Lindsay, are they hacked off, or are they just flopped over? In the normal course of life the onions begin to be ready to be pulled and cured when the greens flop! So check them to see if that’s what they’re doing. And if they’re just eaten off, don’t worry about them; they’ll still start curing. Otherwise in a week or two or three, you need to knock all the rest of the greens over, as close as possible to the plant, to begin the harvesting process. Let them stay in the ground that way for a few days, then pull them out and dry them either by tying them up and hanging them somewhere dry or putting them on some screens. Once the greens are completely dead, cut them and the roots off then store them in onion bags or a box in a cool yet not overly damp place. Hope that helps…

Sinclair, yeah, there’s a trick to planting them so they bulb up best when there’s the most hours in the day. But they can be fussy otherwise so even if you follow the best path sometimes they’re just plain small. I tend to plant them all different times too just to ensure I have some for winter salads, etc. But yeah, I just was bummed because these were my big storage onions that got hit: their numbers aren’t as good as before which means I have to economize… I do like the idea of feathers in your cap, though!!!

I ‘helped’ my grandparents grow onions when I was a child, but never on my own before now. There is a steep learning curve, and I am tucking all the new feathers in my cap as I go.

My rows are 130 ft long. My 4 that I planted in the spring look awful. The weather has been awful.

I am ready to give up this year..

But I keep on going, home grown food is the best and loved in the middle of the winter.

My onions are doing well, go figure…

Ed, I should say everything went fine *until* I stuck them outside in the ground. Harrumph.

Mrs Chiot, yes indeed, pearl-y onions are quite lovely, even if they weren’t your goal! A lot of ours this year are heartbreakingly small. They really don’t like our soil either but it was the combo of everything else that made them pretty tiny, sigh. But you’re doing the right thing: let them shine, as they took a lot of effort to get to be as big as they are!

Grandmabecker, sigh, don’t talk to me about beans. I had to replant the first batch, the cold wet weather made them rot. But now with no rain at all they seem to be doing just fine. Here’s hoping the rest of the year is okay…

Stef, do you mulch? I confess I am a mulchaholic, even though I *like* watering: it keeps my soil from getting rock-hard and cracked. But thank you, I do hope next year is a good one for the onions. As it is I will be awash in leeks, not a bad thing…

Jayme, this is a year that would make any gardener unhappy. Too bad about your onions!! But thanks; I am glad to hear you like my blabberings…

Ah Randi, thanks. I likes me some victuals, especially the home-grown variety…

Angie, I loved your post the other day about how good you have it! My favorite hour of the day is right after dinner, when we can take in the fun that is life on a critter-filled farm.

Linda, isn’t it true? Something so humble, like an onion or a potato: they make you gloat, even if you’re not the type to gloat!

Oh Pamela you get a pass as it’s been such a wackily weird weather year. But plans and gardening in the future tense are of course the most successful. Personally, I delight in any tomato, ugly or no…

MC, yeah, ownership joy! You know we were taught not to be prideful but goodness sometimes it is hard with all the good green stuff that fills our plates. Maybe one day you too can have onion fields!

i’m from the westcoast and this year has been a great year for onions.. but usually my onions are like yours are this year…. i don’t have a lot of space but there is something satisfying about having your ‘own’!!!

Sorry about your onion lack. Here’s to a year full of blithely caramelized ones next year!