When to pull onions??????

[nivaguk]

Hi,

I'm new to all this growing and i have red and white onions in. The red onions have just started to produce the flowers but the whit ones are still a little bit behind with the weather. But do i pull the red onions up as soon as the flowers have opened or do i leave them to allow the flowers to die off?????

Thanks,

[lottie dolly]

when onions flower it's going to seed,which is all you will end up with,if they only just started to flower,cut out the flower stalk,you do not let onions flower unless you WANT to save seed,very different from potatoes,having a look at other recent threads about onions,will give you an idea as well,you see,when an onion goes to seed,it uses the centre of the onion as its energy,thus rendering what's left to hard to eat,depending how big the flower spike is,

[nivaguk]

Thanks Lottie. So I'm guessing i leave the onions to swell to the size i want them to??????????

[Potstubsdustbins]

Any that run to seed cut off the stalk as soon as you can. Allow the onion to grow on to a decent size and harvest. Use them straight away or freeze them as they will not keep.

Colin

[Snadger]

Along with any with a touch of whiterot any onions which won't keep................ all get onion bhaji-fied in our house!

[binley100]

I chop and freeze 'em .......they keep then

[leonmc0708]

If they get those Mosque-like things cut that stalk off and make a mental note (or an actual one if need be) of the ones that bolted.

when all the leaves go yellow and drop then pull em all and let them dry out in the sun/a greenhouse for a couple of weeks - lettign the ones that bolted make their way into a nice stir fry or the like as they wont keep in an onion bag - though they will freeze fine if yer chop em up.

[Leeds_lad]

As said you don't want them to flower, unless you are planning on seed saving.
Any flower stalks you see (the ones with green arrow head looking points) cut off as soon as you see them.

Other than that, just keep your eye on them swelling. Pick when they are at the size you want or wait until the leaves start looking yellow and dying, this means they are ready

[Shadylane]

If they get those Mosque-like things cut that stalk off and make a mental note (or an actual one if need be) of the ones that bolted.

You'll be able to tell which ones bolted as you'll see the bit of beheaded stalk that you chopped off. Also the necks will be hard - this is how I identify them anyway - far too disorganasised to make notes

[VirginVegGrower]

I chop and freeze 'em .......they keep then

I do what Bins said, because she's right, it's an ace way to store them.

[leonmc0708]

You'll be able to tell which ones bolted as you'll see the bit of beheaded stalk that you chopped off. Also the necks will be hard - this is how I identify them anyway - far too disorganasised to make notes

I can never work out which ones I chopped and which the wind/birds/dogs have broken off meself !!

[Gemmalaveen]

The onions I planted in early March started bolting at the end of May! I have been using them in stir-fries ever since. I have also used some of the very skinny ones in salads as a substitute for spring onions, just removing the hard central stalk.

I probably won't be growing onions again next year - I bought bolt resistant (heat treated) varieties but still no joy

[HeyWayne]

My plot looks like Red Square at the moment, a load of onions gone to seed from last year.

Bean loves to break the onion tops off and eats them whilst pottering about on the plot. He'll often end up stinking of onions by the time he goes home.

[Shadylane]

The onions I planted in early March started bolting at the end of May! I have been using them in stir-fries ever since. I have also used some of the very skinny ones in salads as a substitute for spring onions, just removing the hard central stalk.

I probably won't be growing onions again next year - I bought bolt resistant (heat treated) varieties but still no joy

I don't think anything's been bolt resistant this year. Don't let this years crazy weather put you off growing onions. You could always try growing from seed Very easy and they have less tendency to bolt. In fact none of mine have yet, whereas most of the sets have, except the white overwintered ones. Mind you the ones from seed are tiny this year. Might be good for pickling...

[BUFFS]

i tie some red twine round any that try to flower,then even if the wife sorts them,we know what not to try keeping,into the feezer,i hang my onions from the shelving(table),in the shade, in the greenhouse,they seem to keep better there than in the shed,even though its dry in there..