Question about Onions

Member from another forum asked, will an onion survive his winter of minus 40?

Wants to grow his own seed, so it needs to overwinter.

 

-40 Where is he - Yorkshire ?

 

Gotta be North of Watford at that temperature

 

Up here in Scotland, and that's just a chilly autumn

 

Good point Irmemac

@silu, do onions survive under the ice sheet?

 

Bung one in the freezer for a week, then see if it makes roots.

 

Good question FC. I have no idea, I just know my own grown onions this year made me cry even when peeling the skin off.. Even the red! And I still bought more sets to plant this autumn

 

Growing from seed is cheap, especially if it is your own seed.

Mine from last year lasted me round until May this year, and I've had a reasonable crop again this year of three different types.

You could ask why people grow cabbages? Lettuce, or anything really.
It's usually got something to do with self satisfaction, and you enjoy doing it and watching them grow.

 

Just had a rethink

Why does it need to overwinter?
You dig it up now, overwinter it in a cool place and replant next spring?
Isn't that the normal way of doing it?

 

Why do people strive to grow hotter and hotter chillies?
They all taste the same to me

Must admit onion sets are a bit of a cheat in my opinion, but as I say, satisfying watching them grow, and better than watching paint dry.

 

I think sets are, in a way, cheating too. I did try doing my own from seed this year but cats/wind knocked them about.. however, next Jan I shall be attempting from seed again

 

Just @Zigs . My efforts, on the onion front this year are.....well pathetic isn't really adequate. Let's put it this way,I was attempting to grow the big mild type onions from seed. I harvested these a couple of days ago. The majority of the crop resemble silver skin ie minute. To add insult to injury many of these tiddlers have thick necks too so zero chance of them storing. I reckon I'll be lucky to get more than 3 kilos of useful ones out of the whole lot. Not sure I'll bother next year as I do somewhat agree with FC that the difference between home grown Onions (well mine anyway) and shop bought isn't massive and perhaps not really worth the effort. In comparison the likes of my Cauliflowers , Broccoli, Potatoes and Carrots are totally different to shop bought and worthwhile.