CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs &Twigs Linda K. Lilie has beon Prosident of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. I bought some yellow onions and brought them home a few weeks ago. I just noticed that they have sprouted. Can I still eat them or can I plant them and re-grow onions? . Megan Judging from the picture you sent., your onions may be too far gone to eat the bulb part. If the shoots and roots are small, you can cut them off and still use the onion if it is firm and shows no evidence of rot If the onion is otherwise firm but has a little mold, you can cut the mold off and use the onion If the onion is squishy, throw it out or compost it, but be sure to save the shoots. In your case, the shoots are well established and you can eat that part or use it in cooking just like you would scallions or green onions. The shoots are rich in Vitamins A. C and E and will taste like onions but will be a bit sweeter. They will be delicious! The second part of your question about planting and re-growing onions gets a yes and a no answer. Onions are what is called a biennial plant - they have a two year life span. The first year, they start from seed. grow into a plant and then become a bulb that goes dormant over the winter. In their second year, the bulb starts growing again but will produce flowers, which when fertilized produce seeds that can be used to start the process all over again. When we harvest onion bulbs in their first year, we are interrupting the two year cycle and while they can be replanted, they will only produce flowers and then seeds. You can of course. harvest the greens which are called scallions or green onions, before they turn into a flower head and use them in cooking and salads. If you let it go to seed, collect the seeds and plant them the following year. To collect the seeds after the seed head has dried out, use a paper bag over the seed head and shake the seed head in the bag. Since the onion originally came from the supermarket, there is no telling where it was grown so you may not be able to regrow bulb onions from seed in your area. Have fun and give it a try! Sprigs &wigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS To: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 best SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR! CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs &Twigs Linda K. Lilie has beon Prosident of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. I bought some yellow onions and brought them home a few weeks ago. I just noticed that they have sprouted. Can I still eat them or can I plant them and re-grow onions? . Megan Judging from the picture you sent., your onions may be too far gone to eat the bulb part. If the shoots and roots are small, you can cut them off and still use the onion if it is firm and shows no evidence of rot If the onion is otherwise firm but has a little mold, you can cut the mold off and use the onion If the onion is squishy, throw it out or compost it, but be sure to save the shoots. In your case, the shoots are well established and you can eat that part or use it in cooking just like you would scallions or green onions. The shoots are rich in Vitamins A. C and E and will taste like onions but will be a bit sweeter. They will be delicious! The second part of your question about planting and re-growing onions gets a yes and a no answer. Onions are what is called a biennial plant - they have a two year life span. The first year, they start from seed. grow into a plant and then become a bulb that goes dormant over the winter. In their second year, the bulb starts growing again but will produce flowers, which when fertilized produce seeds that can be used to start the process all over again. When we harvest onion bulbs in their first year, we are interrupting the two year cycle and while they can be replanted, they will only produce flowers and then seeds. You can of course. harvest the greens which are called scallions or green onions, before they turn into a flower head and use them in cooking and salads. If you let it go to seed, collect the seeds and plant them the following year. To collect the seeds after the seed head has dried out, use a paper bag over the seed head and shake the seed head in the bag. Since the onion originally came from the supermarket, there is no telling where it was grown so you may not be able to regrow bulb onions from seed in your area. Have fun and give it a try! Sprigs &wigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS To: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 best SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR!