Harvesting onions?

[jack]

Gidday

Can someone tell me what is the best stage to harvest onions for the longest keeping.

They're lookin goooood.

[TennOC]

After the tops die down.

[jack]

Gidday

Like die, like real dead, or just fallen over?

[Pharmer Phil]

Jack, the tops will start to send up flower stalks, gently push the tops over with the back of a rake when they start this.
Then, let them go till the tops are shriveled and brown.
pull them, let them lay on the soil for a couple days till they are dry, cut the tops, or braid the tops and store in a cool dark area

[strongtower9]

Certain onions keep well and others don't from what I've read, what kind do you have?

[jack]

Gidday

With no summer heat this year me onions have just kept growing. I have bent the tops over to help them dry off;-



See the birdies and bunnies did leave me some.

But what do you do with onions this size?



A bit of a handful Eh!

[douglas]

Nice size you got there time to BBQ some burgers

[Pharmer Phil]

them are some good lookin' onions Jack, That red onion is really nice, the reds don't do well here in mn.
Once the tops are dry, and you pull them, you're gonna phind some monsters!

[douglas]

Now yonions I could never get dem to that size, how'd ya do it bro mine get to the size of gulf balls at the most

[Pharmer Phil]

whay do you plant Doug, sets, plants or seed?
The problem I have here is buying sets from a reputable enough dealer, who knows if they are LONG DAY, Short day, or day nuetral.
You, like us, need da Long day variety.

[douglas]

Most of the time I just get them in small onion bags in bulks if not then I go out fer pearl onions in the food section

[crazy1]

If your soil is loose you'll grow bigger onions. My uncle always went out and ran his finger around them when the top of the onion showed and he grew some biggins. I've done the same with good results

[douglas]

My soil is very sandy at my place if not powdery but I add a lil something to it to help

[Deleted]

I have a neighbor that plants set's.............after they grow enough to form a bulb he pulls the dirt AWAY from them so that only half the bulb is in the ground..........his get the size of soft balls.

[douglas]

Now dats my kind of onion gonna give that a try

[Adeltia]

they are soooo perfect looking, i love the reds. you can slice them put in a bowl with some lemon juice and dash of salt, them eat them like that-----they are soooooo good that way. Adelita

[jack]

Gidday

Well I had a raw onion samish on homemade bread with that red one. Bloody beauty Eh!

Now Phil, what da ya mean with this here long day short day and day neutral?

And what are sets?

Down here it is normal to plant on the shortest day and they are normally rerady or at least nearly on the longest day.

I planted seedling at the end of June and because we haven't had a summer cos you buggers aren't sending down any of that global warming, this year the oinions just didn't stop growing at the end of the 6 months.

[Compost Pharmer]

Jack, you must have some really good, fertile, soil down there. Don't think I have seen onions that big before. Guess they like cooler weather. Sorry to hear that you had a cool summer. It is starting to warm up here in north Texas. Gonna have to plant my garden soon. The cucs and pie punkins are about 8 - 10 inches long. Think I will ckeck the garden today to see if it is dry enough to till.. If so, it gets done today. Got 5 bags of leaves that need to go into the compost as well. Looks to be a good day to get outside and do some work. The high winds of yesterday have stopped, so I won't get blown away.

[notherdigger]

Hey Pharmer, I was born in Justin and lived around Denton in my younger days. Just curious what part you are in ifin you don't mind.
A fellow here (Ca.) that sells lots of onions says he grows onions to regular size then digs em up till the next year and thats how the 5 in 6 pounders are grown. Just what I heard about.