"Neil Tonks" wrote after
"Mike Lyle" replied to ...
keith who wrote:
I am growing red baron & stuttgarter giant?.Do you have to wait
until
the leaves have started to die back,bend them over lift and dry.Or
can you just pick the decent sized onions straight from the ground
when needed & straight in to the kitchen to use?
Sorry if this is a stupid Q ,first time veg grower here!


Onions are only 'ripened' in the way you describe in order to extend their
keeping qualities. If you need onions for cooking and have some in the
garden of a suitable size, then use 'em!

Quite agree.

I never bend over onion tops either - it's supposed to hasten the end of
active growth and thus start the 'ripening' process but as far as I can
see all it does is bruise the stem and make it easier for decay to set in!
The tops will lie down of their own accord when the onion's natural growth
period comes to an end.


Yes, they do it for themselves and don't need any help. Of course if you are
a tidy gardener then once the tops have flopped over you can point them all
in the same direction. :-)
But don't shade the other onions from the drying sun.
--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London