[jambop]

Hi I am drying my onions off having lifted them on Monday. I have some in the wood shed and some under a east facing external staircase. The ones in the woodshed get no direct sun at all but do get dry warm and airy conditions those under the staircase get four hours of sun and plenty of air. It will be interesting to see how they go. I was going to just leave them in the ground until they were completely wilted and dry but one it get very, very hot in direct sun and two they were getting a little bit weedy and I thought it easier to lift them to clear the ground ... 99% of them came out with a very gently pull the others needed a wee bit more .  I have some nice onions I hope they dry and store ok drying is key I think but yet again I think I have then ready for lifting just a bit too early they won't store for as long.
To anybody in the UK can I advise the buying of onion seed of the Trebons onion. The great advantage of this onion is it matures early can be used at any stage of its growth, is sweet and never too hot. It does not store BUT you will use them all up before you need to start using your main crop onions it is an amazing lovely onion. If you leave a few in the ground over winter you are rewarded with some very early spring onions which are great but go to seed quickly. Look them up on the internet it would be interesting to see how the do in the UK.. I am in SW France so conditions are a bit different.

[rowlandwells]

we lifted our onion crop last week because they where showing sign's of mildew we put them in our poly tunnel we always spread them out on strong chicken wire so the air can circulate round them they where grew from sets a variety called turbo

we did also grow some onions from seed overwinter a Japanese type called element not a big onion in growing terms but slightly earlier for culinary use I also grew a variety called globo with not much success I'm  going to try some other seed varieties next year Tosca karmen that is a red onion and Hybound a pelleted seed I must admit I haven't seen trebons in any of my catalogues but mite be worth trying if one could get the seed is this onion spring sowing or overwinter type?

any info where one mite but the seed would be helpful  we also grow an overwintering spring onion called savel both raised in the poly tunnel in modules and planted outdoors in the spring

[jambop]

Here is a link to seed supplier. I would say that the onion of Trebons is a spring sown onion and will need a bit of care if its cold. If you sow them indoors and then grow them on and protect them from frost the after planting out in the late spring the should do well and a fine onion will be your reward. As to drying onions off in the poly tunnel... fine if you want a nice confit de onion ... it is like a furnace at this time of year in there . By the way if you really like onions and growing them have a look at their catalogue they have 47 varieties .


http://www.graines-baumaux.fr/175833-oignon-hourcadere-type-trebons.html

[juvenal]

Grew overwintering onion Radar this year, rather than Senshyu Yellow. Very happy with Radar harvest.

My main crop Sturon were pulled three weeks early, because I found Onion White Rot in some. Sturon are really taking their time drying off in a cold frame. Anyone advise on whether early harvesting will affect storage?

[rowlandwells]

as I said in my  blog we pulled our onion at the first signs of fungus and speaking from previous experience this plot seems to get onion fungus our other plot is ok

 we found the fungus onions didn't keep so we used them as quickly as we could hope this info helps don't know if there's any method of treating the soil against the fungus maybe someone on this site mite be able to advise you the only thing we where advised to do was don't grow your onions on this ground