Topic: Onions - are they ready?

[Tinkie_Bear]

Some of my onions, planted from sets in april have started to come out of the ground and fall over all by themselves - there is very little root growth and the bulbs are a reasonable size, does this mean they are done and are telling me themselves?  The ones that have come out I have put on a rack to dry.  I hope this is OK and my whole crop is not about to go pear shaped!

I have never grown onions before so I would appreciate any advice you can give me.

Thanks

Tinkie_Bear

[Robert_Brenchley]

If they're falling over they're done. Lift them and dry them off.

[tim]

And to answer other queries, no need to wait - use them as you need.

[bennettsleg]

are they only ready when they fall over, or do you dig them when you need them if the size suits you?

[jennym]

When they fall over and the necks shrivel, and they firm up - this is when you can dig them for storing - lay out in sun to cure. If you just want to eat straight away, you can dig up for eating whewnever you please.

[supersprout]

We use the tiddlers (and any bolters) first in cooking and salads, and leave the others to dry for storage until the leaves have dried out completely. This year we hung the medium-sized ones on a rope, the big 'uns are still drying out and we'll rope them up in a fortnight or so.

[bennettsleg]

I take it that the plan is: no rain?  So if you're at work and it starts tiddling down, just get to the plot whenever poss and take them indoors? (first year growing them, see, so bit dim on the knowledge front! ;))

[supersprout]

Yes lol
somewhere light and airy - outside, with a roof rigged up - indirect sunshine preferred :)

[katynewbie]

 :-\

Couple of mine are going to seed  :-[ but that's ok, was thinking of saving the seed...how? When is the seed ready to collect? Do you just knock em into a paper bag?

Help?

 ???

[RobinOfTheHood]

And on the same sort of note, I've grown some from seed and they're about the size of spring or pickling onions.
Can I lift them and use them as sets for next year?

[caroline7758]

Another related question- should I stop watering them if they are starting to come out of the ground?

[jennym]

Couple of mine are going to seed .. was thinking of saving the seed...how? When is the seed ready to collect? Do you just knock em into a paper bag?
...

They seem to be ready when the little black seeds start falling out of the dried flower heads on their own - maybe another month or so. I find that a paper bag  tied over the flower head will collect them well. The freebie paper bags you can get in Homebase at the checkout do very nicely for this job, they are pretty stout, a good size, and resist some rain  ;D

[katynewbie]

 ;D

Thanks Jenny, no Homebase round here, just need to find bags and I will be on to it!

 ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've had masses of bolters this year, which I suppose is down to the weather. Anyone else had the same thing?

[Paulines7]

I've had the same, Robert, but strangely enough only my Red Baron have bolted, the Stuttgart Giant are OK.   :D

[bennettsleg]

Couple of mine are going to seed .. was thinking of saving the seed...how? When is the seed ready to collect? Do you just knock em into a paper bag?
...

They seem to be ready when the little black seeds start falling out of the dried flower heads on their own - maybe another month or so.

Do the collected seeds grow true or will we experience strange onion-type beasts that are more prone to disease?

Paper bags?  most supermarkets have them in handy onion-head-with-elastic-round-them sizes; they're by the mushrooms. ;D

[jennym]

They seem to have grown true when I've used saved onion seeds.