The right harvest time for the various cultivation methods
Onions that come into the ground in spring are ripe between July and September, depending on which variety was selected.
Onions that are planted in autumn have time to develop well in winter and are ready for harvest in June of the following year.
Seed onions take less time to mature. They can even be harvested four to six weeks before the onion sets.
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When is an onion ripe?
Determining when an onion will ripen is relatively easy. After sowing in the spring, the onion continues to grow until the summer months. When the heat is at its greatest, it begins to prepare for the cold season and therefore transfers the nutrients from the foliage to the bulb of the onion. As a result, the foliage is less nourished, it turns brown and ultimately dies. Now is the time to get the onions out of the bed and store them in the cellar for the winter.
Damaged onions are not stored, but eaten as soon as possible.
Accelerate ripening by kicking the onion green?
Some gardeners are still of the opinion that treading the onion leaves promotes ripeness. However, this is a misconception. If the foliage is kicked over, the onions become “emergency ripening”. This means that although the onions are ripe, they have not yet reached their optimal size and quality. This affects the storage quality of the onion and promotes early budding or the occurrence of rot.
Harvest instructions step by step
- When the onion leaves have wilted, carefully pull the onions out of the ground.
- Remove the loose soil with your hands. This will also remove the loose parts of the shell.
- For better storage, the onions must ripen and dry out well. Always tie a few onions together in a bunch. If you like, you can weave the dry leaves into decorative braids.
- The tied onions are hung in an airy and dry place for one to two weeks. Avoid direct sunlight as this will cause the shell to burst.
- If there is no way to hang up the onions, they can also be stored in wooden boxes.
- Once the onions are dry, you can remove the loose peels, cut off the dry roots and shorten the leaves to about 5 cm.
