Desmond’s bulb onions are ready for harvest. Bulb onions are usually ready for harvest 90 to 150 days after transplanting, depending on variety and management practices.
Harvesting onions involves removing mature bulbs from the ground and preparing them for storage or consumption.
Mature onions form a shiny membranous cover around the bulbs or when foliage withers.
Harvesting should start when you notice 50 per cent of your crops are weak and dry. Early harvesting causes onions to spoil.
One should be careful to prevent causing injuries to the onions as that results in losses.
After uprooting, the leaves are cut. In case the farmer is not selling the onions immediately, it is generally not necessary to cut the leaves, as they play an important role in curing. The leaves help transfer moisture from the bulb to the air, which aids in drying and reduces the rotting risk.
If the leaves are excessively long, they can be trimmed to make the onions easy to handle during curing.
If the onion leaves are damaged or diseased, it may be necessary to remove them.
While harvesting, the bulb onions should be kept in clean crates or sacks to prevent them from getting infected.
Sorting and grading remove the affected bulb onions, while grading is done depending on the size of the onions and their quality.
The onions are then packed in nets. In Kenya, most onions are sold in kilogrammes. The nets facilitate good aeration, which prevents the onions from rotting easily.
The cured and trimmed onions should be stored in a cool, dry and well-ventilated place.
Onions should be kept in a single layer, with space between them to allow for the circulation of air.
You can store onions for three to six months if the weather is excellent and conditions are ideal. The farmer can store small onions longer than wider varieties.
After harvesting, one should incorporate crop rotation aspects to preserve the soil for the next planting season.
In our next article, we will look at the mitigation measures for post-harvest losses.
