Ideas for a perennial veggie plot

[goodlife]

Jeannine at the moment I grow wild leek and been growing tree onions=walking onions in past.
Walking onion you grow just like normal onion..but..once the 'flower' stem sprout..on the top will actually appear lot of mini onions in a bundle.
You can use those as fresh mini onions or pickle them and if you leave them be the stem will fall down and all the little ones will root on soil and thus form new growing points...or you can separate them and get them tidier spaces on ground.
Babington leek is very similar to walking onion but just leek and you can eat the young green leek as well as the bulb under ground and on top of the stem.
Wild leek does flower but doesn't produce bulbils on the stem..instead it produce tiny bulbils underground around the base of the 'old' bulb...again all parts are edible/usable in different stages.

[goodlife]

[Jeannine]

Well I have been shopping.

I fouind Skirret, on it's way..

Multiplier onions and three types of Egyptian onions bought and being shipped in the autumn.

Still working on the others..

XX Jeanniune

[Ian Pearson]

How about the Three-Cornered Leek? More productive and earlier than either chives or garlic chives. delicious leaves, flowers and small bulbs.
I've posted about it here, with photos (towards the bottom of the page):
http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com/2011/02/winter-foraging.html

[artichoke]

I'm astonished! I once pulled up a pretty flowering allium from a gutter in Eastbourne and put it in my garden, and have regretted it for the past 10 years of attempted eradication! It never occurred to me that it was edible. What a revelation! It spreads like wildfire, if anyone is thinking of planting it, but I suppose you could scythe off the flowers. Thanks!

[saddad]

Hmmm might have to try those...  :)

[grannyjanny]

Mmmmmmmmmm I wouldn't mind that one too ::).

[Jeannine]

Thank you Ian..another one to search for, XX Jeannine

[Ian Pearson]

Sounds like Artichoke has plenty to spare   ;D
Yes, I suspect a lot of people plant it for its flowers. It's fine so long as you harvest it regularly to prevent flowering. Or eat the flowers, which have a super-strong oniony flavour, nice fried.

[tai haku]

How about the Three-Cornered Leek? More productive and earlier than either chives or garlic chives. delicious leaves, flowers and small bulbs.
I've posted about it here, with photos (towards the bottom of the page):
http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com/2011/02/winter-foraging.html

Funnily enough I had some of these on top of my fajitas tonight  ;D It's very common here on Guernsey - grows through and competes with grass ;D on verges for example.  Very nice but may be invasive to the point of being a problem elsewhere in the world I'd wonder.

I know you have leaf beet on the list Jeannine but I'd try and get hold of some wild seabeet too - Again its common here and I forage it rather than growing it but its very tough and very delicious and I think a little more interesting than the cultivated forms as a leafveg (although that may be the salty growing conditions perhaps?).

[Jeannine]

Sea beet, thank you.

Yesterday I received some of the onions that were supposed to be shipped in the fall!!

I have Fleeners Topset, they are in little clumps, like tiny pickling onions.

I also got what are described as multipliers called Broome Longkeeper.

I have to admit I am thinking I am really thick when it comes to these onions, my brain is just not taking it in.

I think I have the first ones figured out, they topple over and re grow..walking onions,definately perennial, but the other ones which look just like shallots I am confused about.Is this one perennial or is it just another form of shallots.Oh by the way shallots are not easy to find here unless in seed form. I don't want to put the Longkeeper in my perennial bed if just shallots. ???

I also got Sorrel seeds yesterday too, so I  am making a start.

Another question. Am I OK to plant these two onions together in the same bed, I read somewhere that they don't make seed , if that is right I guess they can't pollinate each other.

I have two other types of walking onions also coming in the fall.

You know squash are much less complicated.

I am still searching for other stuff.

Thank you for the help.

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

Yes, onions will be ok together..as they are propagated from 'sets' they won't cross.
Broome longkeeper is actually potato onion..but..really there is not much difference to shallots..they should grow larger than shallot.

[Jeannine]

But do I leave them in the ground as I woulkd the other one or replant them as |I would for shallots?

XXJeannine

[goodlife]

Well..you could with some protection..they are not quite as hardy as walking ones..so propably better treated as shallot..
This is good page about potato onion cultivation..
http://waldeneffect-org.branchable.com/blog/Potato_onion_cultivation/

[Jeannine]

That is great thankyou. I read on there someone from Europe was saying they are not available over there..is that right?

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

I've never seen them in any cataloques although I know odd nursery who does supply if you are lucky to be 'first' in queue.
I do know few members here who does grow them though.

[Jeannine]

Bump .. for interest and updates

I have found three cornered leek

XX Jeannine

[artichoke]

I've been trying hard to get rid of my three cornered leek, but I've been a  bit more resigned to them since I found out they were edible, and  quite nice.

[Hector]

If you do get sea beet, a blog I occasionally read has a super article recipe...look at his veg link too
http://huntergathercook.typepad.com/huntergathering_wild_fres/2011/04/sea-beet-and-phat-beets-saag-aloo.html

[brown thumb]

i had my tree onion and babington leek delivered to day from plants with purpose the size of spring onions at over £2 a bulb i was expecting them to be the size of average normal onion :o :o :o :o

[Hector]

i had my tree onion and babington leek delivered to day from plants with purpose the size of spring onions at over £2 a bulb i was expecting them to be the size of average normal onion :o :o :o :o

Spooky, I got mine too :)