Onions

[Barbara]

Right I need HELP !!!! what part of the onion are we drying when we ''dry ''  them  some on our lotties have taken off the skins and laid them on a plank,  some have them in little 'tents' with the skins on,   mine seem like the shoots are wet, am I supposed to hang them upside down or just lay them out, I have headache with it all.

Help me please .

[Rosefriend]

Here is how I do them Barbara, or have done them each year...remember I do them in tubs - loads leave them to dry on the soil for a couple of days as well..



I also hang them..



I know that farmersboy and Ladygardener lay them on the ground I believe...

RF

[Barbara]

Well thanks for that RF, the neck of mine are what seems to need drying am I doing something wrong Then.

[Rosefriend]

Jun 21, 2014 15:40:18 GMT Barbara said:

Well thanks for that RF, the neck of mine are what seems to need drying am I doing something wrong Then.

The green up top dies back and basically you want the outside of the onion to form a skin so that you can overwinter them...

Ladygardener said that she was going to pull hers this weekend...

gardenworld.proboards.com/post/516114/thread

This was farmersboy in 2012

gardenworld.proboards.com/post/450785/thread

then 2011

gardenworld.proboards.com/post/399007/thread

I hope that FB/LG and others come and help Barbara..

RF

[Barbara]

So FB has cut the green off his and laid them out to dry in one thread but not the other, I wonder why.

Last week in the paper a proffessor of something or other said we should cook the brown skin in casseroles and soups but not eat it  ( because of the texture)   as it has lots of vitamins in it and the goodness was being wasted .

[Rosefriend]

Jun 21, 2014 16:59:21 GMT Barbara said:

So FB has cut the green off his and laid them out to dry in one thread but not the other, I wonder why.

Last week in the paper a proffessor of something or other said we should cook the brown skin in casseroles and soups but not eat it  ( because of the texture)   as it has lots of vitamins in it and the goodness was being wasted .

I think that FB laid his out to dry which did dry the green totally and he then cut it off as he said that the weather meant that he had to dry them in the shed instead of tying them on the tree as he usually did.

I use the dried green to tie them together - at the end of the day I suppose it is totally irrelevant how you do it - the principle is that the tops are dried and cut off (or not) and the onion develops a skins that enables it to be stored.

Not sure what the Prof wants as I peel my onion and actually don't think that I would actually cook the peel - must be wasting a lot of vitamins then...

RF

[Barbara]

Thanks for replying RF, I worried about the green neck bit feeling soggy wrecking all the good work we had done by rotting the onions while they were stored.

[Rosefriend]

Jun 21, 2014 17:17:45 GMT Barbara said:

Thanks for replying RF, I worried about the green neck bit feeling soggy wrecking all the good work we had done by rotting the onions while they were stored.

I think that is what should happen Barbara - infact I asked Ladygardener and if I understand correctly that is what is called "onions falling over" and it is the sign that they are ready to be pulled...

I hope someone posts that knows better than I do ..

RF

[Ladygardener]

Jun 21, 2014 19:35:50 GMT Rosefriend said:

Jun 21, 2014 17:17:45 GMT Barbara said:

Thanks for replying RF, I worried about the green neck bit feeling soggy wrecking all the good work we had done by rotting the onions while they were stored.

I think that is what should happen Barbara - infact I asked Ladygardener and if I understand correctly that is what is called "onions falling over" and it is the sign that they are ready to be pulled...

I hope someone posts that knows better than I do ..

RF

Sorry I did'nt get a chance to get on yesterday Rosefriend Barbara. When growing things for the 1st time it's hard to know how to do things and even year to year it's easy to forget until you've been doing it regularly for a while.

I agree with Rosefriend. I usually cut the tops about 4 inches from the bulb and let that amount of top dry out with the bulb. I've never been able to let them lay on the allotment to dry out because of the weather but bring them to the covered back and lay them all out there. As the onion dries out the top bit withers and I just cut them near the bulb, that bit then dries off and I give it a bit of a twist and it dries to get the little peaky bit just about half an inch from the bulb.


Perhaps this will help.

Harvesting Onions
by National Gardening Association Editors

There's never a time when onions aren't ready for harvesting. They can be picked and eaten at any stage. No matter how many onions you use during the season, though, it's nice to have a crop of big onions mature at the end of summer to store for the fall and winter months.
When to Harvest

You can always tell when onions have stopped growing. The leaves will lose their color, weaken at the top of the bulb and flop over. Each year a few new gardeners watch the leaves die and wonder, "What's wrong?" There's nothing wrong; it's Nature's plan. The leaves' job is done - they've put the last of their energy into the bulbs.

Let most of your onion tops fall over by themselves - maybe 80% or 90% of them - then bend over the rest of the tops. Once they're down, leave the bulbs in the ground for another 10 days to two weeks to mature fully. It's not good to leave the onions in the ground for longer than two weeks after the tops die because they become open to organisms that can cause rot in storage, or they might even start growing again.

Pull your onions up on a sunny day if you can, then let them sit in the sun for another day or so to dry (in hot climates this usually takes just a few hours). This drying kills the root system at the bottom of each bulb. The roots will be like little brittle wires when they're dry.

Picking the right day to pull the onions can determine how well the onions will keep. If you harvest them after some rainy weather they'll have a lot more moisture in them and won't dry out as well.
Curing

After drying the onions in the open for a day or so, it's time to bring them under cover for a second, longer drying or "curing" process.

Some people cut the tops off the onions before curing, but that's not strictly necessary. However, if you do trim the top leaves, don't cut them any closer than one inch from the bulb. Otherwise the neck won't dry out, and the onion could rot in storage.

