Is it time to harvest onions/garlic yet?

[sweetcorn]

It looks very happy and ready, but is it too early? Do the leaves have to keel over? We planted them in the autumn and some of the onions are looking very large .....
All advice gratefully received!

[Jamesy_uk]

Usually the advice is to wait until foliage yellows and withers, meant to help them keep for longer as the bulbs seal themselves off but with all the rain we have been having keep a close eye on them getting rot.

[Vince G]

My garlic is crap. On the other hand, got some onions the size of cricket balls. The foliage toppled over so I've lifted them and they're on the racks in the polytunnel. A few of the "old boys" at the allotment reckon they don't keep well, bt we've probably not got enough to find out.

[donnakebab]

I had some that produced seed heads so I've lifted and used those. Today when I went to my allotment some of them had keeled over, the foliage that is, so I've lifted them and brought them home to use. I will be lifting my garlic soon too before rust sets in. One of my friends has it on her garlic and her plot is not far from mine.

[Paulottie]

Overwintered onions start to bend over naturally in June. Some folk( including me) will help the others over after a week or two, exposing the ripening bulbs to the sun. (but there is a school of thought that suggests this allows disease in.) At this stage the will still swell and in good weather should be left on the soil a fortnight. they are then gently eased up and, at best, placed carefully on a wire rack to dry. (can be done in a green house/south facing porch in bad weather). Keep and rope only the firm and use up the rest. The better you dry them the better they will keep. They should hang in a cool airy frost free spot until at least Christmas (maincrop till March)

Garlic foliage goes yellow and dry (or rust orange this year!) no bending over and it is dug up..... again use up the worst while the rest is dried out well for plaiting.

[kathyd]

Overwintered onions start to bend over naturally in June. Some folk( including me) will help the others over after a week or two, exposing the ripening bulbs to the sun. (but there is a school of thought that suggests this allows disease in.) At this stage the will still swell and in good weather should be left on the soil a fortnight.

Paulottie - When you say they 'bend over', do you mean the whole onion plant or just the leaves? If it's just the leaves, how does that expose them to the sun? (Sun? "does not compute"). If it's the whole plant, maybe I should stop being helpful to mine and 'replanting' them when I see them toppling onto their sides .

Sweetcorn - my autumn planted onions are looking big too, but I'm waiting a few days to see if they 'bend over'... . Don't see much chance of drying them in the sunshine though! Happily only planted a few to try, so can't see them lasting long enough to need storing for long . The garlic is looking big too, like leeks, but I can't see any sign of bulbs yet when I poke around under the soil, so I'm leaving them to fill out for a while longer. The garlic leaves are currently turning dry, but only part of the plant not the whole thing.

[zazen999]

I pull and use my onions as they get big enough - I find the overwintered ones don't store much anyway - I want to eat them not use them as a ornament...I've been eating mine for 2-3 weeks now. As they get pulled I pop in cabbages in the spaces.

[sweetcorn]

Thanks for all your advice. I think we will definitely eat some now, as they look great.

[Two_Sheds]

If it's just the leaves, how does that expose them to the sun?

The bulb should be exposed to the sun: most of the bulb should be visible above the soil if it's near maturity.
If you've planted them a bit deep, brush some of the soil away from the bulb

maybe I should stop being helpful to mine and 'replanting' them when I see them toppling onto their sides

They shouldn't be falling over at this time of year: if they are, have a look at the roots for fluffy white stuff

[otorongo]

All my garlic is falling over due to the strength 6 winds we've been getting. I was thinking of staking it with bamboo canes, would that be a good idea?

[Andromeda]

I've been harvesting my onions as and when I need them for a week or two, my garlic is not yet ready (pretty normal for me, I start lifting some 'early' garlic around the very end of June usually but I expect it may be the 2nd week of July this year).

[jacob]

Yet again my onions look at bit disappointing, but not disasterous...

Anyhow, I usually find that onions from overwintered sets fall over bang on midsummer. The last month has been so grim, that I was wondering if they might hang on a bit longer? Any thoughts.

Thanks Paulotti for suggesting that the might continue to swell after falling. I've always scratched my head on this one!

For garlic, isn't it still a few weeks early?

[otorongo]

Depends on when you planted it. I harvested my January garlic last weekend and it was good. The plants from February and March planting need more time.

[Andromeda]

Yet again my onions look at bit disappointing, but not disasterous...

Anyhow, I usually find that onions from overwintered sets fall over bang on midsummer. The last month has been so grim, that I was wondering if they might hang on a bit longer? Any thoughts.

Thanks Paulotti for suggesting that the might continue to swell after falling. I've always scratched my head on this one!

For garlic, isn't it still a few weeks early?

A lot of my things are 2-4 weeks behind where I'd expect them to be and this seems to be a recurring theme amongst the plot holders on the allotment site, it's very possible you may find that they're a bit delayed - that said, veg tend to have a mind of their own and relish leading us growers a merry dance!

[Tripmeup]

My November sown Garlic is looking strong, but I am going to give it another week or two to ensure it splits into cloves....

I harvested some of my November sown Radar Onions (from sets) last Saturday and they are of a good size and quality....
The November sown onions that I grew from seed (F1 Hi-Ball) are still in the ground and could do with some more time to swell out....