Harevesting Winter Onions and Garlic

Advice needed...

For the first time I planted some onion sets and garlic last Autumn, they all seem to be doing really well but wondered when I should be looking to harvest them. I am shortly going to need the space for some tomatoes but don't want to harvest them too early.

The Onions aren't ready until thy start falling over and going brown,  the Garlic is ready when it starts to go brown on the majority of the plant . . . probably going to be a while yet,  maybe July.

I've started to use my winter onions because some of them are going to seed.  I did this last year and I was just using the last ones by the time the maincrop was ready.

Found some of my overwintered garlic are about to produce flowers today. I've pulled a couple up - I read on here they are nice roasted at this stage. I've pulled all the pods of the others, will they be okay to leave or should I pull them up now this has happened?

Found some of my overwintered garlic are about to produce flowers today. I've pulled a couple up - I read on here they are nice roasted at this stage. I've pulled all the pods of the others, will they be okay to leave or should I pull them up now this has happened?

The Hardneck varieties produce these "scapes" - you dont have to pull the bulb up... but it is is good as green garlic..

As Mun says - break the scapes off and eat them. I do them with white sauce, or cut up and fried or roasted..

Advice needed...

For the first time I planted some onion sets and garlic last Autumn, they all seem to be doing really well but wondered when I should be looking to harvest them. I am shortly going to need the space for some tomatoes but don't want to harvest them too early.

Any help or advice gretaly received.

Cheers

Andy

Andy your garlic is not going to be ready for a while.. July/August.. If you try to plant the toms in-between you will take nutrients from the garlic.

Your over wintered onions are ready to eat as green onions - they are not for storing as they dont store well... I use them from 1 May each year as green onions and as a filler till the maincrop is ready to start nibbling on.  So for this reason you could start to plant your toms in the onions yes..

Last year I harvested my over wintered ones on 20th July and stored them for use up untill I used the last one on 18th January. The handful that were left were getting soft by then. So that's six months of storage which is a reasonable length of time I reckon.