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Time to lift onions ?

muckyhandsmikemuckyhandsmike Posts: 239
in Fruit & veg
I’ve grown red baron onions from sets, planted out 29th March. I was expecting to lift them in September but I’m concerned about them rotting given the daily rain here in glos this summer. They look healthy enough to me and the green hasn’t browned yet, unsurprisingly, but I am concerned about rot. So, anyone else lifted yet and/or am I worrying unnecessarily ?

Posts

  • WhiterotWhiterot Posts: 51
    I have lifted over half my onions both sets and grown from seed as they had gone over. The primary reason that I have lifted them is that I have white rot throughout my allotment but I have managed to control it in my onion bed using the garlic powder method. I keep the same onion bed year in year out and this year I have not lost any to white rot. Yippee ! I seldom water them hence this year 10% are small but we don't want big onions anyway. Next year I will try watering half the bed to see if that helps or if it just encourages white rot to return. The over winter ones in the garlic bed were huge. Looking at your photograph it looks like some of you Red Baron have started going over but I would leave those a bit longer before lifting. The others look like they have some more growing to do. 
  • war garden 572war garden 572 Posts: 664
    they need more time. 
  • WaterbutWaterbut Posts: 344
    You could lift one of the big ones like I have done and try it my ones tasted great straight from the garden. Same crop as yours.
  • muckyhandsmikemuckyhandsmike Posts: 239
    Ok thanks folks. Will lift the biggest possibly but leave the rest for now ..
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Mine, a mixture of reds and whites, were battered by the strong winds we had.  They'd reached a good size so OH suggested we lift them.  I did so and arranged them as usual on a strong metal grid that sits on the wheelbarrow.  The crop has been left to ripen in the sun, but wheeled into the garage when rain threatens, and looks great.  On that basis, I'd lift yours. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited August 2023
    They won’t store well until the tops have started to turn and bend over as then you know they’ve sealed. 

    I’d take the biggest to use now and leave the rest and cross my fingers and hope for a dry august. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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