Overwintering Onions/Garlic

[sharonmd]

Hi all,

Nearly ready for planting the main crops on the allotment! Plan to plant over Easter and looking forward to it!

I did plant some overwintering onions and garlic back in November. Could anyone advise please roughly when these will be ready to harvest! First year and learning as I go!!

Many thanks, Sharon

[madderbat]

Hi sharonMD, nice to meet you.

We've had onions and garlic in the ground over winter and have been told they take about 6 months to come to fruition. Apparently they spend half the time making leaf, then start making the bulb. None of ours look ready yet anyway, and I'm expecting to wait until midsummer for the garlic.

[sharonmd]

Hi Jane,

Nice to meet you, too! Thanks for the advice. I'll leave them another couple of months and see what happens! Sharon

[Flummery]

I seem to remember that they are ready a couple of months earlier than the spring ones.

[Alice]

Hello Sharon, you're garlic is ready when the top growth goes yellow and starts to die down - probably around July. Onions likewise - but probably around September. But if you want small onions for immediate use, just pick them as you want them.

[Snadger]

The Japanese onions for me are only ready to lift 2 to 3 weeks before the spring planted sets. They help to give a continuation though, taking over from the last of the winter stored onions!
The main reason for planting garlic in Autumn is to get bigger plants and help the cloves to set. They are usually ready for lifting about the same time as spring planted garlic. It depends which part of the country you garden at for actual lifting dates!

[Headfry]

Should you let garlic flower or do you remove the flower buds?

[Lesley Jay]

Over wintered onions I usually find are ready about June but you can pull some to use before then if necessary. Spring planted onions are ready at the end of August / the beginning of September. (Mine are!)

[Flummery]

Should you let garlic flower or do you remove the flower buds?

Take the flowers off - see Nicos' thread on here!

[Mrs Dobby]

A couple of quick questions if you dont mind!

Would it be a good idea to feed our overwintering onions and garlic now that the temperatures are improving? We've some that were planted in october, and others that were planted in January, all of which seem to be doing ok, but I'm beginning to wonder whether we should feed them with some Growmore, or Fish, Blood and Bone (or is there something else that folks would recommend) at about now sort of time in order to get as good a harvest as possible, what does everyone think?

[JennieAtkinson]

Can't answer the feeding question Mrs D, but am somewhat worried that my onions will not be ready before I need the space! I looked at the overwintered ones today and yes, they have alot of leaf, but the bulb is very small. In fact they looked like spring onions. (I ate one along with a radish that had overwintered - regretted it all afternoon as they both kept repeating!)

Another question - can you store the overwintered ones in the same way as the spring sowing? or do you just dig them up when you need them?

[Alice]

Thanks for the question Mrs D. Saved me. My garlic, planted in November , looks great. Pleanty of top growth, but I noticed today that the bottom leaves look a bit yellow. Is this just old leaves, or should I be feeding them with something. Or should I be feeding them anyway ?

[Flummery]

Can't answer the feeding question Mrs D, but am somewhat worried that my onions will not be ready before I need the space! I looked at the overwintered ones today and yes, they have alot of leaf, but the bulb is very small. In fact they looked like spring onions. (I ate one along with a radish that had overwintered - regretted it all afternoon as they both kept repeating!)

Another question - can you store the overwintered ones in the same way as the spring sowing? or do you just dig them up when you need them?

There's anopther thread on here about this - Japanese onions, I think it's called. Experienced people have answered most of these questions. Never grown autumn onions myself so It'd only be hearsay from me!

[rustylady]

Should you let garlic flower or do you remove the flower buds?

Don't let any alliums (onions and garlic) flower unless you want to save the seed. If you get a flower head snap it off and use the bulb asap as they won't store

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi all,

Nearly ready for planting the main crops on the allotment! Plan to plant over Easter and looking forward to it!

I did plant some overwintering onions and garlic back in November. Could anyone advise please roughly when these will be ready to harvest! First year and learning as I go!!

Many thanks, Sharon

Good question Sharon - me too. I've actually put mine in pots, I know they will be smaller than when grown in the ground, but at least now I have a date when they will be ready! Bernie aka Dexterdog