

GG

Got my Egyptian walking onions today! Thanks soooo much Turan They will be planted tomorrow! How exciting and they smell fantastic!

cheyannarach wrote:Got my Egyptian walking onions today! Thanks soooo much TuranThey will be planted tomorrow! How exciting and they smell fantastic!

So a few more of us are growing these wonderful onions now.  I'm a bit baffled by what's going on with mine.  They are so big and tall in the tiny box I have them in that I want to plant some outside the box in a place where they can walk to their hearts content.  I have bulblets in the middle and at the tops.  The bulblets in the middles have more leaves coming out of them.  The bulblets at the tops have flowers coming out of them.

Question:  Do I take the top bulblets, divide them and plant them now, or do I wait til they are finished flowering and go to seed first?

CC

These things are almost impossible to kill, so I would say give it a try now with the bulblets.

GG

OK, thanks, GG.  I divide them first, right?



I think I'll also plant the ones in the middle that grew these.

CC

You can divide them or just toss he whole cluster down.  I have so many that I don't divide, I pawn off on friends!   However, if you are still trying to extend your bed, divide up and let them conquer. 

GG