Last Fall I left a number of onions in the ground. By accident or laziness or both. I'm not much on cleaning up my garden after things cool down, so to speak (laziness!). I was quite surprized three weeks ago when I began to clean things up that all of the onions I had let overwinter had divided into large multiples of new onion sets, ready for transplant. On reflection, I know that onions are a type of bulb, so from that standpoint I should not have been surprised. But consulting my vegetable gardening books (lots of these) I find that it is only garlic that is propagated by leaving a few plants to overwinter and then divide the following Spring. This onion plant division occurred with both red and yellow onions, though I have no idea what variety they were - just bought them at the local garden center.

Is this common or some fluke of nature? If common, then I'll never have to buy onion sets again!

Reed Yates
Ft. Worth, TX

Good question! I'll have to go take a closer look at the few green (bunching) onions I never pulled last fall. I have continued to use them all winter but I notice they are a bit more muscular looking now. (Especially since I put in some onion sets nearby.)

In the same general area I have a patch of oregano that wintered nicely and there are garlic plants coming up (I had a bunch of dried out little corm things that peeled off of last fall's garlic when it dried, and I poked them in the ground to see if they'd grow). I can't tell you how wonderful it is to brush past that part of the garden--onions, garlic, and oregano--it smells like an Italian restaurant.

I know what you mean! I haven't planted anything new yet and my marjoram, Italian parsley, Italian oregano, Mexican oregano and thyme are looking wonderful and smell so fresh. I can't wait to put more in the ground shortly!