Should I lift my onions?

[silly billy]

Just wondering if my onions will grow anymore? The tops are starting to brown but there is some green on them.Our chairman has told plot holders to lift their onions now incase they rot as we have had alot of wet weather,my onions seem alittle on the small side this year.Will they grow anymore even if the tops are browning?

[silly billy]

[cornykev]

Mine are the same Billy, I still think a blast of warm weather and they will grow a bit but if your worried about rotting, what I do is rub my finger round the onion moving the earth from around it, you should be able to see or feel any rotting, thats my way anyway.  ;D ;D ;D

[weedin project]

My overwintered shallots had pushed themselves loose, which is a not very subtle hint I think, so I've lifted them and laid them on the surface to "dry" - ha!

Maincrop onions had mostly bent over by last weekend, so I helped the rest of them to bend over, but still not lifting them for a couple of weeks I think. 

My spring-planted shallots have got ages yet.

I put a row of onion seed in the greenhouse bed 3 weeks ago and expect to get "fake chive" thinnings from them in a couple more weeks, then thin them to 1", then to 2", then if there is still enough heat & light maybe to 4" and see what happens.

[cacran]

I lifted my onions on  Thursday, we had glorious hot weather. I lay them out on some upturned bread trys to dry. Saturday, I had a fmily crisis so could not bring them inside and it rained. It continued to be dry then wet then dry again. I left them on the racks but covered them with polythene. Did I do right? How long should I leave them like that? ???

[kt.]

Only got a dozen or so large onions that I have allowed to remain in a small area. 90% of mine are lifted and have been strung up in the shed for about 10 days now. I needed the room for late winter brassicas.

[Deb P]

My Bunton Showstoppers are the only ones left standing now, I just forked them up to break the roots the other day, but now it is raining, so I'll leave them be for a bit...

[growmore]

Hi Cacran,I personally would take the polythene off them ..They should be ok outside  on the bread trays till you can bring them in to be stored ,,Ideally leave them outside till the leaves turn brown and they go friable at the neck.
I think theres alot of onions lost by bringing them in too soon and hanging them with soft necks which tend to start rot ...
What's others think? ..cheers Jim

[JayGee]

I asked this question at the weekend to one of the 'old timers'.  He said that you should lift your onions when the tops start to fall/bend over.  Half of mine have fallen over but I planted mine a couple of weeks after others.  He did say that if it's going to be wet then it may be better to lift them all and dry them off in a greenhouse or shed.  When they've dried for a bit, he said to try get a rack and turn them over (neck down) so that any moisture drips out and then they can be stored for the winter.

[cornykev]

Mine are all hanging in my shed and a few being used as we speak, if theres any green left on them I would leave them a while, a few started going missing on our site so I took them all out.  ;D ;D ;D

[mc55]

I've lifted 95% of mine as the tops have all but disappeared.  They are now in the brick greenhouse on a rack drying.  The remaining ones are still green, so I'll leave them for a week or so and then plant up the bed with green manure.