Onions are ready to harvest when the bulbs are mature.
The onion bulb is mature and ready to harvest when the foliage bends over and turns yellowy. Today, TopVeg pulled the winter onions which were planted in November.
The onions were lifted by carefully easing out with a fork.
The onions have to be dried if they are to be stored. In good weather the onions are left on the surface of the soil to dry. But the weather forecast is promising rain, so the onions will be dried under cover, in an airy shed. Also, the soil is very wet, following heavy rain last week. The onions would not dry well if left on wet soil, & they may become diseased.
First, the wet soil was brushed off the onion roots.
Then the onion bulbs were spread out in a flat wooden box, and stored in a cool, airy, well-lit shed.
No damaged, soft or spotted onions should be stored. They should be cooked immediatley for eating or freezing.
Some onion tops had rotted off because of the wet weather. These will not be stored, but eaten as soon as possible.
Drying will take 7 - 21 days, depending on the temperature and humidity, and the size of the onion bulbs. The onions should be regularly checked, and any problem bulbs should be removed & taken to the kitchen.
This is very useful information. I was wondering when I would know that my onions were ready. Thanks.
Comment by farmingfriends - July 8, 2007 9:10 pm
Hello Farming Friends
Glad you found this post useful. It is easy to forget how far on the season is, with the weather we are having.
Thanks for your comment
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - July 9, 2007 8:05 am
My garlic and onions have been harvested also. The elephant garlic looks as though it could have used another week or two. It had small bulbette looking things at the roots as though they would have turned into more cloves. The bulbs do not have real defined cloves, but they are large.
I’ll go over the shallots and sort through the ones that I have which also have the tops rotted off. As I was harvesting, I saw a few like that. I’m wondering if my raised bed lacks drainage in the corner they were in. I’ll have to dig in and see.
Thanks for the post.
Comment by Lynn - July 10, 2007 9:04 pm
Lynn
Good to hear your news. It seems to have been a bad garlic year for us, too. Thanks for your comment.
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - July 11, 2007 6:51 am
My red onions have seeds now spilling out of the tops of the plants. Can/Should I remove them and can I use them to grow?
Comment by Learnergrower - July 17, 2007 8:23 am
Hi Learner Grower!
Your onions are bolting!
Bolting means they go to seed, that is, instead of producing a nice big onion, they put all their energy into producing a seed head.
Modern sets are heat treated to destroy the internal flower bud, & stop bolting. But red onions are prone to bolting & over 50% of our red onions have sent up a flower stalk this year.
We cut it off, so they don’t waste energy on producing seeds.
Your seeds will be a mix of genes, & could produce the world’s best onion - on the other hand it could be the worst. So most people leave seed production to the specialists, so that you can be confident of getting some decent veg!
You reap what you sow! The best thing about gardening is that you keep learning!
All the best, learner grower,
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - July 18, 2007 4:44 am
[…] detail on how to tell when onions are ready to harvest can be found by clicking the link. harvest onion store vegetable […]
Pingback by Top Veg » Blog Archive » Rain Causes Early Onion Harvest. - July 22, 2007 4:23 pm
[…] been spread out in an open slatted box and left to dry in a very airy place. More information on harvesting onions can be found by clicking the link. harvest onion store vegetable […]
Pingback by Top Veg » Blog Archive » Harvesting Red Onions. - July 22, 2007 4:29 pm