Allotments 4 All

Now then, when can we begin to lift  our onions?

No idea what to look for (if there are any signs to show when to lift etc)

Not sure of what Sophie planted this year, but one lot are red onions, one lot are giant stutgarten? and the other totally escape me on this gorgeous day!

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Les.

If you planted them out in spring then you're looking at around mid august to lift them. That's not hard and fast so a better indicator is to watch for the stems to turn yellow and start to topple. If it's a wet August, this will be delayed but you can speed it up a bit by bending the stems over.

Thanks KK

One more thing some of them, say 5 of them, seem to have little bulbous growths on the tips of the stems.  What might this be?

Those onions are bolting, (running to seed). All the 'power' of the plant is going to produce that seed head. If left you will have a nice giant 'dandilion' head. Pull or cut it off now!

If you hope to store the onions - don't bend the tops over - it can damage the stem and cause rot which will not enhance the staorage!!!

If they refuse to go brown in September, gently lift them with a fork to break the roots, then they will start to ripen for storage

Phil

When you say pull do you mean pull the onion or just pull off the seed.

Les

Take off the seed head without disturbing the onion.

OK

Thanks KK

Les

It is still a bit early, but from July onwards I'll be pulling onions to use fresh. They might not be maximum size but I planted a lot of sets and can afford to use them smaller.

You can see how big they are getting from the size of the swelling above ground. I generally pick one of the larger red ones for a summer salad - they are expensive in the shops at that time.

:-*Tricia

Well we pinched off the seed nodule on the onions last night.

Wow, we were amazed, we gently opened one up and there were hundreds of seeds in there how beautiful nature is!

A question for the future, is it possible to keep the seeds to use for the next season (either as seeds or can these be grown to sets) and if so what would we need to do?

Les n Soph

The seeds you have picked aren't developed so won't propogate. Onion sets are cheap so it really isn't worth saving seed, but for a wider choice of onion or for the older varieties, you have to start with seed. If you want to try growing unusual or less common onions from your own stock then you need to start off with buying or begging seed. Just let one or two from each variety you sow, run to seed. Keep a close watch on the seed pod and just as you think it's about to 'pop', cut the stem off about a foot down, put a cloth bag over the seed pod and hang it upside down. A few days later you'll have a bag of seeds.

Thanks  KK

I would like to try something like that.

Les

I agree with Tricia, pull 'em as they are big enough and you need onions!  My winter onions are getting massive now, bigger than I can get at the supermarket so I am thrilled, so I will be alrite for onions  :o!.  My spring ones are giant stutgart, same as you Les, and they are about the size of a giant spring onion........almost snooker ball size I guess.....I will just leave them to it until the weather starts to turn, or until they are a good size, whatever comes first!  ;D

Even if the seed were viable, it's not a good idea to use them as they are form a plant that ran to seed early - the advice is the same for all plants, unless, of course, it's the seed you want such as coriander for seed

Phil

A friend of mine told me that the white onions I have planted will not store well so should I lift them early as and when they are required in the kitchen

I planted them in march ???

What variety are they, Fred?

Unknown variety... They were the first gift from a long standing lottie owner to the green newbe....

Les, if I am reading your question correctly, what you were seeing in your 'seed' nodule are actually the flower buds (you don't say anything about them going through that stage yet). If the opened nodule was attractive to you, then hold the thought- onions in flower are far from attractive!

Thanks John.

They didn't get passed that stage, we nipped them in the bud so to speak.  Hopefully we will never see onions in flower so we will take your word for it.

Les

John,

Beauty is in the eye of the behold so to a grower of onions, the sight of a flower is not attractive, but the flower itself is attractive (IMHO)

Phil

Perhaps the tthread should now move to non edibles