[suesowsseed]

Hi,

I've been debating whether to harvest my white 'Alisa Craig' onions.  They are HUGE, really pleased as I grew them from seed. Can't decide whether to pull them up now or leave them a bit longer.  The tops haven't yellowed or fallen over so will they still be growing?  surely they can't get any bigger?  What do you think?

[Ice]

You can pick to eat a few now but they havn't reached full maturity yet.  Wait until they go yellow and fall over.

[DD.]

Agree with Ice.

If you want to store them do NOT harvest until they are mature.

[Yorkie]

I've dug a few of mine up to be used immediately, but will do as the others say for stored ones.

[Goldfinger]

Do these pointers cover all varieties of onion??

We have 'Red Baron' and 'Sturon' grown from sets, and they haven't gone over yet either, and I'm happy with the size they are now.

[Yorkie]

Yes, I think so.  I don't know the full details but my understanding is that if you lift them now before they are mature, they won't store as well once dried.  But others may know better 

[Goldfinger]

What do you class as them being 'mature' then?? 

[Yorkie]

Yellowed and dried off 

[Old Tom]

My Ailsas are the same. Huge and still going strong. The sets I planted have been lifted and are sitting on the soil but the ones grown from seed are still proud and green. Loving it!

[DD.]

Yes, I think so.  I don't know the full details but my understanding is that if you lift them now before they are mature, they won't store as well once dried.  But others may know better 

Spot on Yorkie.

If you intend storing them, you MUST leave them to run their full course and not lift them until they tell you them selves by flopping over and going yellow.

As we all know you then have to dry them, dry them again and when you think they're really dry, dry them somemore!

[Trillium]

My mother prefers her onions to a specific size, and when the plants reach it, she simply pushes over the onion tops (bends them) and lets them start to finish off that way. They'll yellow soon enough and only then does she pull them out and lets them finish drying in her shed. Once the tops are dried and crispy, she'll trim off the tops and tails.

[suesowsseed]

Thanks everyone, I will leave them longer.

 Will definately grow more next year, we use loads of onions and these have been the best crop yet.  In fact everything has grown really well this year  I have bags of french beans and peas in the freezer, I even managed to grow cauli to a decent size, although I left some a little too long and they blew but I'll know next time.

Garlic was a good size and sweetcorn is growing nicely, Cabbages were grown under the 'munty bean frame' and are doing well but the runners were my only disaster, not sure why as there were loads of flowers but the leaves yellowed and I'v had hardly any actual beans. 

I'm sure my bumper crop is all down to the wonderful advice I,ve had on this site so thanks everyone 

[Ivor Backache]

Those of us that suffer with onion white rot, now have a delemma. To pull the crop early to prevent further attack or have onions with neck rot. Last year that's what happened to me and I ended up freezing the crop.
This year the reds from sets have white rot, but the whites from seed are unaffected. I am lifting the reds even though they still have thick necks. The whites are OK but I check them carefully.
The tops have long been blown over but they have still continued to swell. I have been told that to stop them growing, put the fork underneath and partially lift to break the roots, but leave them in the ground to mature.