So many of our pet stunner begin with onions ( Allium cepa ) , finely chopped , and sudate out their umami flavor in hot butter or oil .
They ’re also easy to harvest and cure – get thing right and you could have a self - sufficient supply that last for up to a class .
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You need to get your timing right from the start for a successful harvesting . works ask long , hot days for the bulbs to swell to useful eating size . Plant them too late , and all you ’ll have at harvest metre is leafage with little to no bulb .
If you need a refresher , our template to growing onionsprovides cultivation instructions .
In this clause , we ’ll go over what you postulate to do for a successful harvest of homegrown onion .
Here ’s what ’s ahead :
What You’ll Learn
When to Harvest Onions
When to harvest your onionsdepends on the variety you ’re growing , when and how you desire to use them in your cooking , and whether you want to store them long - condition .
At planting time , make a note on your cell phone orin your horticulture journalto remind you when harvest time approaches , based on the days to adulthood for the type you select .
Green Onions
These areA. cepavarieties , harvested when the lightbulb are immature . Depending on where you live , they may also be calledspring onionsor sometimes scallions .
bewilderingly , in some place , the term “ scallions ” is also used to key a unlike allium mixture , A. fistulosum , akabunching onions . These plants do n’t form medulla oblongata and Captain Cook hack up their vacuous tops to add a crisp , mild Allium cepa preference to a dish .
For more information abouthow to glean bunch up onions , mark out our templet .
you may harvest immatureA. cepatops and use them in the same manner once they ’re over four inches eminent .
However , if you want the plant to keep produce for its bulb , limit how much foliage you off to a few clip . The sense of taste of their leafage is slightly more moody with less thorniness and redolence thanA. fistulosum .
To reap green onion bulbs , wait until the plant is about six to eight inches tall and the independent shuck is half an inch wide . This will be about 21 to 30 days for unmediated - planted sets ( small bulbs that then sprout ) , to around 50 days or more if you inseminate from seed .
When harvested at a young long time , the bulbs do n’t have time to form a papery tegument so there ’s no need to peel off the outer layers – you’re able to utilise the whole affair .
The flavor is modest than ripen sassy or storage bulbing variety and can be used naked as a jaybird in salads .
expend these within a few days as they do n’t store well .
Storage or Bulb Onions
Storage types are also known as “ teetotal onions ” because you could cure ( or dry ) and store them for use over several months , some for up to a yr .
These tend to be “ long daytime ” mixed bag that need at least 14 hours of full sunshine .
If the growing time of year has a lot of overcast skies or cool temperature in your neighborhood , bulbs wo n’t develop as tight and may take longer to maturate . They ’re typically quick in anywhere from 80 to 200 years , depending on the variety .
onion are typically harvested later summer , depending on the variety you grow and when you plant them .
The green “ tops ” will tell you when the bulbs are quick to accumulate . They start to turn yellow and weaken over the course of a week or two , finally falling over .
Some experts advocate starting the harvest time when around one-half of the tops have fallen over ; others say to look until they ’re all two-dimensional .
enquiry performed on commercial-grade farmssuggests it ’s good to wait until 60 to 70 percent of the tops are down for an optimum harvesting , with a 30 to 40 percentage increase in yield compared to await until all the top fall .
harvest home too too soon carries the risk that bulbs may be too gamey in wet . This makes curing more hard and imply the bulbs are more likely to molder during storage .
The bighearted issue that may affect what day you reap is the conditions . As the foliage turns yellow , you require the soil to take off dry out out , and then to remain dry until the medulla are harvested to avoid offspring with rot .
tardily reduce irrigation when the tops deepen color and watch for rain . If rain is forecast close to your planned harvest day , it ’s better to reap slightly earlier so the bulb continue dry .
How to Harvest
If you have perfect , crumbly soil , you may be able-bodied to just savvy the tops and pull the bulbs out .
However , as tops dry out , they become weak and may fall apart off when pulled . You need the big top to remain intact at this stage , as they help oneself to forestall any pathogen from moving down into the still - piano green tissue paper in the neck .
The best option is to use a garden ramification , white potato excavator , or spade to get up the bulbs . edit out through the soil underneath the bulbs , then lever up until the onions are above ground level . throw off off any superfluous grunge .
Be careful handling freshly labor bulb , as even a slight gouge or small contusion can advance hogwash later on – if any are damaged , habituate them in cooking directly away instead of storing them .
How to Cure Onions
Curing or dry out is crucial if you require incandescent lamp to store well over a foresighted metre .
Onion bulb are made up of scales that stratum over each other to form their ellipse to round out embodiment . Curing helps prevent bunk affecting the neck and inner scale and is creditworthy for the brown coloring on the outer scale .
If you ’re enjoying dry , warm weather , leave the bulbs lie in where they strike as you glean . If it ’s dry and not too humid , you’re able to leave them outside for a few twenty-four hours , or for up to a duet of weeks as part of the bring around summons .
If you ’re catch out by a rogue rain shower , do n’t gather them up until they ’re dry as manage sozzled bulb can spread disease and may damage the knocked out exfoliation .
If unreliable weather conditions make it too risky to bring around outdoors , you’re able to use a well - ventilated shed , garage , porch , greenhouse , hoop house , or spare room . circularise the onions out on mesh , netting , or slat racks so air can circulate around each bulb .
Do n’t dry out those that have damaged out scurf or heavyset necks as they ’re potential to waste in store .
discredited areas let out wet which encourages disease , and thick neck are very unmanageable to dry properly due to their density . In both cases , you may still cook them – just employ them immediately .
Onions are dry enough to store when the out scales are papery , the tops are shriveled , the antecedent are wiry , and the cervix is tight and indicate no signs of viridity . To check the neck is dry right through , roll it between your fingers – the tissue paper should n’t slue .
The neck tissue must have a juiceless , papery consistency .
Two of the most mutual job during memory are Botrytis neck rot ( caused principally byBotrytis acladaandB. allii ) , and other disease that may be spread by pathogen that infect splinter of still - green tissue , recruit through the neck and causing decline to the inner plate .
However , pathogen ca n’t move through dry tissue .
Once the crop is dry , check all the bulbs again for soft spots and mold patch . utilize any impact one immediately , along with any that are starting to stock . The residual can go into storage .
Read more about how to store onions in our guide .
A Note on Curing in a Greenhouse or Hoop House
Greenhouses and basket house can be great curing facilities , so long as the temperature stays in the 68 to 86 ° F range .
If the temperature plump above 90 ° F , you may see sunscald . The outer scales will face bleached , and the lightbulb will go soft , creating perfect condition for pathogens to infect the internal scales .
Remove affected bulb and lower the temperature – this may mean having all the room access and vent-hole open . Depending on your climate , you may want to comprehend the glasshouse roof or hoops with shade cloth for better solvent .
Enjoy Onions Year-Round
Onions are one of the most substantial crops you’re able to get . you could easily harvest and keep a year - foresightful provision and use them every daylight to total zing and scent to your cookery .
The short amount of time you ’ll invest in their harvest , curing , and warehousing will more than come back you for the rest of the twelvemonth .
And for moreinformation about cultivate alliums in your garden , check out these guides next :
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Nadene Hall
