Question about garlic and onion

[KranK]

Hello, I started gardening last year. My garden has veeery poor soil. We wanted to grow some onions and buried those little onions in soil (they were whole about 1 centimeter below the surface). The bulbs were so little. We were harvesting greens before bulbs. So i have a question - were they little cuz of poor soil or being buried whole, or greens being picked?
And in autumn we planted some garlic (the type that u need to plant before winter), and buried in whole too. It started sprouting some time ago. I saw that when people plant garlic, whole cloves are buried in soil, nothing sticks out.
And the final question - can i harvest greens from onion and garlic and expect them to grow nice bulbs, or is it "either greens or bulbs" thing?

 

[Sally PB]

And the final question - can i harvest greens from onion and garlic and expect them to grow nice bulbs, or is it "either greens or bulbs" thing

With onions, you can plant some perennial onions that you can harvest greens and onions. One kind is often called Egyptian Walking Onions.

For garlic, unless you planted a hardneck variety, grow it for the bulb only. With hardneck varieties, it sends up a center stalk that is called the "scape." It's the plant's flower stalk, and it's edible. They aren't a "thing" here, but they are very popular in other countries. When you buy garlic for planting, it should be marked as either hardneck or softneck.

Plant garlic cloves pointy end up, and about 2" below the surface. Plant onion sets so that the very top is right at surface level. Onion sets are small onions that you plant in the spring; they send up leaves and the onion grow into a big bulb. Do not cut the leaves; that is what feeds the bulb.

Both like good soil.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

For the onions it was probably a combination of picking the greens and the poor soil. You can grow other varieties to just for greens. Each of those bulbs grows one onion plant so that shouldn’t be an issue. You also could have gotten the wrong type for your area. There are long day onions, short day onions and day neutral onions. Day neutrals will grow anywhere. Long day onions grow up north where the days are long during the summer and short day onions grow best in the south where the days are shorter.

Garlic you should separate the cloves and before planting to give them enough space to grow. And yes it’s either leaves or bulbs unless it’s the hardneck kind and then you can pick the flower stalk but none of the leaves. For garlic flavored leaves you can grow extra and only pick leaves from them or you can grow garlic chives.

 

[KranK]

Oh so as i thought. Fortunately i've got some chives that grows every year without planting new one. I've even gathered seeds so i can plant more of it as it takes almost no space.

 

[Sally PB]

One thing about onions that I read last fall that I didn't know...

Usually, you don't want to use too much nitrogen on root plants (like potatoes). Nitrogen helps the leaves grow, but doesn't help the roots as much, and tubers (potatoes) are a modified root.

But the onion bulb is actually modified leaves. So nitrogen (like aged chicken poop compost) is appropriate for onions.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you look at an onion bulb it is in layers. Each individual layer is fed by an individual leaf. Some layers are really thick, each had a good leaf feeding it. By cutting off the leaves you do hurt bulb development. If you are going to eat a "green onion" I'd just pull it and eat the whole thing.

 

[Davethebirdman]

Hello, I started gardening last year. My garden has veeery poor soil. We wanted to grow some onions and buried those little onions in soil (they were whole about 1 centimeter below the surface). The bulbs were so little. We were harvesting greens before bulbs. So i have a question - were they little cuz of poor soil or being buried whole, or greens being picked?
And in autumn we planted some garlic (the type that u need to plant before winter), and buried in whole too. It started sprouting some time ago. I saw that when people plant garlic, whole cloves are buried in soil, nothing sticks out.
And the final question - can i harvest greens from onion and garlic and expect them to grow nice bulbs, or is it "either greens or bulbs" thing?

Before you garden you have to prepare the beds with fertilizer and soil.

 

[PopoMyers]

If you want onions to grow round larger bulbs on the bottom, you have to leave them alone (don't cut any greens) and growing until the tops naturally start falling over and yellowing. When they start drying, pull them up and cure them in a ventilated warm area..I hung them draped on ladder rungs last year, with no rain in the forecast.

 

[chickengr]

Hello, I started gardening last year. My garden has veeery poor soil. We wanted to grow some onions and buried those little onions in soil (they were whole about 1 centimeter below the surface). The bulbs were so little. We were harvesting greens before bulbs. So i have a question - were they little cuz of poor soil or being buried whole, or greens being picked?
And in autumn we planted some garlic (the type that u need to plant before winter), and buried in whole too. It started sprouting some time ago. I saw that when people plant garlic, whole cloves are buried in soil, nothing sticks out.
And the final question - can i harvest greens from onion and garlic and expect them to grow nice bulbs, or is it "either greens or bulbs" thing?

if you cut the onion greens water will enter the bulb and rot. that's why we sometimes see nice looking onions with a few rotten layers inside.

 

[CDitzel]

When I grow onions I plant closer together and then take every other one to eat like green onions and let the others grow into a bulb. Best of both worlds.