Green ScallionThis popular easy-to-grow onion produces delicately flavored slender stems and juice green tops. Also known as green onions, scallions, or spring onions. Use them fresh in salads, dips, and as appetizers. With repeat sowings, you can harvest from spring through fall anywhere, and year-round in mild winter areas. Culture: Direct sow seed as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. Repeat sowing every 4 to 6 weeks through early fall. Water regularly and fertilize when 3" (7.5 cm) tall. Keep weed-free. Harvest: As needed by pulling the entire plant this variety does not produce large bulbs. Pick green onions (scallions) when plants reach 6-8" tall, while the stalks are still white at the bottom and fairly thin. Nutrition: White Stem provides vitamin C and potassium; Green leaves add vitamin A. Seed Saving: Onions need to overwinter before producing seed. In warmer locations, simply apply a thick layer of mulch and remove it in the early spring. In areas with very cold winters, pull up the onions and cut off half the stem; store them at 32-40 degrees F in a dry place until spring, when they can be replanted. Before planting, cut an X in the top of the onion to allow the stalk to emerge. The plants will flower and go to seed. Remove the seed heads when the seeds become visible, taking care not to shatter the heads and lose the seed. Spread the heads out in a dry place with good ventilation, and let them dry for several weeks. Thresh out seeds and store them in a cool, dry place for up to 2 years. Notes:
LeekThe leek resembles a large green onion, or scallion, long and cylindrical, but the flavor is milder and slightly sweeter. It does not form a bulb, but rather a thick, fleshy stalk about the same diameter as the base, and the leaves are flattened into a fanlike sheaf. The ”bulbs”, or stalks are white, transitioning to light green, then very dark green/blue-green at the tops. The whole plant reaches upward of 2-3 feet. Harvesting: Harvest leeks when they reach a diameter of between ½ to 1-½ inches. Wash your leek plants before cooking with them; as dirt accumulates between their tall leaves. Leek tops do not die back like their onion and shallot cousins. Harvest leeks by pulling them from the earth or digging and lifting them with a garden fork. Seed Saving: Leeks are biennials, meaning they flower and produce seeds in the 2nd year. Because leeks are fairly cold hardy, they can overwinter in the garden in many regions. To produce seeds from leeks, select several perfect leeks, and if necessary for your region, store them through winter, ideally, in a cool, dark, dry space. Replant them in early spring. It is recommended to stake leeks to prevent lodging during flowering. To harvest seeds, cut the seed stalk about 6 to 8 inches below the seed head. The harvested seed heads should then be placed in an open container, or on a screen, to continue drying in a well-ventilated space for at least seven days. Place the heads in a paper bag and shake the seeds free. Assure that the seeds are completely dry before storing the seeds in a cool, dry place. Notes:
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Walla WallaThis long-day Walla Walla onion is a medium to large (2-6") onion with almost translucent, pale flesh that is firm, crunchy, and juicy. The bulbs are squat and globe-shaped with yellow-to-light-brown parchment-like skin. These onions are prized for their sweet and mild flavor when raw, and their sweet, warm flavor when cooked.
Harvesting: Onions are ready to harvest when the green tops turn yellow, dry out, and fall over, but they can also be harvested quite early and used as green onions. Pull by hand or use a garden fork to dig them up. Brush off loose soil and let them sun-cure for a few days. Then move to a protected area for further drying. Refrigeration is your best bet for long-term storage of sweet onions. Cut off tops and roots and wrap separately in newspaper before refrigeration. Seed Saving: : Onions need to overwinter before producing seed. In warmer locations, simply apply a thick layer of mulch and remove it in the early spring. In areas with very cold winters, pull up the onions and cut off half the stem; store them at 32-40 degrees F in a dry place until spring, when they can be replanted. Before planting Walla Walla onions, cut an X in the top of the onion to allow the stalk to emerge. The plants will flower and go to seed. Remove the Walla Walla onion seed heads when the seeds become visible, taking care not to shatter the heads and lose the seed. Spread the heads out in a dry place with good ventilation, and let them dry for several weeks. Thresh out the seeds and store them in a cool, dry place for up to 2 years. Notes:
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CategoriesFDL Seed Library
The FDL Seed Library is a collection of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds that you can borrow to plant and grow at home. By saving seeds as a community we help create local seed stocks that are better acclimated to our climate and which support an abundant and genetically diverse landscape.
We ask that seeds are “returned” by harvesting seeds from a plant or two that you grow. Donated seeds will help to add diversity to our collection. Archives
March 2022
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