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How/when to harvest onion bulbs?
Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 7:34 pm
by PunkRotten
This is my first time ever growing bulbing onions. I planted seeds of Candy and Red Bottle onions back in OCT. Not to long ago I notice they are starting to bulb up. I can recognize that a transition is about to occur. They look as though they are gonna fall over soon and they are starting to get some yellow/brown leaves. Should I cut back on watering? When? And for how long? How should I harvest and cure them? Tips are appreciated. Thanks
Re: How/when to harvest onion bulbs?
Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 8:40 am
by tomc
Yes I might slow down on watering, and I'd dig a test onion or two to see how they have bulbed up. Once the top falls over they are done and need to be air-dried out of direct sun.
Re: How/when to harvest onion bulbs?
Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 12:45 am
by jal_ut
Generally the onion bulbs are partially out of the ground, You don't need to dig nor pull to see them. When the tops are looking as you say, maybe thinking about falling over, go ahead and smash them over. Lay them down as in this picture.
Now leave them like that until the tops dry up. Then pull the onions and leave them lay on top of the ground for a while longer to dry well. If the weather is wet, bring them in the garage and spread them out to dry. They need to dry well for storage. When dry cut the tops off and store them.
Also be advised that if you want an onion to eat, you can pull one anytime. Have fun!