Onion help!

[Heather Skerl Spegal]

First I hope I'm putting this in the right spot...I'm sorry if not...

second.. HELP! 

This is the first year I've grown onions and have been pleased up until now with their progress. I noticed the other day after several days of sun and no rain that the bulb part is pushing out of the ground.. they are still pretty small and think I planted them to shallow. So I looked up growing onions, and you are suppose to harvest when the tops fall over! And mine have...So does this mean I have to harvest my onions? Seems a little to soon.. and if not, can I add more dirt to the onions so they arent sticking out of the ground and can continue to get bigger.. I can post pictures if that would help... thanks for any advice you can give. :)

[Rachel Hoff]

It would be helpful if you posted a photo.

[Mud Pies to Sticky Buns]

I have the same problem! I'd love to know what is best to do!

[Heather Skerl Spegal]

I will post a few pictures this evening! :)

[Mrs. Weeb]

You didn't say whether yo started with seeds, plants, or sets? I'm assuming sets. We have really clay-ey soil so I plant onion sets with as much as 1/2 the top sticking out of the ground, they do much better in our hard dirt planted that way-so don't worry about seeing part or even most of the bulb. Are the tops dying before falling over? If they are, then they are ready to be pulled and allowed to dry. Leave them in the ground too long and they will rot. If they've just pushed themselves out too, far then mounding dirt back over them will help keep them upright and growing.

Don't be afraid to pull a few and see what's really going on. The whole plant is edible (and yummy!) at every stage, so once you've used a couple as guinea pigs, eat em up!  I plant mine extra thick just to use the thinnings all through the growing season. Tiny ones are like chives, bigger I use  like bunching, and then pulling small onions whenever I need em'.

Then again, I have almost 600 onions out there :o)

[Torry]

It is all good.  Leave 'em, eat 'em, the onion will keep on doing its onion thing.  One neat thing about onions, garlic and many other underground bulb plants is (to an extent) they will self-regulate their depth, pulling themselves throughout the growing season to their preferred depth.  My onions are about the size of softballs, and the tops have fallen over.  They are still very green though.  I'm going to pull all of mine when the tops start to die back.

[Heather Skerl Spegal]

[Heather Skerl Spegal]

wow! sorry thats a big picture! lol!

[Heather Skerl Spegal]

so here is a better pic of them all laying down. I just thought maybe they got heavy. I have one that has set seed... should I pick that one? Oh and Mrs. Weeb, yes, I did start these with sets around the beginning of April.

Torry, I love your comment... "the onion will do its onion thing" :)

 

[Rachel Hoff]

Sets will generally mature and fall over sooner because they are already a year old when you plant them. I would definitely pick the one that's flowered because it won't keep. Definitely start harvesting and curing at least the largest of them.

 

[Heather Skerl Spegal]

we are going camping this weekend so I thought I'd pick a few and try some onion rings! I'm so excited! I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with all these onions though, if they are ready now! What is the best way you have found to cure them?

My basement is pretty cool, but with all this rain it also feels and smells damp.