This week, between 80 and 90 percent of my onions tops had fallen over.
According to a variety of notes that I have seen, I should either pick them immediately or let them sit in the ground for 10 days and then pick them. But all sources say to lay them in the sun for 2-3 days before taking them inside to cure.
Well, just as with last year, this week has a 50% chance of rain predicted for every day this week. So I decided to go ahead and pull the ones that had fallen over and store them in the garage. It worked last year, and I was afraid,with the couple inches of rain we received yesterday and more to come, if I didn't pull them from the ground they would I rot.
Many of the onions were fairly small, with the red onions being the smallest. But still, we should have enough for cooking for the next two months or so.
I did leave in the ground five or so onions that were on the outside that had not fallen to the ground. I'll keep an eye on them and see how they do.
Also, my outer bed that has a large number of onions is not doing so well. They are much smaller, fewer leaves and are starting to brown but not fall over. I decided to leave those in the ground. They may be a lost cause, but they might also have a little growth in them yet...
I then added a nice bag of garden soil to replenish the area and planted 16 sweet potatoes. I also planted five additional ones in the outer garden... But I don't expect much from then. The notes say the potatoes should be ready in 4 months (September 15). That is a really long time! Last years did not make it through the hot dry summer. We'll see if I have better luck this year.
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