what does the Red Spring onion spear mean??

[jono]

Hi all,
I planted, what I brought as red barrons, which have turned out to be a red spring onion. The have done well but have noticed that a few of them have a spear shape at the top of the leaves, what does this mean??
Also how do you tell when your potatoes are ready? I pulled a plant yesterday and all that was at the bottom was the seed potato even though the plant was 3ft high!

[jono]

[antipodes]

For the spuds, it depends. If they are earlies, count between 90 and 100 days from planting. They do not necessarily lose the foliage before being ready but mine are just starting to change colour (go a little yellow and sad looking towards the lower leaves).
For later ones, i always wait till the foliage has died well back before harvesting.
Instead of digging up, just gently move the earth away around the plant, with a small trowel for example, and look for the potatoes that way. You can leave the plant in place then.

[:(]

Hi all,
I planted, what I brought as red barrons, which have turned out to be a red spring onion. The have done well but have noticed that a few of them have a spear shape at the top of the leaves, what does this mean??

Did you buy sets, if so theyre unlikely to be spring onions. Its too early for onions to be ready yet - the tops go over and  turn brown when theyre ready. Leave them a bit longer. The ones that have got the spear at the top are bolting which means theyre trying to go to seed. Cut the stalk with the spear off and use those onions first when theyre ready as they wont store well.

[PurpleHeather]

Onions

The spear shaped leaf is almost certainly going to become a flower and produce seeds.

We call it bolting. nip off the spear with your fingers and as soon as the onion is big enough to use  eat it. It wont store.

Red Onions tend to bolt quicker than white ones and it often happens after a hot dry spell. The onion believes that it is time to die and has to produce new life to continue the species.

Potatoes will take at least 12 weeks to produce more for the pot and the height of the spud tree above the ground is no indication of the new babies underground.

Your potatoes should have been 'earthed up' . You can google earthing up or search on this site for how to do it.

Wait for the potato trees to die off before looking underneath again........

Gonna get some ribbing for calling them trees now from some one with nowt better to do. lol

[cornykev]

Nearly all my winter reds have bolted, useable but not very big, the yellows are a lot bigger but some have followed suit and have started to bolt, just nip off the bud and use these first.
The spuds will need a good watering and earthing up and and as said don't pull the plant up, have a good firkle around in the soil feeling for the spuds.  ;D ;D ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

What variety is it? First earlies will have tubers after three months or so, but maincrops won't tuber till the day length starts declining after midsummer.