When To Harvest Your Homegrown Onions

When To Harvest Your Homegrown Onions

This is my second year at attempting to grow onions.  The first year I tried to grown onions, they didn’t grow at all.  However, this year, they look fabulous! I was in the garden today to check on them and look at what I have growing in my garden.  Large onions!  So, if you’re growing onions this year or perhaps next year and want to know when to harvest them, then here are the clues.  Please keep in mind that these are clues for harvesting them when they become big.  You can pick them earlier if you like or need one immediately for cooking.

When To Harvest Your Homegrown Onions

One clue that your onions are ready to harvest is the leaves or top portion will start to fall over flat at the neck of the onions.  Most of my onions are still standing straight, but a few have fallen over.  When about 85% have fallen over, I will just push the remaining over to help them out.  If you push the remaining over, let them sit in the ground for a couple of days before pulling up.

When To Harvest Your Homegrown Onions

Some of the onions that you plant may have flowers growing at the top.  When the flowers close, they are ready to be harvested.  I only had one that had a flower growing at the top.

When To Harvest Your Homegrown Onions

Another sign that they are becoming ripe is the thinning and browning of the tips of the leaves.

When To Harvest Your Homegrown Onions

When removed from the garden, you can hang onions to dry on porch.  If it’s really hot, you can lay in dry area on a flat surface to dry……..unless you need an onion at that very moment.  You’ll know that they’re dry when the neck part starts thinning and become paper-like.

So, have tried your hand at growing onions?

Comments

  1. Hello Sharon, another great post. Onions are a really good vegetable to have to hand. They keep really well and can be used through the winter months. I grow turnips at home and have a great article if you want to take a look. http://www.growerexperts.com/how-to-grow-turnips-and-swedes/ .
    Thanks,
    Richard

  2. Hi Sharon – I have grown onions, but usually end up harvesting them throughout the season because I want to use them! Thanks so much for sharing with the Let’s Get Real party.

  3. This is the sort of thing I am ashamed to say I leave to my OH.

  4. We’ve never attempted to grow onions. If I ever do, these are such great and helpful tips! Pinned to my gardening board. Thanks for sharing these tips on Merry Monday.

    • You’re welcome Erlene! My onions are coming along so nicely. Love sharing, too. Will definitely see you at the next Merry Monday….

  5. Thanks so much in sharing this at my Fabulous Friday Party!
    Its a wonderful project! I live not so far from Vidalia Georgia and they have lots of onion farms there!
    Maria

  6. This is good to know!

  7. I grow onions last year and they did great. I decided to grow garlic instead this year, and it did great. I’ll be digging the cloves up this week-end.

    • Hi Rhonda! I’ve never tried growing garlic. That’s definitely one of put on my list for next year. Or, perhaps there is still time this year. We definitely use a lot of garlic in our house. Nor, have I grown cloves…

      • The best time to plant garlic is in the fall. Let it winter over and it will sprout in the spring for summer harvest. I’ll be doing a post on my garlic harvest this week. Please stop by.

  8. I don’t have good dirt for growing in the ground at my place, but this is my second year growing peppers (Habanero and bell) and cilantro in pots. Next year, I may add onions and potatoes. Last year, my spaghetti squash just flowered, which was pretty, and my tomatoes never grew past the size of golf balls. I figure it was because the pots weren’t deep enough. It was fun though.

    • Hi Deauna! My dirt is not good, either. That’s why I did a garden bed and put rich dirt in it. One year, my squash did so nice. They grew so large. However, I have a hard time growing peppers (bell peppers). I’m so in awe of my onions because this is the first time they have actually came out so large and nice. Now, I can’t wait to see how the potatoes in a bag come out. Yes, perhaps try deeper pots or bins for growing vegetables to see if that helps…

  9. I just planted some stuff in my garden box on Tuesday. I had been trying to wait on my husband to build me a cover made out of chicken wire but it wasn’t coming out as planned. So I finally planted some lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers, and melons. This is my first attempt so I’ll be happy if anything grows

    • Hi Sonya! One year I tried my hand at bell peppers. They grew, but not very large. However, last year I planted some melons (watermelons). It must have been the small size because they didn’t get very big, but they were so tasty and sweet. This year, I’m limiting myself to mostly onions, squash and tomatoes. Plus, I’m growing potatoes in a bag. Hope everything grows nicely for you.

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