This is the best way to go about harvesting

When are which onions harvested?

Depending on the date of sowing, the time of harvest of the different onion varieties also varies.

• Onions set in March and April can be harvested from around the end of July through September
• Onions set in September and October can be harvested the following year from around the end of June
• Seed onions sown in March or April ripen from August to September
• Seed onions sown in August ripen from June to July of the following year

How do you recognize maturity?

In midsummer, the finished onion prepares for winter. It now stores all the nutrients in the tuber. However, this means that the tube leaves are no longer adequately supplied. As a result, they slowly die off. The tip of the leaf begins to turn yellow and dry up. This process continues slowly downwards. If the gardener observes this process, he can use the Digging fork accelerate the death of the onion foliage a little. Carefully he digs into the soil under the onions and lifts the tubers a little. With this measure, the roots are loosened from the soil, they can no longer absorb water. Therefore, they stop growing and the onion green is no longer receiving any nutrients at all. Within a short time, the tubular leaves of the onion are completely dead.

The folding of the leaves

Even if the digging fork is not used, you can tell that it is ripe when the onion leaves have almost completely yellowed and may have already been kinked. It is not recommended to fold over the leaves, which were still green, which was common in the past. It should result in faster ripening, but the opposite is true. The onion does not ripen properly, it only reaches “emergency ripeness”. This has a negative effect on the subsequent storage.
This measure makes it easy for pathogens to enter and the onion begins to rot.

How are onions harvested?

If the tubular leaves of the onions are yellowed and already bent, it is time to harvest. The best way to do this is to choose a dry day that is as sunny as possible so that the onion can be easily pulled out of the ground.
But even in a wet weather period, the ripe onions must be out of the ground, otherwise they will start to rot. The earth-encrusted, wet onions then need a longer drying phase.

1. Take a digging fork and use it to carefully lift the onions out of the ground.
2. During a dry period, you can leave the onions in the country to dry off.
3. If the summer is more rainy, shake off the excess soil from the harvested onions and store them in airy boxes or on wooden grates.
4. If you have a covered drying facility, you can hang the onions in bunches under the roof to dry.

The drying phase should be completed after about fourteen days.

The storage of the onions

After drying, there should be no more moisture in the onion foliage, the outer onion skins are "rustling dry". The harvest can now be stored. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Shake off the excess soil from the onion, gently helping with your hands.
2. Shorten the dry roots.
3. Cut the dry leaves to a length of 5 cm.
4. Put the onions in an airy basket.
5. Avoid closed plastic containers.
6. Store the onions in a dry, airy and dark place. Basement rooms and unheated pantries are suitable.