Can I Harvest Resprouted Onions?

Resprouting

• After the initial tops of the onions fall down, the onion will start to go into a dormant phase. Wet weather and warm temperatures bring the onions out of this state and initiate a second growth, known as resprouting. These onions will not remain fresh as properly harvested onions, and their flavor and texture might be compromised.

Flowering or Bolting

• Onions are biennial and if left in the ground will resprout and later produce flowers and seeds. Onions that produce flowers have bolted. The bulbs at the base of plants with flowers are like resprouted onions and have a reduced shelf life and lower quality because the flower stalk drains the bulb of nutrients and produces an opening for decay of the bulb.

Onions

• Remove onion plants that have sprouted a second time or produced a flower stalk as soon as you notice the problem. These onions will not store well and must be used immediately. The bulbs of such onions will be smaller than regularly harvested onions, but still edible. The tops of the onions can be used like green onions in the kitchen, if desired. Do not store the bulbs of bolted onions because they will rot in storage.

Saving Seeds

• Another option to harvesting sprouted onions is to leave them in the ground for one to two years to produce seeds. These seeds can be dried and planted like purchased onion seeds for growing your own crop. Onions seeds have a short shelf life, remaining viable for only one year.