Advice for onions

[Nes]

My onions are still looking like they're growing - leaves bolt upright, healthy green, etc. Admittedly, they were planted out a bit later than ideal and had languished around in small cells for longer than they wanted due to no space in my plot at home (remedied this autumn with the acquisition of my lottie). What should I do with them? Bend their tops over to encourage ripening (though I think this leads to rot in storage), leave them as long as the frost stays away or dig them up now? They're Bedfordshire Champions, raised from seed sown in February. Would be grateful for some advice.

[terrier]

Hi Nes, welcome to the forum. I'm in the same boat as you, I grew from sets but planted rather late and they're still looking healthy and growing. Not sure what to do now but I'm harvesting them as I need them.

[Nes]

I may well do the same, though some of them are a bit small, as I'd gone for the space saving option of multi sowing and planting out groups of up to three plants in one space. Left a bit more room between plants than for individual plants, but perhaps not enough. Had hoped to store over winter, but perhaps this won't be possible. Better luck next time. Love the learning experience!!

[zazen999]

Hi

Can you cover with some plastic mini polytunnel or fleece if you are worried about the frost?

Personally, I leave onions in all year round, and just take them for eating and if I need the space cleared.

You could take out the largest for eating over the winter, and leave the smaller ones to grow on. Just try to harvest before they bolt next year. They will put a spurt on as soon as the days get longer and I found they bulk up quite quickly.

You could pop some root veg fertiliser &/or some mulch on now, to give them a bit of va va voom as well.

I let alot of onions - also grown in groups - grow over last winter, took them as I needed them and left the others to grow on. Ended up with some of the biggest I'd ever grown, with comments from the family such as, 'well, apart from onions, what else are you growing then?'. I think that means they were noticeably huge!

[Nes]

Thanks for the advice. Will put cloches over them when they reappear from under the hooligan pumpkins which have taken over!! I had no idea they could be left in, as the seed packet says they should have been harvested by last month. Would blood fish and bone do, or garden compost (again, when I find it from under the pumpkins!) or should I invest in a more specific fertilizer? Am growing organically.

[zazen999]

I don't use blood/fish/bone as I'm a vege...I use organic root veg fertiliser.

I took a load of onions out of various beds, and they will be going in again for the winter. Onions don't really die, they just sit there and if put back in the ground in time, will regenerate. Any that bolt I use for the next year's crop, by saving the seeds anyway.