Egyptian Walking Onions
We love green onions especially multiplying types that don’t have to be replanted.
Long time Blind Pig reader Bill Dotson got us started growing Egyptian Walking Onions. The onions are a perennial plant. Although the onion tastes the same as others, it has a unique growth process.
Instead of flowering when they go to seed, Egyptian onions form a cluster of bulbs on the top of the stalk. The heaviness of the bulbs force them to fall over to the ground. Once the bulbs have reached soil, it’s as if they’ve planted themselves and they start the growing cycle over. As the onions propagate several times they are “walking” across the ground.
The Egyptian part of the name comes from the unique way the stalks and bulbs sprout. It is very reminiscent of hieroglyphics.
The plant is hardy in zones 3-10. Onions will die back over winter in cold regions, but once warmer spring temperatures arrive new growth begins to appear. Ours grow throughout the winter although at a much slower pace.
This year we’re trying a new variety of multiplying onions a follower shared with us. They are called Tom Onions. Instead of growing new bulbs on top of the plant they multiply in the ground by growing new bulbs hugged up real close to the original onion. We planted them in a couple of places and hope they spread and continue to produce for years.
One other multiplying onion we have growing is a Potato Onion. A different follower sent us the bulbs and we’ve been watching them grow since last fall, but have only harvested a couple. I’ve read that some potato onions never bloom, but ours have already bloomed this year. Like the Tom Onions, Potato Onions multiply at the base of the bulb.
Since plants are called by various names, it will be interesting to see if Tom onions and the potato onions end up being the same plant or at least very similar to one another.
All the onions I’ve mentioned so far can be eaten at whatever stage of growth you prefer. With our more established Egyptian onions we sometimes eat them when they are young as green onions and other times we use the larger ones to chop or dice for recipes. We’ve never had them get as large as onions you buy at the store.
The onions we plant each spring for use as green onions are not multiplying onions. They are actually onion buttons sold to plant for growing large bulbed storing onions. They never grow that large for us and we love green onions so much that we don’t mind. We plant several successions of them each year and then pull them up throughout the summer to eat fresh. If any of the plantings don’t get pulled up at the green onion stage we harvest the larger bulbs and allow them to cure before storing for winter use. We never have very many of them because we pull most of them up to eat as green onions.
The Egyptian, Tom, and Potato onion can be purchased at several places online. An internet search will find them for you.
In the spring of the year feed stores, big box stores, and plant nurseries sell onion buttons (also called onion sets). You can also purchase them online.
Last night’s video: Picking Wild Raspberries & Making Trifle.
Tipper
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I like to use green onions in my soups, especially ramen noodle soup. In the summer when it’s just too hot to be cooking much, I’ll heat up a bowl and chop those green onions on top. Delicious!
My Dad (Michigan) called his onions – winter onions. He said his dad always grew them. When my Dad got married and had a garden, Grampa gave him some onion bulbs. Decades later when I got married and had a garden, Dad gave me some bulbs. My husband’s family (Arkansas & Michigan) talked of sharing ‘Walking Onion’ bulbs. From what I read and hear they are the same type of onions.
I cook with ‘Walking onions’ and eat them as stick/green onions or chopped up in salads, and in a cream cheese & dried cranberry cracker spread/dip. I have 2 fav ways to use the ‘walking onions’. One is a microwave baked potato smashed up with butter & chopped onions. The other is when the onions are tender, I prepare them like green stick onions and cut the sticks into 3 pieces and set aside. Then I add chunked up sweet onions. I make up a pan of Mongolian Beef Stir Fry add the onions, cook up & serve over rice.
My son grows the Egyptian Walking Onions and we love them. I always look forward to the arrival of Vidalia onions in the local stores. I enjoy their mild sweet flavor.
I just got back from my test but won’t know the results until next week. I appreciate all of you praying for me and that nothing serious will show up.
For both Ed and Ron, I have planted a sweet onion in the past named Walla Walla, to me it is as good as a vidalia onion. The seeds are easy to find but finding the sets or slips as I call them ( with the green top started) can be hard to find around here. I don’t think they are really recommended for Zone 8.
I planted Vidalia onions early this spring. I had three that had sprouted in the refrigerator and decided to stick them in the ground instead of the compost bin. Well, one died and the other two immediately bolted and bloomed. So, I’m going to have onion seed and don’t know the first thing about collecting and preserving onion seed. If anyone knows and would let me know I would be eternally grateful.
I have never planted multiplying onions, nor did my parents. As much as I love onions, I should try them. Mom used to dig around green onions and cut the bulbs at the base, leaving the roots in the ground to reproduce. She found ways to use every ounce of life a plant had to offer.
