Spring onions

This year we have grown 3 different types of spring onion: "White Lisbon", "Ishikura" and "Apache". White Lisbon is similar to the white spring onions that you buy in the Supermarkets:

We find that the tops tend to die back if they are left in the ground too long and need to be harvested as soon as they are ready. In contrast, "Ishikura", a type of bunching onion, does not produce a bulb, the stem just gets thicker over time. Last Autumn we left some small plants in the ground over winter and they were perfectly fine for harvesting the following spring. Our favourite type this year was "Apache":

This type has a very short red stem before turning green where the leaves join. The onion is milder and sweeter than the other two varieties that we grew. If you leave them in the ground they bulb up producing a rather attractive red onion which is also very tasty:

At the beginning of July we sowed some more Apache seed in a small pot:

These were potted on at the weekend and hopefully will be ready for harvest in the autumn.