To cure the onions, spread them out in any warm, airy place out of the sun, such as on a porch. If you find you have too many onions for your available porch space, try spreading them out near the edge of your driveway, covering them with a light cotton (not plastic) sheet to provide shade. The sheet, held in place by stones along the edge, keeps the sun from burning the bulbs but still allows a lot of air circulation. Turn the bulbs a couple of times to promote even drying.

Heavy coverings like canvas or plastic trap moisture inside, so the onions will never get really dry. With the sheet system you won't have to worry about a few scattered rains. The sheets and the onions dry out rapidly together after a shower.

You don't want any wet spots on the onions when you put them in storage, so cure them really well. This can take two to three weeks. After curing them, hang the onions in mesh bags in your garage and dry them some more before putting them in your root cellar. It doesn't take this long in the South, but wherever you live, the longer you cure your onions, the better they'll keep.
Curing Basics

Here are the basics of curing:

Sun dry for just a short time.
Cure just the onions you'll store; separate the soft, young and thick-necked bulbs and use them first.
Cure thoroughly in a warm, well-ventilated area away from direct sun.
Don't crowd onions during curing; give them room to breathe.
Onions are ready to store when the skins rattle and the roots are dry and wiry.

[farmersboy]

Barbara i pulled my AUTUMN planted up yesterday,they were all bent over,tops going brown,and finished growing,i have laid them out on the ground to dry for about a week,if the sun keeps shining,then cut off tops and store inside.

The SPRING planted ones are very green and still growing,they will get the same treatment when ready,if yours are Spring planted they wont be ready to pull up yet,to harvest

[Barbara]

Thanks for taking the time to answer me, they are Autumn sown onions, and reading your replies not quite ready yet as the tops are not brown but still green, I pulled some yesterday but I'll make sure they get used first, it was the feeling of liquid in the stalk nearest the onion neck that got me worried. thanks all.

[Ladygardener]

Aoife pulled most of our autumn planted sets yesterday and we're delighted with the result. Good sized firm onions, we're letting them dry out back and the smell of onion and garlic in the car was pretty strong coming home from the allotment yesterday. Aoife did it all with relish, she had a great time, I baked a couple of them last night for dinner and they were so so sweet, she was'nt that keen 'tho. She's happy to grow them but not to eat them. I'll get a pic on later after they've gone home.

[Barbara]

Good work LG.

[Ladygardener]

These are just a few of our onions, I'll lay them all out properly today now that the girls have gone home. Aoife took a little string of them home with her to show her dad.

[Rosefriend]

Jun 24, 2014 5:28:17 GMT Ladygardener said:

These are just a few of our onions, I'll lay them all out properly today now that the girls have gone home. Aoife took a little string of them home with her to show her dad.

Well done Ladygardener - they are looking really good and I bet they taste gorgeous..

RF

[Ladygardener]

Thanks Rosefriend, I'm very pleased with them after a couple of summers with bolted or rusty onions.

[Barbara]

Brilliant LG, I hope mine are as good.

[Ladygardener]

Thanks Barbara.

[farmersboy]

My spring planted pulled and left to dry(if it stops raining)

[farmersboy]

Firstly there were no pics,then there were two

[Rosefriend]

Jul 22, 2014 6:17:58 GMT farmersboy said:

Firstly there were no pics,then there were two

I have edited your post FB - it is Photobucket having problems I am afraid...

As usual your onions are marvellous - is it tree hanging this year??

How's the knee btw??

RF

[Ladygardener]

They look good farmersboy well done as always. How are you?

[farmersboy]

Thanks RF and LG,in the shed i think,we are getting some very heavy downpours now,the knee seems to be coming along nicely apart from a very small part on the end of the wound that would not heal,the nurse has since found a stitch in there that she has removed,so hope it will be ok,why a stitch when the rest had staples ?.been driving for a week,and doing the shopping at ASDA.

[Ladygardener]

Jul 22, 2014 18:47:13 GMT farmersboy said:

Thanks RF and LG,in the shed i think,we are getting some very heavy downpours now,the knee seems to be coming along nicely apart from a very small part on the end of the wound that would not heal,the nurse has since found a stitch in there that she has removed,so hope it will be ok,why a stitch when the rest had staples ?.been driving for a week,and doing the shopping at ASDA.

Good to hear you are on the mend farmersboy. You may have had staples on the outside but a lot of wounds have what are ment to be dissolving stitches inside. Sometimes they don't dissolve, could have been something like that. I'm sure you missed not being able to drive.

[farmersboy]

That must be it then LG,thanks

[Barbara]

OK it's me again, I went to the lotty today and all the onions have grey leaves with big black spores on them, I've cut the tops off and burned them as it's some kind of mildew, I dug up 12 onions they are all fine, will I have to dig the lot up now they have no tops ?

[Rosefriend]

Aug 15, 2015 16:02:15 GMT Barbara said:

OK it's me again, I went to the lotty today and all the onions have grey leaves with big black spores on them, I've cut the tops off and burned them as it's some kind of mildew, I dug up 12 onions they are all fine, will I have to dig the lot up now they have no tops ?

Oh blimey, yes I suppose so as onions can grow again from the middle..

Have you got any pics ?? farmersboy, - can you help please ??

I am going to get my onions up soon as it is time, so I suppose it would be OK to get them all up Barbara??

[Barbara]

They don't all have skins on them RF. will I have to use those right away do you think.

[Rosefriend]

Aug 15, 2015 17:42:46 GMT Barbara said:

They don't all have skins on them RF. will I have to use those right away do you think.

Skins are not always skins I think - hang on a minute Barbara, and I will nip out and take a pic of mine - perhaps you can see from those what is what - I am going to get them out next week...they don't really have skins as such either..

[Barbara]

OK RF, these are mine, the onions look alright it was the tops that were minging.