How to Care and Harvest Onions

Fertilize every few weeks with nitrogen to get big bulbs. Cease fertilizing when the onions push the soil away and the bulbing process has started. Do not put the soil back around the onions; the bulb needs to emerge above the soil. Generally, onion plants do not need consistent watering if mulch is used. About one inch of water per week (including rain water) is sufficient. If you want sweeter onions, water more.Onions will look healthy even if they are bone dry, so be sure to water during drought conditions.

PESTS/DISEASES

Thrips: To control thrips—tiny insects about as fat as a sewing needle—take a dark piece of paper into the garden and knock the onion tops against it; if thrips are present, you will spot their tan-colored bodies on the paper. A couple of treatments with insecticidal soap kills them. Follow the package directions. Spray the plants twice, three days apart, and the thrips should disappear.

Onion Maggots: Cover your emerging onion crop with a fine mesh netting. Seal it by mounding soil around the edges. The onion maggot likes to lay its eggs at the base of plants, so the netting should prevent that. You should also keep mulch away because the insects like decaying organic matter, and make sure you completely harvest your onions as the season progresses. Onion maggots are usually a problem in very rainy periods, so these precautions may be unnecessary if you have a dry season.

HOW TO HARVEST ONIONS

Pull any onions that send up flower stalks; this means that the onions have stopped growing. These onions will not store well but can be used in recipes within a few days.When onions start to mature, the tops (foliage) become yellow and begin to fall over. At that point, bend the tops down or even stomp on them to speed the final ripening process.Loosen the soil around the bulbs to encourage drying.When tops are brown, pull the onions.Be sure to harvest in late summer, before cool weather. Mature onions may spoil in fall weather.Clip the roots and cut the tops back to 1 inch (but leave the tops on if you are planning to braid the onions).Let the onions cure on dry ground for a few days, weather permitting. Always handle them very carefully—the slightest bruise will encourage rot to set in.Allow onions to dry for several weeks before you store them in a root cellar or any other storage area. Spread them out on an open screen off the ground to dry.Store at 40 to 50°F (4 to 10°C) in braids or with the stems removed in a mesh bag or nylon stocking.Mature, dry-skinned bulbs like it cool and dry.Don’t store onions with apples or pears, as the ethylene gas produced by the fruits will interrupt the onions’ dormancy. Onions may also spoil the flavor of these fruits (as well as potatoes).A pungent onion will store longer than a sweet onion. Eat the sweet varieties first and save the more pungent onions for later.

Do you grow onions in your garden? please share your experience. Yours in the garden Farm2Markt