Randy, I will be praying for good CT results for you. I had never heard the saying “don’t claim it” until I developed a suspicious spot on my leg several years ago. That seems to be a popular saying among African American folks when a medical condition causes worry. The girls at work said it, and two older Christian ladies I became friends with at a store in Louisville said it at the same time when I told them about my concerns. So, Don’t Claim It! I didn’t claim it, and it worked for me.
I had never heard of multiplying onions until I read about it on your blog. I always learn things from you. We have a second planting of onion sets that have grown into small green onions in our garden now. I loved watching your video last evening with you and Katie picking raspberries and making the trifle. It looked so delicious. I am very afraid of snakes and the thought that you found a copperhead recently is really scary. I just saw a picture my sister-in-law sent of a copperhead in her backyard swimming pool in Virginia. I have never seen one here. We mostly just have black snakes and garden snakes in our area, but I haven’t even seen one of those this year. There are rattlesnakes but haven’t seen any in our immediate area before. I have to make a dessert for a birthday celebration this weekend for my Mother-in-law. She is 90 years young and still going like a much younger lady. I think I will try your trifle and maybe also your easy cinnamon cake. There will be lots of family and friends there to celebrate. Have a super rest of your day everyone!
I meant recipe
I love onions. I was giving our youngest son a recipie of southern dressing and when I said onions he said he didn’t want to put that in:) Of course, he was a young man and when he made it and came home he said Mother my dressing didn’t taste as good as yours. I said well maybe next time you will put the onions in as they really do make it taste sooo good:) He has followed my suggestion since.
I will be praying for Randy’s test and I have been for Norman too. God bless and keep ya all!
We have white, yellow and red onions growing. I also started onions from seed and they’re doing well. My Egyptian onions died out for some reason last year.
We had storms come through yesterday and our pea trellis was blown over, so we’ll have to get out later today and get it set back up. And we’ve been without power for 15 hours, so our generator has been running since 6 this morning. Thankful that we have that to get us through.
Have a blessed day everyone!!!
on the walking onions do you only cut the tops off & eat as green onions? mama calls them winter onions & she never pulls hers up here in Oklahoma
I have always loved onions, and my daddy grew a lot of them every year, but I have never heard of “Egyptian Walking Onions.” They sound wonderful. I’m going to have to go online and order me some next year.
If wild onions were worth anything, I’d have a gold mine. Tipper, I believe you said something awhile back about planting garlic chives? If you don’t want them to spread, you will need to cut the flowering heads off before they set seed. As to onions, I stay confused nowadays. I plant Georgia Sweet for green onions. They will make a nice head if planted shallow. I have heard they are the same as Vidalia onions but cannot be called that because it is illegal in Georgia to use the Vidalia onion name outside of a designated area. Something similar is true, it seems, for Georgia peanuts. Lots of funny quirks in things agricultural. And it is a much more complex subject than those not involved with it would ever guess.
First off -God bless you Randy at the scan and may they find NOTHING in Jesus name and Norman here’s praying for you too, friend, for health and good things and you too, Randy and all the wonderful friends here at BP & A!!! May you all be in health and the Lord’s will so He will hear and bless you. Now about those walking onions, Tipper, I think onions walking, sprouting, spreading and keeping on going is just a marvelous thing! I mean where would any roast, spaghetti, hamburger, potato salad, pizza, fried potato be or a hot dog without onions??? Onions are a highly under appreciated vegetable and I just wish a few would walk over my way so I won’t have to go looking for them at the store. Btw, onions are now quite costly if you’ll notice… I’m gonna have to walk some walkers in my stead…love and prayers for health and good things to you all!!! Have a blessed day and get to walking like onions for circulation and the heart plus it helps with nerves too…
I keep looking for Walking onions to buy locally but haven’t found them. I guess I’ll have to break down and order them online.
I may have a few later in the year if you want some I have mailed them all over the US the last few years, my email is billdotson@hotmail.com.
And I got started with Walking onions thanks to the Blind Pig and the Acorn. I have mine in a huge nursery pot and they do well. With all of the rain we’ve had in North Georgia, they are growing well.
When I was a kid , we had onions in our garden that we simply called multiplying onions. The Egyptian onions seem to be similar. I go today to have a CT on my neck, the doctor saw something last week he was concerned about. Does anyone know anything about Norman Chester, I haven’t noticed any comments by him in several days.
Prayers on the way regarding the CT.
Randy, I pray that your CT scan will go well, and the results will be normal.
He posted on his you tube channel this morning if you want to check it out. Just type in his name and it should come up.
I don’t know if your comment was about me, but if it was, I do not have a you tube channel and the BP&A is as close I as I come to any of the social media. You have me confused with someone else.
Randy, Norman has a YouTube channel and you were asking about him 🙂 praying all goes well with your test!!