Kitchen Gardeners International: Garden Q & A: Timing your onion harvest

Q How do I know when my onions are ready to dig?

A Begin harvesting green onions or scallions grown from sets when they’re about 6”/15.2 cm tall. On full-size onions, wait until the leaves turn yellow or brown and fall over. (If some of your onions don’t turn yellow and the leaves don’t bend over, harvest them and use them fairly quickly, because this indicates they probably won’t store well.) Once the tops are completely brown, dig or pull the onions. If you have to harvest your onion crop while some plants still have green leaves, go ahead and dig, but be aware that onions that are dug while the leaves are still green won’t store well. Spread harvested onions out and let them dry in a bright spot out of direct sun. For maximum onion storage, cure the bulbs by spreading them out on screens in a well-ventilated spot until the outer skins are papery and the tops are completely brown. Then cut off the tops and store them in a cool (35-40°F/1.7-4.4°C), dry, dark spot.

Reprinted from The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book
Copyright 2008 by Barbara W. Ellis, with permission from Storey Publishing.

Creative Commons photo credit: Andrea R

Posted by KGI on July 18, 2008 8:16 AM to Kitchen Gardeners International
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