When to remove onions from the garden for storage: signs of ripening and the right time

Growing onions in the garden does not take much time and does not require serious agricultural skills, but the question of when to store onions from the garden raises a lot of controversy. Failure to comply with at least one of the elements of the algorithm when digging or drying onions leads to the fact that this herbaceous perennial begins to rot, and the entire harvest becomes unusable within a few weeks.

What is the use of onions?

Every layman knows the he alth benefits of onions and its indispensable taste in cooking.The high content of dry matter in the onion head makes it possible to compare the vegetable in terms of nutritional value with such a root crop as beets, and the presence of a high concentration of vitamins A, B, C, put onions on the same level of usefulness as citrus fruits

The freshly dug onion has a full range of useful and gustatory properties, regardless of the weather in which the crop was removed from the ground, and when - sooner or later than the required time. However, the preservation of all the initial qualities of a vegetable during long-term storage directly depends on these factors. Both the keeping quality of a vegetable and the return of valuable elements to them are directly related to the time when the onion was harvested from the garden and how well it was taken care of before harvesting.

It is impossible to accurately determine these terms and norms, focusing only on dates and numbers in special sources of information, since you will have to take into account too many additional factors in the most diverse combinations:

cultivar;
weather and climatic features of the region;
soil characteristics;
frequency and abundance of top dressings or their absence;
rainy or dry season.

For gardeners who want to harvest early, it is better to choose early-ripening varieties and be guided by the ripening dates corresponding to this type of vegetable. But these dates will be adjusted by the weather situation in the period closest to the time of collection.

Dry summer heat will bring the ripening of the bulbs closer by 15-17 days, but cold August, on the contrary, will delay the harvest for the same period of time, so onion harvesting can take place both at the beginning of the month and at its end.

When to harvest onions?

It is impossible to plan the harvest for one specific day, because the bulbs in the ground ripen unevenly and there is a risk of mixing good, dry turnips with unripe onions.Optimally, allocate from 4 to 7 days for the whole process - this is also convenient because the onion laid out for drying in the first place will have time to dry and make room for a later collection. Since many gardeners like to experiment with different varieties of crops, the period when the onions ripen can stretch for a longer period. The maturity of the vegetable is determined, as usual by the appearance of the tops.

Winter spring onions require more care when sorting as they are rarely harvested in dry weather. Growing such a vegetable is associated with many advantages - it is almost never attacked by pests and almost does not need additional watering. However, it is dangerous to keep it in the ground, especially if the weather is wet or it rains - the winter crop willingly enters the second ripening cycle and releases new roots.

It is better to collect onions planted in spring when at least a week is left before the rainy season. This allows you to wait for the ripening of all onion turnips and calmly, without haste, dry them in the open air.

Danger of late harvest

Onion harvesting done too early will certainly doom the harvest to a low storability. When such an onion is harvested from the garden and then stored in bulk, the bottom layer of the vegetable begins to sprout and rot, quickly spreading dampness and fungus throughout the storage section. The only way to save the harvest is to process the harvested bulbs for preservation immediately after harvest.

Signs of onion readiness for harvesting in the harvesting season, as a rule, appear 75-80 days from the day of planting. As a standard, they begin to dig the onion when its feathers turn yellow and the soil is quite dry, but in the event of a threat of worsening weather, the ripening of the crop is provoked artificially. You can find out how to do this below.

When should I stop watering onions?

The first 55-60 days, the bitter vegetable rapidly grows and fills with juice, and the remaining period, until the moment when it is necessary to remove the onion from the garden, is reserved for the accumulation of useful elements, sucrose and other components of nutritional value.

At this time, when the growth of the bulb stops, it no longer needs a lot of moisture and watering can be reduced, and then completely stopped.

Conventionally, the day when the soil under the crop is moistened for the last time is considered July 12th. If the summer was not very damp, by this time the yellowed onion arrows are stacked on their side, and the visible neck of the bulb is already covered with several layers of dry scales and crunches under the fingers.

If, starting from 60 days after planting a seedling, rains are predicted, then you should cover the garden with double cellophane or pull a waterproof film over aluminum arcs, organizing a mobile, easily disassembled shelter.

How to accelerate the ripening of bulbs?

Weather conditions, climate and the principles of crop care during the growing period, make their own adjustments to the standard time when you need to dig up onions.Often, a certain variety of crop, planted without regard to the characteristics of the region, does not have time to gain strength by the time the weather starts to deteriorate, and the heads begin to rot right in the ground. To avoid this and speed up the ripening of the vegetable, small tricks will help that require minimal skill from the gardener:

Cutting roots. To do this, use a well-pointed spatula, which is carefully brought under each bulb, cutting off the roots, and blocking the nutrient channels of the vegetable.
Partial pulling of bulbs. This method requires caution, because when the onion is taken by the tops and pulled up a little, some of the feathers may break off. It is undesirable to allow this, because bacteria get into the resulting damage, leading to rotting of the vegetable as a whole.
Exposure of an onion turnip. It is better to perform the operation manually so as not to damage the vegetable’s sides dressed in scales with the tool. Each bulb is carefully removed from the soil, exposing about a third, and left for 5-8 days until the vegetable dries.

