Emma Miller
Onions can be harvested from early August, but not before the vegetable is fully ripe. It’s August, and that means it’s time to harvest onions in the garden. Around the beginning of August, onions are ripe and ready to be harvested.
When to harvest onions: the main signs
A good time for harvesting onions can be calculated by yourself: the culture matures in 70-80 days after planting.
The weather also matters. If the summer was dry, the vegetables can be harvested earlier. If there has been recent precipitation, however, you should harvest no earlier than a week after the last rain.
Determine that onions are ready for harvesting by the following signs:
- One or more leaves of the bulb turn yellow;
- the leaves are falling to the ground;
- the neck of the bulb is dry;
- the part of the husk that is visible above the ground is dry and peeling.
There is no need to delay harvesting. If you harvest the onions too late, they will begin to rot and will not last long in storage.
How to hasten the ripening of onions
It is recommended that onions be harvested before the fall rainy season. If the vegetables are in no hurry to ripen – you can help them a little. To do this, use the following tricks:
- stop watering the onions for two weeks and cover them with foil in rainy weather – they ripen faster in dry soil;
- if the onions are planted too deep – remove the top layer of soil until the husks of the bulbs show;
- five days before harvesting, pull the bulbs halfway out of the soil.
How to Harvest Onions Properly
Bulbs can be pulled out of the ground if they pull easily. But if the vegetables are large, it’s better to dig them out with a shovel to avoid damaging the tops. If you rip off the haulm when harvesting, the onion will rot quickly.
If there is soil stuck on the onion when you harvest it, remove it with your hands. Don’t bump vegetables against the ground or against each other, or the flesh will be damaged and the vegetables will rot faster.
