Onion Harvesting

It was cooler this morning on the allotment, however the woodchip pile was nicely generating heat and letting off steam as I arrived and walked past it on the way in and it was still at it at 1:30 pm when I finally went home for lunch.

Debris Netting removed from the onion beds on plot 1 and two tugs of weeds pulled out and Red Baron Onions harvested.

I can't get down on my knees so I have to bed double to work the beds at ground level which is why I'm in the process of putting in raised beds.

I used the kneeling stool to lean on as I was harvesting the onions and weeding. Everything takes more time and effort that it used too before getting cancer and the associated arthritis last year.

I will not grow a single variety of onions again, I have been disappointed with the lack of growth of the onions some that were not much larger than the sets that went in have been dumped in with the weeds.

I do think the slugs and snails really hit the onion leaves and growth this year, and that could be a reason for the smaller diameter bulbs.

Those onion bulbs that are worth keeping had their roots twisted off or trimmed and the bulbs were wiped clean of mud with a cloth.

I had brought out the shower chair and was sitting just outside the plot 1 shed looking at the onion bed and watching one of my robins who came right to my feet to look at what I was dropping on the patio slabs. As always I talked to him telling him I'm not going to hurt him and encouraging him to get into the bed and find what he could to eat.

As always by time you get your phone and gloves off the little buggers have lost interest and you don't get a photo. He is there in the photo of the bed but can you find him?

It would have been easier for you to spot him if he was still looking at me and showing his red breast, but I'm glad that he trusts me enough to turn his back on me.

I take more rest periods when working the allotment these days and I'm gradually building up my stamina up. Trimming and cleaning the onions could be done sitting and just enjoying being out on the plot with the birdsong and my little companion.

Once cleaned I ended up putting the onions in the potting shed in some potato chitting trays to dry out a little before giving them to my daughter Emma. They my be small this year but they smell strong and will dry faster in the potting shed than the onion drying rack on the side of the shed.