Some vegetable growers go further and completely cut off the tops in anticipation of the rains, so that the onion dries up and is ready for harvest in the shortest possible time. If the weather is very dry, and the feathers are cleaned of dust before they are removed, then the method can be considered justified, although quite risky. If, during the trimming of the tops, there is high humidity, then the onion begins to rot in almost 100% and loses its suitability for storage.

How to properly dig up onions?

When it's time to harvest the onions, the drying room or outdoor areas should be ready. Process technique may vary depending on moisture and soil type.

So, from loamy or moist soil, it is undesirable to pull turnips by the feather - for these purposes it is better to use a pitchfork. On the contrary, from dry and sandy soil, onions are perfectly extracted by hand.

How to clean dug up onions for storage? First of all, dry it thoroughly. Drying time will vary depending on collection conditions. A vegetable dug up in dry weather is enough to lie down for 2-4 days.

Harvesting onions in the rain

Harvesting onions during rain is complicated by the fact that it is very difficult to determine the level of maturity of wet turnips and, along with good bulbs, unripe vegetables with a low-value, watery pulp structure can get into the general pile. It is necessary to dry onion turnips dug out in the rain only in closed, well-ventilated, warm rooms, laying the vegetables on the floor in one layer and periodically, at least once a day, turning the vegetables from side to side.

It is necessary to pick off the bulbs from the dirt not earlier than it dries up and begins to crumble by itself. What to do if the onion starts to rot during drying? Spoiled turnips are immediately taken aside and dried separately, and then immediately crushed for freezing or preservation.

The soaked onion dries for at least a week, and it is advisable to store it in small wooden boxes.

How to dry onions in an apartment?

Storage of seedlings from the garden goes through thorough drying, which is not always possible in a city apartment or a small cottage. If the harvest is not very large, then an ordinary gas furnace is used for these purposes. The oven is heated to approximately 40 ^{C and the temperature is fixed at this figure. No more than 2 kg of onions are laid out on a baking sheet at the same time and dried in the oven for about two hours with the door half open. Turn the turnips 3-4 times during this time.}

If the kitchen has the ability to stretch the cross beams under the ceiling and hang bundles of onions in this way, then drying can be done with the stove burners on. To tie onion heads into bunches or weave them into wreaths, it is necessary to cut the feathers no closer than 4-5 cm to the head.

If drying is carried out without the use of heating devices, the process is significantly extended and can take from 10 to 20 days.

How to store onions at home?

When the onion crop is removed from the garden and properly dried, it is time to organize the storage of the vegetable. In a private house, this point is not considered controversial, because most household plots have a cellar or a major brick shed where you can store onions in bulk. But what about in city apartments, when every square meter counts?

There are three convenient ways to save sets until next summer in cramped homes:

Weaving braids or wreaths. When it is supposed to tie the onion in this way, the onion necks are pruned leaving a long (from 5 cm) dry stem. After drying, a “pigtail” of a convenient length is woven from the bulbs, which is tied to ceiling hooks (beams) in the kitchen or pantry.
Storage in baskets or flat (up to 25 cm high) wooden crates. In this way, onions are stored in a pantry or on an insulated balcony that does not let in dampness.
Tie up the bow "in the stocking". They use clean nylon stockings, into which the onion is poured to the very top. The resulting "stalactites" are hung from the ceiling, but you can also store them on the wooden shelves of the pantry, laying them in one row, with a bundle outward.

One of the most important conditions for long-term storage of onions is the level of humidity, about 60% is the optimal indicator for the keeping quality of the crop At values below 55%, the onions begin to dry out and it is necessary to organize additional air humidification or pour more onion peel into boxes with vegetables. At high values of the hydrometer, the moisture from the container with onions must be "pulled off" by placing cardboard boxes with ash, seed husks, and sawdust near the boxes.

Onion harvest dates by region

Each individual region has its own ripening time for onion crops and, accordingly, their own periods when they are harvested:

onion harvesting by gardeners of the Moscow region, starts on July 25 and lasts until August 8-10;
in the Urals, the vegetable lingers in the soil until August 18-20;
in the Leningrad region and in Siberia, the timing of harvest fluctuates between 10-15 August.

The given figures, as it is easy to understand, are approximate values, indents in which correspond to the individual characteristics of the current season. We must not forget about the characteristics of the soil - light soils dry out faster and speed up harvesting, while heavy soils, on the contrary, hold moisture for a long time and delay the development of the crop. When to harvest onions can only be understood by taking into account all these factors.

Onion harvesting technology: results

So, the rules for harvesting onions from the garden come down to a few basic points. What you need to know about the timing when it's time to dig up a vegetable:

"feathered" in 70-90% of the crop;
more bulbs have shriveled lower leaves;
an onion neck protruding above the soil is covered with dry scales and makes a crunch when pressed;
false stem has become soft;
up to 20% of the roots withered and died.

It is impossible to allow the turnips to begin to re-sprout in the ground, so it is better not to wait for the lodging of the tops of all vegetables, but to focus on a large percentage.

Before harvesting the onion for storage, it is necessary to thoroughly dry the vegetable, and storage should be carried out in accordance with the real possible conditions. During the winter, onions should be sorted at least three times, removing any softened or damaged vegetables.