My Onions are Bolting

Do I Harvest Onions Now When Some Are Bolting?

My onions are not falling over yet so they are not actually ready to be harvested, except if  I want some giant scallions, which is what the look like now.  Giant white and giant red scallions.  But they are beginning to flower which is not a good sign. I suspect that this is the result of the strange mix of hot and cold weather that has been confusing all of here here in the San Fernando Valley. It has been suggested that a different variety of onions perhaps should be planted.  I wouldn't have the faintest idea which varieties would be better or if any other would perform better with these weather fluctations.

 Maybe the flowers will provide me with more seeds for this next year.  I hear that some varieties actually have flowers that have little bulbs.  That would be fun to see.

My Tiny Red Rose

So far this year I haven't done much with flower gardening. My African violets are doing nicely. Only 2 of my orchards are still living while the unliving still populate my very expensive orchard pots. I buy the best of everything for my orchards and they reward me drying up and dying. I don't know what I do wrong--probably everything. I spray. I water. I feed. I change potting mixtures.

For companions for my tomatoes I planted marigolds. Good old faithful marigolds. Decorative and useful.

My miniature rose that I got as a gift is outside in its container and is sporting a beautiful red rose the size of a half dollar. Another bud is getting ready to open. Hope it makes it. My once green thumb of which I was very proud is now a dusty brown. When I first got the rose plant it was full of buds and was lovely until it took one look at me and started to go downhill. Moving it out into the sun I hoped to revive it. So far, so good.

Now about my latest present--a gardenia plant. It was also full of buds when I got it for Mother's Day. One did open and bloom. Alas, just the one. Even back in the days when my thumb was magnificently green gardenia plants did not take to me. Maybe I can still coax this one along.

Temperature has gotten hot as it does in Southern California, but with this crazy weather these days one can never predict what will happen. I wish it would rain the way it does back East or the way I hear it does on the Northwest coast.