I am in Sonoma county and always plant my onions in Oct/Nov. I plant live onion transplants that I either get from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply in bulk or locally in six-packs. Walla wallas are great but they will not store very long - for that reason I don't plant them or any of the sweet onions. I'll let someone else address the issue of harvesting leaves and small onions. Good luck!

Hi formandfoliage,

Which varieties do you plant that last long?

Hoping to hear more about the leaves and spring onions from the community!

Do you know, I just get whatever Peaceful Valley has - you could call them, tell them where you are, and ask them for suggestions. But if you want to store them, they can't be the sweet varieties, which will only keep a couple of weeks. The varieties which grocery stores sell as 'yellow' or 'white' onions will keep for months in a cool, dark, dry place. I have taken to devoting much more space to shallots than onions, as shallots are expensive to buy at the grocery store and not always available. They store for ages and can be used in place of onions and their taste is not variable. One year I was too late to order and everyone was out of stock and so I just bought a bunch of organic shallots from Whole Foods and planted those and they worked out fine. French Grey Shallots are 'fancier' but so hard to peel (they are quite small) that I reverted back to just the regular red or yellow ones. If you are in the North Bay, Harmony Farm Supply in Sebastopol is a good source, also. Good luck!
Sara

Here is a link that might be useful: Peaceful Valley Farm Supply

Thank you for the information! I'll try to call and figure out!!