Onion Growing 2025

Could you just put them in a mesh onion sack in a thin layer on a shelf? Not ideal, but a lot quicker than stringing them.

 

Thanks @CarolineL. I have so far put up a string “ washing line” and hung the onions over it, so not strung as such. Done about 75 only about another 200 to go. Who’s smart idea was to plant so many!! Oh yes and now it is raining so the remainder in situ will be wet even if I lift them now, hmm.

 

Only a shower so dry again. Not sure what is the best to do. The forecast for the weekend remains hellish.

 

Unless you expect St Swithin to deliver, I would not be concerned to leave them until they naturally begin to dry their tops. Yes, there is a risk that suddenly they absorb water after prolonged drought and split their skins but those onions will still be growing in my opinion.
You might raise each onion on one side so as to break a few roots thereby loosening them to accelerate die off; I realise winter may come sooner in Scotland but consider that there is no particular rush to harvest here. It is best for onions to 'close down ' naturally, prompts good storage.
Why not use the 'wet weekend' to knock up a storage rack so you can store them. I have a drying rack that fits across a barrow (piece of chainlink fence on wooden frame) so that partially dried onions can easily be put under shelter before a deluge occurs; thereby preventing mould which can ruin stored damp onions.

 

Many thanks @infradig. I was taught to lift onions pretty much when the stems bend over but perhaps it is better to let the top growth die back more.
My real concern and hence why I lifted what’s in the photo is a load had bent over and their leaves were on top of each other. With wet weather due over the weekend I thought the onions would not have much of a chance to dry out being smothered with top growth. I will leave what have not fallen over and wait until they have all keeled over.
Funnily enough as you suggested I have, while it rained ( only lasted about 15 minutes) been getting lots of binder twine pinned up in my ghastly old summer house so I can hang onions over the twine to dry off.
This gardening malarkey is dangerous. I now have a throbbing finger having missed, bashing in fencing nails rigging up the twine. You sometimes have to query the sanity of grow your own. All this effort when it is pretty simple to buy bags of veg from the supermarket etc.
However, what fun is there in that.?We would have nothing to either moan or boast about! In my case mainly moan.

 

Agree about the moaning, biggest problem around here is to find a body to listen !; thats why I post !!
Regarding the economics, having had to buy a lettuce (first this year) this morning-£1.95 , but its a lovely farm shop, thats nearly two hours of the weekly pension............ The intended crop for July decided to all run to seed.

 

I gave a few of my red onions a slight tug this morning and some came away very easily, the roots had withered, while some were still firm, I left those alone.
I also whipped out any the had bolted.

All in the greenhouse now, its surprising how well they have done, a decent size and really early, I usually wait until mid August at least.

 

Any time I've left onions out in The wet they get mildewed and don't keep

Mine still have a while, all mainly still standing up. The keeping onions I grew were extra long day ones so presumably will be a late crop for Scotland ready in august. Zebrunne is the other keeping variety although is a banana shallot.

 

My Zebrune are still growing although most have fallen over.
They are quite big for shallots.

 

Not wishing to split hairs but they are actually onions; the difference being that they do not normally bifurcate.

 

Yeah they are elongated onions, although culinary treated as shallots. They can keep for ages too which is nice. I'm growing quite a few individually as they can get pretty big

 

My Red Baron are in the greenhouse ahead of the predicted storm, they look really good with a decent average size, they obviously enjoyed the extra heat this summer.

 

Yes my red barron are in the greenhouse now been drying off for a week.
The roots had mostly gone although some still had green tops.

They are a decent size even though it was pretty dry and about 3 weeks earlier than most years.

 

I thought I remembered then splitting into multiple bulbs last time I grew them but I must admit they haven't.
Probably because I multiple sow seed in cell trays and wasn't keeping a close eye on what was going on.

 

I've just ordered more seed for next year, not that I'm getting carried away or anything................lol