[nilsatis1964]

I have some fine large onions both white and red which overwintered.  There are definitely large enough to harvest but are they ready?  That is the question how do I tell that they are ready?

[compostqueen]

I started harvesting mine and I started with two which had begun to go to seed. It was fine though

The tops generally go yellow, scruffy looking and flop down

[Aunt Sally]

Wait for them to fall over as CQ says.  Hopefully we'll get some nice sun to ripen them.  A
bout a week or so after they have fallen over I gently put a fork under them to loosen the roots a bit.  I lift them when the are nice and papery and finish ripening them off in the sun.

If you don't ripen onions well they will not store for very long.  I have a couple of onions and a few shallots left from last year still good enough to eat

[solway cropper]

Take out any that have gone to seed and use them first as they will not keep. Just leave the others in the ground until the tops die down. Most of my overwintered onions are about tennis ball size but the tops are green and healthy so they can stay where they are for now.

[DD.]

Winter onions do not store for a long as spring planted ones. Don't expect them to last more than 2-3 months. They should be seen as a stop gap between last year and this years spring grown crops.

[bigben]

I have started eating my winter onions. I am growing quite a few spring sown onions on the allotment but have 80 or so winter ones growing in the garden and just told the missus to stop buying them as the winter ones are now useable. I pick the big ones and hopefully the others will bulk up a little more before I come to use them. With a bit of luck the spring sown ones will be big enough by the time we use the winter ones.

[DD.]

You've got it spot on bigben, use them as soon as they are big enough to use and fingers crossed they last until you spring ones are ready.

[Aunt Sally]

Yes, I've just started to lift overwintered onions for immediate use but for storage of any onions good ripening is essential !

[fatbelly]

for storage of any onions good ripening is essential

Aunt Sal, Last year I made a monumental error with storage of my spring sown Onions and cut the tops and roots off directly after lifting to get  more in the boot of my car. hence they all rotted within a few months.
this year i will leave both tops and roots on them but what happens if when I lift them and they are on the soil ripening and it rains? will they still be okay

[Yabba]

Last year I religiously dried my onions and then brought a batch of them home so I could plait them. Unfortunately the Mighty V (*bows*) decided to help me by trimming all the tops off and removing all the skins so they looked "all pretty and shiny honey" .... 200 onions down the drain

This year I intend to plait them at the field and then bring them home :roll:

¥