The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: County Dangler on September 17, 2013, 10:01:00 am
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Being fairly new to this veg growing game (my first year in fact) i have a question about pickling onions. I put several rows of seeds in a few month back along with a few rows of springs. The have both done brilliantly and obviously the springs are self explanatory but when do i pick the pickling onions? They are now bulbing up nicely (1" across) although some are thicker in the stem then others. I took half a dozen of the best looking ones out 3 days ago and left them out to see if they would dry up but as of yet, nothing. Do they need a little longer? How do i tell when is best to pick them and what is the general procedure?
thanks in advance
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I think you pick all onions ( not sping ) when there leaves start to yellow. Someone who knows more will be along soon. With better advice.
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That certainly goes for ordinary onions but I don't know about pickling ones.
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I have never grown pickling onions - usually I pickle the small shallots - but as others have said bulbing onions are ready to harvest when the foliage begins to brown and shrivel.
I find it best to then lift them partly away from the soil at that point if the weather is dry and leave then to ripen outside, but if its wet - as with me now - they are lifted and put in a light airy barn or, if there is space, in the polytunnel or greenhouse.
The ripening helps to sweeten them up a bit and brings out the flavour. Then you can pickle them at the end of Oct or during Nov, so they will be nice and crisp for Christmas :)