NEEPS

merriwild · newbie Joined: 07 Aug 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Orkney

Hi there, I'm new to all this "growing your own" could anyone advise me how I know when my onions are ready to harvest and what is the best thing to do when storing them????
Gill

wildgarlic · Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:42 am Post subject:

Great to see you here Gill

Welcome aboard.

Shirley x
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merriwild · newbie Joined: 07 Aug 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Orkney

Thanks Shirley lots of interesting stuff here to read

wildgarlic · Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:51 am Post subject:

yeah - loads of really great people all sharing info and having a good time
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kimmie · Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:15 am Post subject:

we leave ours in the ground till the tall stems start to go brown, we then pull them up, leave them to dry in the barn and when the stems are 'crispy' i plait them and hang them, just like i did with this years garlic.

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pete_inthehills · Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:20 am Post subject:

hmm...well, I tend to leave my onions in until the tops start to look at bit unhappy, turning yellow and drooping, but you can actually harvest them at any time depending on how big you want them. I would get them up before the end of this month or the first frost which ever comes first.

I pull them up and leave them on paper or something away from the damp earth and let them dry for a couple of days. But as we can't be sure of having dry days and nights, it might be worth putting them under cover.

Once they've dried a bit, I rub off any soil, trim the roots and tops. And then put them somewhere dry and cool. You'll need to check them every week to make sure none are going soft and rotten 'cos that can send them all bad.

that's just the way I do it, I'm sure other folk have different ideas.

pete
inthehills

oops by the time I'd finished this - Kimmie had already posted
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merriwild · newbie Joined: 07 Aug 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Orkney

Many thanks kimmie and pete, that makes me thing I should get out and pull some onions up, the tops are just as you described.
Gill

wildgarlic · Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:10 pm Post subject:

I'll be doing that to mine too - need to know what to do with the tree onions though - Gordon???
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