Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: webby139 on June 16, 2011, 09:54
-
Hi All,
My winter onions are really bulbing up well now - I can see them above the soil.
I have quite a lot and really have no idea when i should pull them up. I understand under normal circumstances it's when the leaves turn brown.
BUT, can i pull some of the larger ones now - Basically pull maybe 10 or so and leave the rest. That way i could stagger the crop for eating etc ??
Cheers.
-
Yes,
but just pick them as you need them, otherwise they tend to go a bit soft, although cutting the tops off reduces this effect.
-
Winter onions are usually seen as something to see you thru until your main crop of onions are ready for harvest later in the year. I have lifted and am using mine - this was partly because some have white rot but I discovered this because they were a reasonable size and I did not want to keep on buying onions when I had a 100 or so on the plot with another 400+ due later in the year.
If they are a usable size then use them because they do not store well. I would particularly do this if you have any others to come later in the year.
-
They'll be full size when the tops flop over, but as others say - they're not good storers so if they're a useable size - use them.
-
Great........
I was hoping for news like that.
Do i still do the normal thing ???
I.e. lift them - leave them for a day or 2 before using etc.
Also hang them up in the garage ????
OR
Can you use them right away ???
-
I agree with the above answers. Just lift what you want to use now and leave the rest to mature and ripen.
-
I'm liking the sound of all this, mine are getting their skins, are all well above the ground, are a decent size and about 3 weeks ago I noticed about 4 out of 30 odd of them's leaves were on the deck. At the time I guessed that was because an animal might have run across the plot as they're certainly not brown or withered. All the leaves are still quite green and even puffy and ripe looking but now the majority of them are lying down. I'll pull these up a bit now leaving just a few of the roots in the ground so the onions dry off.
Here's a question, I'm going to be looking for some space soon for butternut squash, caulis, or some PSB. Bearing in mind caulis were there before I planted these onions, do you think I'l be able to grow anything here once i've got them all up, or should I leave the ground and treat it?