4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[AJuff]

My onions are not very big but two or three of them now have flower heads on them. Does this mean they are ready to pick? Have they gone to seed without growing?

[Lesley]

They can sometimes flower early - and the onion will stop growing.

 

Cut the flower stem off and the onion should continue growing.

[AJuff]

Onion update . . .

 

Well I cut off the flower heads as advised and they continued to grow. How do I know when they are ready to pick?

 

And how do you tie them up into a nice string like the French do???

[Matthew]

Onion update . . .

 

Well I cut off the flower heads as advised and they continued to grow. How do I know when they are ready to pick?

 

And how do you tie them up into a nice string like the French do???

 

When the stems have folded over on their own... lift them and dry them, somewhere where the will get cool air so spread them out or hang them up.....the ones that flowered you will have to eat soon and not store as they wont keep...

[Lesley]

If you use Search, you should find the thread I started last year when I strung all my onions.

 

You can Google on how to string onions - it looks and sounds much harder than it is and once you start, it is really easy.

[chickencam]

We usually pick ours when the stems have turned over and they are starting to go brown.

 

Loosen them with a fork rather than pulling them which can damge the roots for storage.

 

We then spread ours out on our summerhouse roof if it is a dry spell or on the shelves of our little seed house if rain is forecast. They dry best out in the sun or in a hot dry greenhouse.

 

When they are completely dry string them up.

[AJuff]

Silly question I know but do you dry them first and then string them up or can you string them up to dry?

[Lesley]

Dry them first - and then check which ones are best to keep, string the best ones.