Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi

I've just received my tree onions and potato onions
(and a few other bits) from Poyntzfield Herb Nursery
(recommended look fine plants and fairly prompt delivery).

Anyway I bought them on impulse and having googled it
they seem to be a good replacement for ordinary shallots
with few problems and longer storage.

Has anyone got any experience of these - are they anything
like normal shallots and would it be worth building up stocks
to replace my shallot planting? I do OK with shallots but
variable from year to year thanks to our great weather.

Thanks Westi

What are potato onions, Westi? Never heard of them.

I was clueless too so looked them up earlier

http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/potato-onions/

Hi Westi

I have never grown potato onions so I can't offer an opinion. I did use to grow tree/Egyptian onions



They are interesting to grow and very easy to propagate - if you leave them to it they will do it themselves (sometimes called "walking onions") by bending to the ground when ripe and taking root. However they will not replace shallots for you - they are quite small, sometimes very small, and rather strong. Needless to say I carried on growing shallots alongside!

Thank you, Chantal and Westi, for teaching me something very new! I have grown Egyptian and Welsh onions, too, but never potato onions. They certainly sound interesting.

The potato onions sound the same as Welsh onions. They are very handy for just digging a couple up when you've used up your stored ones, and you can clip and use the leaves like chives (although more chunky).

The Egyptian onions have quite a strong flavour. Dad planted one about 20 years ago and it is still lurking in the herbaceous border, falling over and the babies taking root and popping up again.

Ello Alan. We were only reading about tree onions recently and my husband is rather intrigued by them and fancies growing them. Are they available in garden centres or only by mail order? cheers Elaine.

Hi Plumpudding

I have Welsh Onions but they never seem to bulb up
which apparently potato onions do. Are Welsh Onions
supposed too; am I doing something wrong?

Westi

Westi

You are doing nothing wrong

Welsh onions do not form bulbs, just a slightly thicker white base. Welsh onions are Allium fistulosum which includes all the Japanese bunching onions. Potato onions are Allium cepa aggregata and so related closely to shallots and other bulbing onions. As far as I recall the "potato" part refers to them forming underground.

Welsh onions, by the way, have nothing to do with Wales. The name comes from Old English Wælisc, meaning "foreign". In the same way they called Cymru Wales meaning "land of foreigners" (to the Anglo-Saxons, that is )

Elaine

I have never seen tree onions for sale in garden centres. The usual method is to beg some from someone who grows them.

Dear Westie. I've just found your February post regarding Potato onions/tree onions and wondered how they are doing?

What is the difference between the two? Are they different species?

My husband is now desperate to grow them but we haven't been able to find any or anyone who grows them. I've looked it up on the net but it was an American site. Is the nursery you used a UK one?

I would appreciate your advice please!
Cheers.

I can recommend the Pontyzfield nursery. They are based in Scotland. They have a very comprehensive herb list and everything was packed well and promptly delivered - good quality plants too. I'm afraid I can't comment on the potato onions as I've not tried them.

Potato onions are basically an unruly shallot or onion. If you plant a small one, it grows into a bigger onion, rather like growing any other onion from an onion set. Plant a large one, though, and it splits into smaller shallot-like divisions. Mostly, though, you get something in between, with a mixture of sizes produced from a single set. Potato onions are of different origin, and depending on how they arose dictates a bit how well they store, how easy they are to grow and their flavour. Their origins are from shallots or onions which go a bit awry. That is, sometimes there will be an individual onion in a row which will split into several. Replanted, they don't always flower, but keep growing in an unruly manner, splitting and dividing to provide more propagating material. So, if your potato onion is a dysmorphic onion, then it will taste and store like an onion; if it's arisen from a disfigured shallot then expect something shallot-like. I had a potato onion arise as a sport from a row of Turbo onions. I kept it going for several years but I no longer have it.

I only had three and one didn't like the earlier damp
weather and the bunny digging it up. I dug the other
two on Tuesday. Each had divided into about 5 about
the size of a small shallot with very small root system.
I plan to keep them for re-planting next year as I looked
on an American website and it said they are better in the
2nd & 3rd years as get bigger and more prolific.

Didn't taste one (but will) but smelt quite strong. My tree
onions have walked but didn't get that tall so will leave them
as well to next year.

Westi