If you start onions from seeds over three months ago, or plant a set of onions in the spring, those onion bulbs probably swell from the soil and look ready for harvest, but what?
This is a fun fact. You can choose onions now if you like. Onions can be harvested at any stage of growth and do not have to reach a specific size before they are considered harvestable.
If you like the size they are (even if they’re just golf balls), go ahead – palpate and eat your onion fresh from the ground. It’s still great, and the green leaves can also be cooked and eaten (because they are actually green onions).
The downside is that onions are smaller than if they were allowed to mature. If they are not fully mature, if the goal is to stock the pantry for winter, they won’t be stored well.
How to measure maturity
Counting the leaves reveals that the onion is approaching maturation. Each leaf corresponds to one ring on the bulb. And the larger and thicker the leaves, the larger and thicker the ring.
(I’m sure you’re short to count your onion leaves now! Or is it just me?)
Onion transplants usually involve cultivating pairs of leaves every two weeks after their establishment. Lucky 13 is the “perfect” number of leaves of jumbo onions. So if the plant already has these leaves, it’s on the way to mature!
Not all onions produce 13 leaves. Some people appear in 9-12 leaves, depending on the cultivation and growth conditions. Don’t worry as these plants produce beautiful bulbs that are still well maintained!
As soon as all leaves have formed, the plant transitions from lush green growth to light bulb expansion. Start paying attention to your crops from mid-summer to the end of summer when most onions are ready to harvest. To maximize storage possibilities, I want to make sure that the onion is chosen at the right time (not too early, not too late). Don’t wait for all the leaves to turn brown!
Here’s what I’m looking for:
1. Soft neck
The “neck” is where the leaves meet the light bulb. When this area begins to feel soft, it means that all energy stored in the leaves has moved to the bulb and finished.
At this point, watering is reduced to prevent sour skin (a bacterial disease characterized by brown and slimy bulb outer layer) and black mold (often developed in very moist soil).
2. Tops fly around
Another indication of a telltale that your onion is almost ready for harvest is when the top begins to lean forward at the neck. When the bulb pulls sugar from the leaves and moisture from its roots, the leaves turn yellow and you can see them die. Stop watering completely while the crop is mature in the next week or two weeks.
Generally, I wait for at least half the quarter of the onion crop to fall before harvesting. This ensures good skin development to protect the bulbs during storage.
3. Dried inner leaves
The top of the onion has the earliest leaves on the outside and the youngest leaves in the center, which incites them from the neck. The latest leaves, also known as the last leaves, must dry out and begin to turn yellow when the bulb reaches full size.
Harvest before the final leaves dry out will tend to rot during storage.
After harvest
Once all the onions have been pulled out of the soil, it is important to dry them completely to prepare for storage. With proper curing, onions can last for several months (up to a year!) in cool, dark, and well-ventilated areas.
This is a simple process that is primarily a handoff, and there is a complete guide on how to cure onions.
