Topic: Onions and garlic

[AnnieD]

My onions appear to be ready, lying there looking fat and tasty. What's the recommended method? Leave them lying in the soil and harvest as required? Or harvest now and store by tying and hanging up?

Also - how do I know when my garlic is ready for pulling up?

[Tee Gee]

With both onions and garlic when the leaves are flat and serving no purpose it is time to lift your crop in my opinion.

I prefer to lift my crop and place them under cover to drain off/dry on slatted shelving or some such arrangement.

Once dry I cut the leaves off approx. 3"-4" from the bulb so that I have something to tie them together with!

[ancellsfarmer]

As Tee Gee describes but with the addition of moving the onions slightly to break a few (half) of the roots, left to dry for perhaps a week, then gathered onto the rack I use for wilting weeds prior to composting.
My garlic was lifted 4 weeks ago, dried and stored (hangs in shed) Results good, possibly smaller cloves than 2017
Shallots now lifted and drying in sunlight. Grown from supermarket stock, good size but less bulbs per plant than previous, average 4
Onions from sets at the 'loosened' stage.Stutgarter ok but smaller than expected, not watered enough!
Onions from seed still very green, growing and will be probably ready in mid August. several vars, looking fair, possibly rain will help but more likely cause to split, assuming we get some before then!