September gardening tips: Harvest onions

Move your onions into a dry, sunny place so they keep for months

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Onions are ripening nicely now, but the shortening days and morning dews don’t suit their need for dry conditions, so we need to help them along a bit. Resist the temptation to bend the necks over, allowing them to descend naturally. When all is brown and rustly, lift the crop with a fork and let the bases dry off.

Then, move the whole lot into a dry, sunny place such as a greenhouse or a shed doorway and spread them out in a single layer on some mesh or netting with air circulating all round. Now, they will keep.

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