It is easy to determine when to harvest onions in 2024 in the Moscow region by external signs. Ripening times often depend on weather conditions, the chosen variety, and the characteristics of caring for the vegetable. Recently, it has become common to focus on the dates indicated in the lunar calendar. Harvest harvested on time retains all valuable substances and is well stored for a long time.
Determining whether the onion is ready for harvesting
When determining the timing of planting and harvesting onions, they take into account the climate of the region, features of agricultural practices, soil type and variety. In the Moscow region, winter crops begin to be harvested at the end of July. If the weather was warm, then on the 20th they begin to dig up the bulbs.
In the Moscow region, onions should be dug up when the following signs appear:
- feathers begin to turn yellow and dry out;
- the neck of the bulb becomes thinner, dries and softens;
- the upper, dry, golden-yellow scales easily come off the bulb;
- the arrows stretch out, the seed pods crack.
Usually the ripening of the bulbs occurs amicably. As soon as it has been noticed that 60–70% of the tops have fallen to the ground, you can start digging.
Correct and precise determination of the timing of harvesting ripe vegetables affects further storage:
- If you do not allow the crop to fully ripen, the bulbs will have unripe upper scales, and the neck will remain hard, thick and juicy. Such onions will quickly begin to sprout and rot.
- If the appropriate time for harvesting is missed, the vegetable will begin to take new roots, the head will begin to overripe and crack, which causes rotting.
You can calculate the timing of harvest using a simple mathematical example. It is enough to add 65–85 days to the day on which the onion was planted. The number of added days depends on the variety.
Preparing onions for harvesting
Onion harvesting in the Moscow region coincides with the last week of July. If by this time the feathers are still green and do not seem to dry out, you need to help the vegetable ripen. This is necessary in order to avoid the rainy season. The following activities will help speed up maturation:
- Two weeks before the intended digging, stop watering and loosening the soil, as well as applying fertilizers.
- Careful undermining of the roots helps.If the soil is loose, you can lightly pull the bulbs by hand. In other cases, you can do this with a shovel. Having dug the head a little, leave it in this position until it is fully ripe.
- Some vegetable growers carry out the procedure of exposing the bulb. The earth is raked until half of the bulb is exposed. This will allow sunlight and heat to reach the root crop without obstacles.
All these actions are aimed at reducing the supply of nutrients from the soil and accelerating the ripening of the head.
Sometimes yellowing and drying may not be the main sign of crop ripening. This happens in hot summers when there is no rain. Indeed, in the absence of precipitation, the plant begins to dry out. In this case, the vegetable should be watered as often as possible in the first two months after planting.
When and how to harvest onions in the Moscow region?
The warmer and drier the weather is in the summer, the faster the vegetable crop will grow and ripen. The first month after planting is considered important, since the main development of plants and the growth of feathers occurs precisely at this time. After the above-ground part of the plant is formed, the root crop begins to actively develop.
To harvest a ripe crop, choose a sunny day so that the dug up onions can be dried in the open air, under the rays of the sun. If it rains, the onions are immediately put under the roof.
It is better to dig with a fork or shovel. Just do this carefully so as not to damage the bulb. It is recommended to step back 10 cm from the bed and start digging. If you forcefully pull an onion out of the ground by hand, you can damage the bulb or tear the tops.After digging, shake off the adhering dirt, but do not hit the bulbs against each other, this can lead to damage.
Place the collected onions on the prepared cloth in one layer, periodically turning different sides to the sun. It is recommended to cover it with film at night so that morning dew cannot damage the crop, or bring it indoors.
There is no need to trim feathers, as useful substances accumulate in them. While the head dries, it ripens and is saturated with nutritional components.
Drying
If the deadlines for harvesting onions in the Moscow region have been met, then no problems will arise. The onion heads will be dense, without damage or deformation, and will be completely dry within two weeks.
There are several signs by which you can determine that the bulbs have dried out. The scales of the head become dense, dry and rustle. You can examine the neck of the plant. When it is dry, then you can start cleaning it for further storage.
The finally dried bulbs smell pleasant and are firm to the touch. Only after making sure that the bulbs are dry do you start trimming the leaves. They are cut off, leaving a stump of about 3–4 cm. If you plan to braid hair from tops, then cut the feather to 10 cm.
Storing onions in winter
Before moving the onion for storage, it is sorted, selecting deformed, damaged, or stained ones. It is used primarily as food. At the same time, you can select seed material.
The selected onions are placed in prepared containers. Plastic boxes, cardboard boxes, and nets are suitable. The main thing is that they have holes for air ventilation. The containers are moved to a dry, cool place where the air temperature is about +3 degrees.
It is best to collect onions in the Moscow region in dry, windy weather. But it happens that summer is not pleasant with warm days and vegetables are constantly in wet soil due to rain. If onion heads are collected from beds that are too wet, then drying alone will not be enough.
The harvested crop must be additionally dried at higher temperatures (for 5 days at a temperature of 33 degrees or for 8 hours at a temperature of 42 degrees). Such bulbs are most often infected with rot and powdery mildew, which do not manifest themselves during growth.
When to harvest onions in 2024 according to the lunar calendar in the Moscow region?
Sometimes when harvesting spicy vegetables, they are guided by the lunar calendar. It has long been noted that during certain phases of the moon, the juices in plants are concentrated in different parts of the plant. When the Moon becomes large, all the juices rush to the above-ground part of the plant; during the waning phase, all nutrients move to the underground part.
According to the lunar calendar for 2024, it is better to start harvesting in early August. The most favorable dates will be: August 2, 8, 13, 14, 20. These days coincide with the waning phase of the Moon. The harvest collected these days will dry well and quickly and be stored for a long time.
The unfavorable period for harvesting will be the days from August 4 to August 7. At this time, you can start loosening the soil.
Tips for harvesting and storing onions
You need to properly remove onions from the garden for storage. By following all the recommendations, you will be able to reduce the risk of rotten heads and increase their shelf life.
The ripeness of a vegetable can be determined by many criteria: by the lunar calendar, by appearance, or mathematically. The main thing is not to dig up the onions earlier or later than expected.
The best time When can you dig up onions? in the Moscow region it is the end of June, the beginning of August. After the vegetable is dug up, it is best to leave it on the site. Under the rays of the sun it will dry quickly and well, and at the same time it will be disinfected.
If the soil is loose, then the head can be pulled out by hand without damaging the tops. In the case of dense soil, it is better to use a pitchfork or shovel for the work. Gardening tools are stuck into the ground vertically at some distance from the entire garden bed. Having dug into the ground, they try to pull out the onion with their hands.
If the onion has to be removed from moist soil, then after digging it up, wash it, immediately remove the husks and feathers, and cut off the roots. Then they are laid out on a surface in a dry, well-ventilated room. After 2.5 weeks, a new layer of husk will appear, and the bulbs can be stored in storage containers.
It is better to choose a cardboard box. This harvesting method will preserve the harvest and ensure long-term storage, until summer.
During drying, you should monitor the condition of the onion neck. If it is soft and greenish, then the vegetable is not yet ready for storage. If the neck has become thin, dried out and turned yellow, then you can safely put it in boxes. In this case, the crop will be stored for a long time.
