Onion harvesting in rainy summer: when to dig and how to properly care

After planting the onion sets and during the period of the initial formation of heads, rain pleases gardeners. The amount of work to care for bulb beds is reduced, because they need to be watered less often. But it takes more time and effort to harvest onions in a rainy summer, it needs to be completed before the first days of August.

How dangerous is a rainy summer?

Long rains rarely please gardeners when it's time to harvest onions. If there are frequent showers in July, it is difficult to grow and maintain a crop. It is difficult to choose a day for cleaning if heavy rains have been falling for a whole week in a row.

Due to wet weather, there is a strong increase in the aerial part of the onion (feather), and the formation of heads is delayed. By the end of July, the neck of the bulbs should dry out, but due to excess moisture, it remains thick and juicy. Often such plants do not have a pronounced transition between the stem and the bulb. Such heads are not ready for cleaning, they are not suitable for long-term storage, they must be used immediately.

Wet weather creates ideal conditions for the spread of fungal diseases. Onions are affected by downy mildew and root rot. Urgent measures should be taken if grayish spots are spreading on onion leaves. They are the main symptom of the disease. Due to excess moisture, the roots, bottom and stems rot, this causes irreparable damage to the crop.

Onion harvesting in rainy summer, recommendations for gardeners

Experienced gardeners have their own secrets on how to grow onions in rainy weather. Most of them believe that it grows well in any weather, you need:

• choose a reliable variety;
• properly prepare the ridge;
• grow and plant seed according to the rules;
• do not forget about disease prevention.

The right choice of varieties

Each region has its own weather conditions and the beginning of the rainy season can be predicted on the basis of long-term statistics and long-term weather forecasts. If, according to forecasts, the summer will be rainy, then you need to choose early-ripening onion varieties. It is worth paying attention to varieties popular with gardeners:

• Candy.
• Centurion.
• Red Baron.
• Stuttgarten Riesen.

Caring for onions of proven varieties is easier in rainy summers because, due to the short growing season, they rarely suffer from onion crop diseases.What can not be said about varieties with late ripening. Early-ripening onions are less affected by pests, less likely to suffer from onion flies. To get a good harvest, it is important not only to choose the right variety, but also to know how to plant this crop correctly and at the right time.

Preparing the beds

To grow any vegetable, you need to choose the right place for it in the garden. This also applies to any variety of onions. For him, in the fall, they prepare the soil in a plot well-lit by the sun throughout the day. A bed in the lowlands is not suitable for onions, especially if rainy weather is expected in the summer.

In anticipation of a rainy summer, onion beds are made elevated and placed in a well-ventilated area of the garden. Next to the onion patch should not be:

• high structures;
• trees;
• shrubs.

The soil in the garden should be light and loose. Sand or low-lying peat should be added to loamy and clay soil to improve its structure. It should be noted the advantages of high ridges: the roots of the plant receive enough moisture, and the heads are relatively dry and well ventilated.

Compliance with the rules of landing

Many gardeners prefer to determine the timing of planting turnips using the gardener's lunar calendar. When compiling it, the average temperatures for a particular region are taken into account, which greatly facilitates the planning of sowing work. For example, for the central zone of the Russian Federation, favorable days suitable for planting onions in 2022-2023 are April 8-11 and May 7-8.

For any variety of onions, the manufacturer gives recommendations for planting, they must be followed.How to plant onion sets correctly if a rainy summer is expected according to forecasts. No need to deepen the heads during planting. The top of the set should be level with the ground.

The head, increasing in size, will gradually bulge out of the ground, go through all stages of development. At the end of July, to accelerate the maturation of the heads, if the feather does not turn yellow for a long time, use a pitchfork or a shovel. They slightly dig heads. The onion continues to grow in the garden, but since the root system has been disturbed, the feather and neck of the bulb begin to dry.

Disease prevention

Disease prevention is a guarantee of a good harvest. Proper planning of protective measures increases the immunity of plants and reduces the dependence of the crop on weather conditions. Although the quality of the grown turnip largely depends on the weather.

In rainy cold summers, onions are fed with non-liquid fertilizers. Granules of mineral fertilizers should be scattered on the wet surface of the soil and deepened into the soil using a shallow loosening method.

To protect the turnip from a fungal infection, there are special chemicals (fungicides) on sale. Most often, gardeners use 1% Bordeaux liquid in the old fashioned way. True, after using it, the feather is not cut off for food. From the fungus, many gardeners prefer to use wood ash. It is suitable in dry form, it is sprinkled with onion beds. Infusions are prepared from it and watered onion plantings. Ash protects not only from infection, but also from many pests.

Tip: Don't apply nitrogen fertilizer when heads start to form.

In wet, rainy weather, regular inspections can prevent the spread of infection Rotten and affected onion fly heads should be removed and destroyed. On days when there is no rain, you need to loosen the aisles and dust them with ash, red hot pepper or tobacco dust.

When to harvest onions?

The ripening time of onions in rainy summers increases. If you do not carry out additional measures, then the quality of the turnip decreases, it is poorly stored and loses its presentation. Already 3 weeks before harvesting, you need to stop watering the onions, at the same time they finish all types of fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers.

If, according to forecasts, it is a long time to wait for the end of the rain, and it is too early to dig onions, then you can install arcs and cover the ridge with PVC film, but leave gaps for ventilation. Is it possible to dig onions during the rain, each gardener decides based on specific conditions:

• presence of a canopy or a ventilated room for drying crops;
• withered feather;
• shrunken neck;
• presence of dry integumentary scales on heads.

You can speed up the ripening of bulbs. About a week before harvesting, you need to walk along each bed and rake the earth from each head with your hands. This accelerates the formation of integumentary scales and the transfer of nutrients from the feather to the bulb.

At the same time or a week later, you can use a pitchfork to undermine the root system of the turnip. At the same time, the feather will turn yellow faster, the neck will dry out, and the bulbs will be covered with scales. It is not necessary to trim the feather to ripen the heads. There is no benefit from this procedure, but there is harm in the form of an infection that can penetrate the head.

If you are lucky and the weather will please you with the absence of rain, then you need to use this moment. Dig onions with a shovel or pitchfork and pull them out of the ground together with the tops. If there is a shed or barn, move it there and lay it in one layer. If there is no special facility for drying, build a canopy from the film directly above the ridge.

Onions need to be dried for at least 10 days for storage, and in some cases even longer. During this time, the pen should dry completely, the neck should close. Only after that you can send the turnip for storage. Onion preparation activities for storage:

• clear the heads from the remnants of the earth;
• cut the feather, leaving the neck at least 4 cm;
• heads with a thick neck to eat, they are not suitable for long-term storage;
• dry the cut bulbs for a few more days in a warm room (25-28 °C) or in the sun.

While the onion dries, prepare storage containers: cardboard boxes, baskets, nets, bags. Before storing the heads for storage, you need to conduct a thorough inspection. Bulbs showing signs of decay or insect infestation should be culled and destroyed.

Conclusion

Many gardeners complain about the weather, which prevented them from growing the right amount of onions, or because they do not store well in winter. But it's not always the rain's fault. Often onions rot not because of a wet summer, but because the variety is unsuitable for long-term storage or the seeds have not been pre-sowed. And the harvest is poor due to poor care and lack of top dressing.

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