Here is a space to share growing information about alliums. Several mixes are offered through the GTS seed collection.
For my growing season I started many types in different patches throughout my garden to try to stave off the rodent pressure. So far some of the bunching onions and leeks ate still surviving while most of the chives are eaten and gone. The rodent has a gourmet eating habit…lol. The leeks and onions are on the left side of the basil.
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I grew out multiplying onions. Not from seed, but they did multiply. They are from the Tohono O’odam nation from the Southwest Sonora desert. They are available thru Native Seed SEARCH in Tucson where many native seeds, desert adapted, are seed banked. Another member of GTS also shared some bulbs for the grow season, and Im grateful to grow them.
I just started pulling the onions so they could dry, then I’ll replant in August, or if they start sprouting. They are mild tasting like a shallot. Lots of history surrounding this allium and it grows well in the sand or mixed compost. Im actively looking for another cultivar that would still be producing seeds, as these do not.
The original post…I dont know how to link…
I got quite some leeks growing, just slowly landracing into something superadapted. I met someone who gave me seeds for a project he did for leek moth resistance. I never had that, but people not far from me have, so fingers crossed. Mixing it in.
I found some wild ones tasting of garlic. Grow them a bit away from the others, but impressive growth so far and good with weed pressure they are.
Onions i keep trying every year, but snails love them a lot. Those hollow leafs are irrisistable. My walking onions face a lot less problems, but they’re clones.
I got garlic feral, but it’s a small one, people don’t like to cook with it much. Got some bigger ones growing as well, keep adding , but yep, clones. I have for the first time this year TSG, so that’s exciting.
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Can you grow companion herbs with them to see if the moth and caterpillar stay away?
never had any. But herbs are everywhere.
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You’re doing everything to make the landrace, wish we could trade seeds soon. Your gardens are wonderful.
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I have a small dilemma: I planted half of my potato onions on one side of the ginger, and scallions on the other. The problem is I didn’t label or write down which is which. So I will be waiting several months to harvest scallions in the interest of not cutting off the potato onions.
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I have the same growing fun! The seeds are planted and growing and now its fun to decipher whats there. Its a good activity to observe for differences and train your eye for variety. Share photographs along the way, its identification investigation…i have leeks mixed with them too…leeks have flat leaves, onions are round and the pattern of growth is different to.
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As a reminder if you were able to harvest seed to get it sent into GTS by November 22, 2025 so it may be included in the 2026 mix. Thank you for growing allium in your garden. Save some seed for growing in your garden again too.
I was not successful in getting seed this season from my garden. Hoping another grower did get seed this season.
Here is the link
@Kimzy The I’itoi Sivol has very similar growing characteristics to an onion I recently discovered called the Florida Finley onion. It doesn’t flower either to my knowledge. I was glad to find this after spending lots of money purchasing seeds based on Andy’s Green Mountain multiplier onion only to learn that they are day length sensitive. Based on the description, I think the Florida Finley may be day length sensitive too just short-day instead of long-day so suitable to the south!
I’ve got some growing now, would you be interested in doing a bulb exchange this summer when they go dormant?
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My potato onions did bulb up to be distinguished from the scallions (most made one or two bulbs; one made 4), and all of them went back into the ground. I also got some of l’itoi bulbs that I’ve added to the mix.
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Hi, I’ve lost my space to grow a garden so there aren’t any bulbs to trade. Glad you are growing some…try Native Seed SEARCH out of Tucson for some bulbs as they usually have them seasonally.
From the potato onions I started from seed spring 2025:
In fall 2025, I dug everything that bulbed before drying down and replanted them all. None had more than 2 bulbs. I also planted some of the l’itoi bulbs from Native Seeds/SEARCH. This year, the various onions from the GTS mix grew between 1 and 8 bulbs of varying sizes. One notable plant grew 6 quite large bulbs, one of which was eaten to check the flavor and the other are being saved to replant.
A few only produced a single large bulb, which will be eaten. Most produced varying clusters of 4 to 20 smaller bulbs.
Some (in the sunnier and drier of the two patches) went to seed this year. Alas, a 2 year old though it was great fun to remove most of the flowers, so there isn’t much seed to share. It is worth noting to those who are new to this crop: the division that produced seed did not produce a bulb, but the rest of the divisions of the plant did. So, it’s not a loss to have a plant that bolts early.
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Nice! Glad you have a harvest to plant. I’m curious to see what you get from your seeds after they get grown out.