When should I harvest my onions?
Harvest onions when about half the tops have fallen over naturally — don't bend them down by hand, and give the rest 1–2 more weeks before pulling.
Onion tops fall over when the plant has finished using the energy to grow and is transitioning from active growth to dormancy. This is a natural signal that bulb development is complete. The conventional advice is to harvest when about half the tops have fallen — this gets you to the crop before the most mature onions start to deteriorate in the ground, while the other half still has a few more days to size up.
Don't be tempted to knock the tops over by hand to speed harvesting. A popular practice, it actually does more harm than good: the necks of bent-over onions that weren't ready to fall on their own may not heal properly, letting rot enter the bulb during curing. Let the plant decide when it's done.
Dig rather than pull, especially in heavier soils. Use a garden fork to loosen the soil 4–6 inches to the side of the onion before lifting. Pulling by the tops can break the neck and shorten storage life. After lifting, let onions dry in the field for a day or two if weather is dry and not too hot, then bring them to a shaded, ventilated area to cure for 3–4 weeks. The tops and roots will dry down to papery, and the neck will close completely.
Storage onions need to cure thoroughly before storage. An onion whose neck is still soft or green when you trim it isn't fully cured and will rot quickly. Trim tops to 1 inch and roots to stubs only after curing is complete. Store in a cool, dry place with good airflow — mesh bags, wire baskets, or crates all work. Refrigerators are too humid for long-term onion storage.
- Brown Marmorated Stink BugSunken, corky dimples on fruit and pods caused by a mottled brown shield bug feeding through the skin.
- Cabbage MaggotBrassica transplants wilting and dying as white maggots tunnel through roots at or below the soil line.
- Carrot Rust FlyRusty tunnels through carrot and parsnip roots made by small white maggots feeding inside the root.
- ClubrootBrassica plants wilt and yellow despite watering; roots show club-shaped swellings when dug.
- Corn Earworm / Tomato FruitwormCaterpillars eating corn kernels from the tip; same species bores into tomato and pepper fruit. Often called 'tomato fruitworm' when found on tomato.
- How do I know when to harvest garlic?Harvest garlic when roughly half of the leaves (scapes) have turned brown and dried — this corresponds to the bulb having formed its full complement of papery wrapper layers.
- How do I store winter squash so it lasts through winter?Cure winter squash at 80–85°F for 10–14 days to harden the skin, then store at 50–60°F in a cool, dry location — not the refrigerator.
- How do I know when a watermelon is ripe?Check the ground spot (it should be creamy yellow, not white), the tendril nearest the fruit (dry and brown means ripe), and the sound when you thump it (a hollow, low thud rather than a high-pitched ping).