Plants being pulled and bundled for transplanting to the fields.
Bundles of plants with the tops trimmed ready to go to the fields.
Each onion hand planted and hand harvested.
Tiller and hole puncher, makes holes for the onion plants.
Tossing plants on the beds.
Onions first week of February.
These onions should have grown for another 2 or 3 weeks. Many growers harvest onions early to meet schedules set by the grocery chains. If left to grow these onions would nearly double in size in a very short time.
Onions First Week of April.These onions are nearing maturity and harvest.
The Infamous Seed Stem. Seed stem onions are not desireable for harvest. The bulb has a hard woody center and is not suitable for eating. Fortunately, this field has very few.
These onions were undercut and laid on top of the ground during the first week of April. Workers will now come in and hand clip the tops and roots and place the onions in field bags or put them in wooden bins for transport to the packing shed for grading and packing for sale.
When we see the onions shining down the rows it lets us know the bulbs are forming on top of the ground and will soon be ready for harvest.
The bulbs push the dirt away as they form. This is another sign the onions are nearing maturity and harvest. This process begins as a crack in the ground around the bulbs.
This field of onions is very uniform in size. See how the bulbs are similar in size and the tops have a good green healthy color.
This small field of onions was planted the first week of January. They have not yet begun to form bulbs on top of the ground. These onions will be ready for harvest around mid May. This is the field where the tractor is running the tiller and hole puncher the first week of January.
This is a good looking field of onions. The bulbs are uniform in size and the green tops indicate they have plenty of nutrients to take them through to maturity. Fertilizers have to be placed in time for the plants to take them up and put them to use in the formation of good quality bulbs.
These onions are nearing maturity and harvest.