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Last November I planted some red onions (Electric), some shallots (Jermor) and some garlic (Germidour) as well as some broad beans (Aqua Dulce), mainly to see what would survive the winter in my new house. Well, everything is tickety-boo - garlic is giant, onions and shallots have managed to escape being ravaged by rabbits etc.
My question is, when do I lift overwintered onions/shallots? Do I wait for the foliage to die down in the usual way, or should I have whipped 'em out by the beginning of June or whenever? Also, do overwintered onions/shallots store as well as "normal" ones? The broad beans are all but there, so I'll be clearing those out fairly soon, but didn't know how soon I'd be able to clear this whole bed...

Clare, I have just started to use my overwintered onions (I have 4 left from the stored ones, so need to start using fresh now) in the past 2 weeks. At the moment, I am lifting on a "needs must" basis - bringing a few home each week to use that week. I still have a lot of stored garlic, so am not using that yet. And I don't do shallots (yet) so can't help on that.

I think you can start to use them anytime now - I know last year, I did start pulling my garlic to use about now, but only as I needed it. I didn't harvest for storing until about late july, but mostly in august. The onions, while swelling enough to use, do have room for further growth in them, so I won't be taking them all out for another while yet - maybe late june. But then again, I don't want that space for anything else too quickly - I will try some late season peas and lettuces, maybe a few late carrots, in that space so July is probably as early as I want to reuse it.

I don't know if that is much help to you but I'm sure a wiser grape will be along shortly.

Sorry, forgot to add about storage. As far as I know, the garlic should store perfectly fine once fully grown and dried properly.

However, I have been warned that the autumn sown onions are not great for storage and are best used quite fresh. I am planning on using these all summer, harvesting as needed until about mid-summer, and then any left in the bed will have the lifting and drying operation carried out for use over the coming few weeks/months. I won't be lifting my spring sown onion sets until the foliage has died back and these will be for storing and use throughout the winter (trying to use the red ones first).

My plan is that, having had 1 lot each of red and yellow spring sown sets last summer just about last to this very early summer, the autumn sown should see me through to the spring sown this year. But having 3 lots this year (1 autumn and 1 each red and yellow spring sown), I should make it through to later summer next year. So next year, I will only do spring, and have autumn sown again the following year - only doing an autumn sown batch every second year should see me through without too many gluts or famines I hope.

Hi winged one,
my winter japenese onions are swelling out the ground,but the storks are still green,ive been told to leave them till they go brown,wot do i do,coz in july i need to extend my veggy bed

Finney

Do not worry July is still 4 weeks 6 days away they will go brown in time jacob marley

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What lies behind us,And what lies before us,Are tiny matters compared to what lies Within us ...
Ralph Waide Emmerson

jacob
thats wot ive been told,but can i pull them before they go brown

If you want to use them straight away, it's certainly fine to pull them now - that's what I am doing.

I don't know about lifting them now if you want to store them at all though - if that's any help?

Yes of course you can you might lose a few ounces of weight but if you want to keep them for a bit before you use them leave them in the ground but otherwise pull them as you need them jacob marley

__________________
What lies behind us,And what lies before us,Are tiny matters compared to what lies Within us ...
Ralph Waide Emmerson