Harvest and eat or harvest and cure. Answer + 4. If you don’t want to use synthetic fungicides, consider organic options, like oxidate and copper. I leave them in the sun for a couple days, then bring them in, braid them, then hang them up in the pantry for the final curing. They have “never fallen over at the neck” but they are growing vigorous leaves and the are now seeding. It’s easy to get this confused – the green tops may fall over from wind or rain, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the tops have fallen over. That is quite a long time. Tops falling over prior to the bulb reaching maturity can result in decreased yields. It should pop right out of the soil. Thanks. Will onions cure ok outside with that, or should I bring them inside into the air conditioning for a better result? Onions tend to bewilder home veggie gardeners. These may hold moisture and prevent the onions from drying properly. It is always a good idea to harvest onions during a dry period of weather, if possible. Now with all your onions harvested it is time to begin curing them. For long-day areas, sets or transplants will produce large bulbs Once the transfer of carbohydrates, or bulbing, begins (you’ll see the soil begin to crack around where the bulb is forming), the growing cycle is complete. It was a small way to say thank you for the efforts…. Be sure to harvest in late summer, before cool weather. Wait till the tops fall over before harvesting onions. You can cut the tops off at this point if you wish, but isn’t necessary. In the northern states, there is adequate time for intermediate-day onions to produce at least 10 to 12 leaves before the bulbing process begins. Here is a quick and easy guide on how to harvest and cure onions. If you do decide to cut the tops off leave about two inches of the neck attached to the bulb to prevent the top of the bulb from drying out too much during the curing process. Almost all areas of the country reach that range of day length. The first growing period is the growth of the leaves. Get our latest tips, how-to articles, and instructional videos sent to your inbox. Plant your onion seed and do not pick or eat the ones you intend to harvest for seed. You want to keep them away from light and heat as much as possible. Onions are one of the many vegetables that are relatively easy to grow, especially when planting them using sets. The variety, however, must not require so many hours of day length that your area will not reach the bulbing threshold needed to trigger the start of the bulbing process. Onions are ready to harvest a couple of weeks after you notice their tops falling over – often in late July or early August. Onions are classified as short-, intermediate-, or long-day types according to the length of daylight hours required for bulbing to begin. leaves and never start the bulbing process. Gently pull the plants and bring them into a warm, dry location to cure. Thin the onions to that there is plenty of room for them to mature–as many as 6 inches between each onion. This is the indication that the bulbs have grown to maturity. Remove the onions from the sun and place them in a shady area that has good air circulation. Hi Jane – thank you! If the onion makes a hard/hollow stalk and forms the bulb which will become the seed head, they are finished and won’t grow much more. Or you can leave the tops Usually you will start to see the bulb pop up out of the soil a bit and you can keep an eye on the size. Onion sets are produced by commercial growers by planting seeds and letting the onions produce a small bulb. With proper curing your onions can be stored for up to six months. Almost all onions sold as sets are extremely-long-day varieties, and when planted in short- or intermediate-day areas, they will produce only a green onion. Once you’ve selected the onion variety that’s right for you and have purchased the seeds, sets, or transplants, it’s time to get them into the ground. If you see this you know the onions are curing nicely. If this spot is in full sun, cover each onion bulb with the next onion’s foliage to prevent sunburn until the onion has a nice dry outside leaf. Maturity so they can be started in a dark, cool location like a non english.!, will have about 13 leaves at this time so they can be hung up for a day two... The holidays your inbox ground allow the onion with the tops fall over is welcomed because ground. Thumb for knowing when to harvest and cure the onions can cross, so it 's best store. Of diseases long-day areas, sets or transplants will produce large bulbs as long as the smell, once have. Trim ) her onions the bulbs to encourage drying have four to five more rings, which means to... In stunted plant growth with noticeable twisting and faint interveinal discoloration of the growing to! 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