You can plant those bulbils this fall. It doesn't hurt to wait until the stalk drys some. I'm not sure if they would keep long enough to be planted next spring. I know that they will keep several months after picking. I have always picked them and planted as soon as the stalks are getting a little brown.

If you have the true brown or red Egyptian, I assume that the sprouts you mention are coming out of the topsets. By now, those should be far enough along to be able to separate and plant immediately. Those particular topsets will not keep long since stored moisture will be lost through the stems. Those would be great for starting a new bed now or for scallions in another month or so. The ones that you'd want to save would be those which have no sign of any green sprout. If kept in a cool dry area, the larger ones should easily last until March or April. They are able to lose a surprising amount of weight and still be quite viable.

Martin

Catherine, I harvested a good sized bag of bubils last fall and was offering them to all visitors:) The bag of about 20 (by now) sat in the vegetable crisper all winter and this spring I was surprised to see they were starting to sprout. I planted some out and they're fine. So I guess they're pretty hardy.

Thanks everyone!
Peggy.....did you pop your bulbils off before they started growing any stems? (leaves??)
Martin.......these are your grandbabies! Or should I say grandbulbils! I think I will do that.......would love to have some scallions in a bit!
Thanks everyone. I'd be lost without you.

If they came from me, they are probably not Egyptians but Catawissas. Close enough so that the same advice applies. As yet, I don't think that I've sent Egyptians to anyone but I'm working to increase my stock of two different types. One has the same reddish-brown colors of the Catawissas. The other has greenish-white colors of Heritage Sweet. For a large spring onion, I actually like that one the best. However, each stem only produces about 6 to 8 topsets and the underground bulbs are slow to divide.

Martin

Hi Catherine, yes I did get them before they started growing stems.

Yes, Martin, I guess I knew they were Catawissas, but I'm so uneducated about onions, that I call them Eqyptian. Are both types considered "walking onions"? ......and walking onions are also called "top-setters", right?
Thanks Peggy!