Onion harvesting advice please

[supersprout]

My onions from sets have been flopped over for a fortnight. When will they be ready to harvest?



My mum always used to (get my dad to) dig the fork under them and wiggle to loosen them and leave them for a week or so, then lifted them properly and dried them outside on a wire rack until there wasn't any green on the leaves. Is this the preferred method or what are the alternatives?

[supersprout]

[Tee Gee]

The advice you have already been given is sound advice.

Its the method I use.

[supersprout]

Good news TeeGee, I owe my mum a lot in the gardening line. What's the benefit of leaving them half-lifted for that week or so, rather than lifting them off the bed straight away?

And would you say they're ready to start harvesting now?

[dingerbell]

Does this also apply to Shallots? What is the best way to store Shallots? Can I string them up like Garlic? Talking of which my Albigensian is looking fabulous and so too are the Whites....bulking up nicely....pickled Garlic with strong Cheddar....Mmmmmm ;D

[keef]

When they get like that i always twist the tops round a bit and lay them all down pointing north - so that the top of the actual onion is in full sun - then lift them out the soil a bit.

With shallots i lift them out the soil when the tops are almost completely dead. Leave them for a week or so - then collect them up and put them on wooden boards in the full sun to let them dry out properly.

Shallots store well in a basket, one from Tesco's is great!  ;D Too much hassle to string up.

[Squashfan]

We dug our onions up to make room for other things and they are now spread out all over our back garden on tables and burlap. Dug up the shallots too. I went out this morning to put out some laundry, and discovered a note tucked under one of the onions. Our neighbours were cooking dinner, saw the onions, and borrowed one for their soup last night!  ;D

[Tee Gee]

Quote;What's the benefit of leaving them half-lifted for that week or so

To ripen them, and as has already been mentioned if you turn / move the tops this will allow sunlight to get to them better.

If the weather is wet at harvesting times I have a slatted bench in my greenhouse to dry them out. This arrangement can be seen in the Autumn section of the slide show I placed in the 'Gallery' forum

Then when ripened I remove the stalks,loose skins & roots and store them like this;

[tim]

Half lifting? Surely just to break the roots so that they dry out more quickly - without having to find storage space??

[helenmj66]

I was surprised to see these messages as I thought it was too early to harvest onions yet.  This is my first year of growing from sets - how do you know when to harvest?  Also if you harvest now can you set plant more sets or is it too late?

[supersprout]

Love the idea of north-facing stems, it will look so neet keef! 8)
TeeGee those are fabulous strings of onion, I can only aspire! :o :)
yes helen, I thought it was too early to harvest too, but the onions are telling me it's time to think about it ???

[Obelixx]

Onions ready to harvest now are usually Japanese onions planted in the autumn.   I should have thought it was still a bit early for spring plantings to be ripe enough.  As it is the long cold winter and cold wet May have meant that my autumn sets have only just had the their tops flipped over (to the east as the rows are north - south) and are ripening at last.   They should be ready for loosening in about a week.   Warmer climes will be further along.

My shallotts are nowhere near ready.

[supersprout]

All the Japanese onions have been eaten - we harvested them in late May!
And the garlic I expected to harvest end July came up early this month.
Maybe we just have good conditions here for alliums ::)
Looking at my pic Obbelix, are these onions from sets done growing, do you think, or should they stay in a little longer? ???

[Roy Bham UK]

All the Japanese onions have been eaten - we harvested them in late May!

Superstprout, do you eat em raw? I tried one last week for the first time and it was 'Hot' 'Hot' 'Hot' and maybe not ripe enough. ::) Oh I'm from Bham BTW ;D Tee hee ;D

[Tee Gee]

Quote; how do you know when to harvest?

I usually let the leaf tips tell me when to lift them, i.e. when the top couple of inches turn yellow I get to thinking its time to lift them.

[grawrc]

I've been using my autumn planted ones as I need them but they are also beginning to flop althought they are still very green. I intend to carry on using them as required and wait till later in July for lifting. ... but what do I know!? :-\

[Obelixx]

Hi Supersprout - mine look like yours with very green leaves still so I'm leaving them a bit longer.   We're currently baking hot here and that should help ripen them up.  I hope so.  I want the space.

[pakaba]

Hi
We haven't got many onions (1st full year on plot will grow more in future) i have been picking the odd one, as and when it's needed, i don't need the space so would  i be better off leaving them in the ground and picking them when i need them over the summer, or will this ruin them?  They were autum planted sets, and the tops are all lying down, still some green on them.

Paula

[Robert_Brenchley]

Sounds as though it's time to lift them. Use the ground for something else.

[grawrc]

What would be good to plant in their place?

[Tee Gee]

My winter brassicas follow mine.