Potato onions. I harvested my potato onions. I had about 6 to 7 hundred plants. After an initial rough culling i was left with 330 onions. My selection method is to favour the ones that didn't divide in their first year of growth. I don't know for sure if this is really that important but i just have this idea in my head that if i was to replant a potato onion that already divided in its first year chances are that it will divide once in the second growing season and then a second time, giving me onions with skins in the middle.
Picture of the onions that made it through the first culling. The ones i decided to keep were already taken out.
Potato onions selected for replanting next year. All of these didn't or almost didn't divide.
Some more that i will keep and replant. The divisions here were noticeable under the skin but size was good with one large red one that clearly divided itself but was very big so i will replant it for reference.
Also i am lucky to have found a friend who is willing to replant all those 250+ that i am discarding since there might still be potential good new varieties in there.
All in all i have to say that it was an interesting experience but i am pretty sure that i won't find any new varieties that will make larger sized onions.
Very interesting. Good that someone else is replanting the discarded ones. I wonder if by selecting the ones that didn't divide you might select "normal" onions, which wouldn't divide et all, even in the second year? Maybe I am wrong. Looking forward to reading the report of next year's trial. (I just boringly grow one variety of potato onions, but I would love to have many more one day!)
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