Here's the process:

Some of us are working on some of the very basic FAQs. When ready I will post the Q and A for comment. We'll get it polished, and I'll post it to the FAQ.

There are other Qs that some folks feel should be in the FAQs. What we need to do is get a list of questions and then decide on the top 6-8. Then I'll start one thread for each Q, and we can develop the answer. Once we have it polished, I'll post that to the FAQ.

So, let's use this thread to garner input for QUESTIONS ONLY (we'll work the answers later) that we would like to see on the FAQs page.

Please post any Qs you think would be well suited for the FAQ section. Also, as others post questions, you can 'vote' on them if you think they are good ones also. Positive comments on other questions only!

Let's give it a week or two and see how it goes. Once we have the top 6-8 good questions, we can work on answers.

Ready, GO!

What's the difference between softneck and hardneck garlic and which type does best where?

What's the difference between long-day and short-day onions?

My onion / garlic tops are falling over ... what do I do?

How do I cure and store alliums?

1) When do I plant, when do I harvest?

2) How deep do I plant and what spacing?

3) How do I harvest?

4) What do I do with them once they are out of the ground?

5) How long will they store and where do I store them?

Some of these will be stand alone, and some will be covered as part of answers to broader questions!

thanks for doing this,

~T

tom

In adition to general questions there should be at least 6-8 specifically for garlic
1) hardnecks vs softnecks
2) planting stock selection and preparation (bulb size, clove size, breaking apart bulbs without bruising, washing in baking soda solution or alcohol (or not), etc)
3) how to plant (when, how deep, spacing, fertilizing, mulching, etc)
4) if/when/how when to cut scapes (and what to do with them - yum!)
5) when/how to harvest and cure
6) favorite garlics for various zones/climates
7) storage
8) multi-year strategies (rotation, bed development, building stocks from purchased bulbs)
9) pests

Onions:
1) long day vs short
2) starting onions (including starting seeds, buying sets, and buying started plants)
3) transplanting out (when, spacing)
4) green/bunching onions
5) maintaining (feeding, mulching or not)
6) when/how to harvest
7) storage

Shallots - there are surely some specifics here, but I don't know them.

Flowering Alliums - likewise there must be some faqs for this subset

What are alliums?

When do I plant alliums?

How is the planting bed prepared for alliums?

How deep do I plant and at what spacing?

What care (watering, fertilizing, etc.) is needed during growing?

When and how do I harvest and store alliums?

What's the difference between softneck and hardneck garlic?

What's the difference between long-day and short-day onions?

My onion/garlic tops are falling over ... what do I do?

Can I plant onions/garlic I buy at the grocery store?

Can I save seeds or bulbs for planting next year?

Jim

What are some good starter varieties (for my location)? (the answer, of course, distinguishing between climates) You know, a good basic sampler, some onions, some garlics, some chives, some shallots, some whatever.

How much should I plant? (plant vs. yield for various alliums)

Sets, seeds, or transplants?

Of course, hardneck vs. softneck (see, I have been reading through the forum)

Really, really basic stuff.

Can't wait till they're posted. I'm new at gardening in general, not just alliums. God bless GardenWeb.

Remember what FAQs are, *frequently* asked questions. Their purpose is to avoid large amounts of redundancy in the threads, not to provide a comprehensive reference to alliums.

Jim

Jim

When do I order garlic and how do I store it until I plant it?

This FAQ is going to be great....

~Thalia

What alliums can we grow in the hot, humid south east?
Specifically, are there any of the large 'ornamental' alliums that will thrive here?

Thanks for putting this together.

Dear Nelz & extended gardening family,

I am a gardening newbie and would like to get some onion sets planted in mid-March or so.

1. I was wondering how close you and the group are to completing the Allium FAQs.

I do have one question to add to the suggested list. Hopefully, some kind soul will answer it.

2. Are there any edible ornamental onions that reproduce by generating additional bulbettes? If not, are there any edible ornamental onions that one could reasonably eat in a survival situation that do not taste too bad?

Thank you in advance for your kind answer to these questions.

Sincerely,

Ken

OneEagleOne

Reference:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/allium/msg072241487269.html

Q. will garlic cross pollinate.
A. No.

TIA

If it does not exist, are there some other recommended garden sites that have reliable FAQs for Alliums posted?

This web page is the # 1 hit on Google for Allium FAQs.

Thank you.

A: Yes