Onions

[brynseiri]

We currently grow potatoes for sale by the bag, they go quite well, and I thought that dirty carrots and onions would be a good addition at the market, but, the carrots will have to come up by hand, however, would I be right in thinking I could lift onions with our Grimme q continental without modification?

 

[Brisel]

You'll need to read up on how to dry the onions slowly. They need a certain humidity & temperature which you gradually bring down over time, along with plenty of air flow.

I don't know the Continental Q but I have seen plenty of spud harvesters used for lifting onions. They won't be fit for collecting off the field straight away which is why they are windrowed for a day or so first then picked up.

 

[brynseiri]

So really I'd need to make a fall catcher on the elevator to place them in a windrow. Do they damage easier than spuds?

 

[marshfarmer]

A reekie I bought had been an onion machine, shear removed and a set of side plated to replace discs, they used to remove dahlman roller bed and replace with a rubber belt I believe. Not sure what they winrowed with a hoover or another modified harvester.

 

[Stuart J]

You'll need to read up on how to dry the onions slowly. They need a certain humidity & temperature which you gradually bring down over time, along with plenty of air flow.

I don't know the Continental Q but I have seen plenty of spud harvesters used for lifting onions. They won't be fit for collecting off the field straight away which is why they are windrowed for a day or so first then picked up.

Do you have any info to hand about temp and humidity required for drying onions?

 

[Brisel]

Not to hand, no. I'll see what I can find out though - I used to dry & store 300t of onions for Elveden Produce at my last job. The boss did most of it as he had a good "nose" for it if you catch my drift. We had a computer controlling the fans, burners & recirculation/fresh air flaps.

You slowly build temperature & humidity, hold them at that for a couple of weeks then slowly reduce it over another few weeks. We didn't have refridgeration for longer term storage so most of them went before the end of Jan.

 

[Niels]

What Brisel says. Although I would say heat them up as soon as they are in. Then can reduce over time. Lots of wind needed.

You can use a Q Continental. Remove the elevator and have two boards to drop them in a swath. Load them up a bit later. Here is an example:
http://www.midsuffolkagriphotos.co.uk/gallery/gp746.htm. Would need a topper also. Or, alternatively, you look for a used lifter.

 

[yorkie]

nice to see the Nicholson topper is still crap

 

[Exfarmer]

You won't damage onions by bruising.
Topping is crucial must get it tight but do not damage the crown on the bulb
Leaving too much top on will slow drying
Drying though is the key thing and is specialist, you will need some heat, but overdoing it will reduce yield.
You can do a fair bit of drying in the field by lifting and wind rowing. However such onions will be discoloured on one side, this is of no harm at all but supermarkets will not touch them. Many of the processing crop are dried in the field where they see grown for processing.
When lifting the onions into trailers the haulm rollers will need reversing so they do not drag the onions through the rollers
You will need a door on the front of the lifter as the onions are shy of going up the web . There is no dirt to help them and they can just roll around in the front, as you get to the end of the row a lot can be lost as you lift out

 

[Jfp]

We change one of our potato harvesters to an onion lifter every year and back again! We take the dolman rollers out and replace with stars, change the shears for a lot of smaller ones, put a hydraulic door in front of the web and reverse the haulm rollers! Then its good to go! We get them topped and windrowed, leave them to dry and then just pick them up with the harvester!

Just noticed you said yours is a grimme! Ours is a standen but presumably the same principles apply?!

 

[yorkie]

Top them,let cut dry off,windrow with a lifter take share off replace with a rotating or short flat share so with plastic door just to stop roll back,just change rollers so they work like a table and onions do bruise

 

[redbaron]

I agree with all the above comments, but they seem to suggest that the potato harvester digs the onions out of the ground. This can and is done by some, but far more common to dig onions out of the ground and into windrow as a separate operation. Then the multi shares on potato harvester run just under the windrow, digging very shallowly into the loose soil under the onions. I miss this operation (not growing onions anymore)...in good conditions you can get on much faster than with potatoes..very satisfying!

 

[Niels]

You won't damage onions by bruising.
Topping is crucial must get it tight but do not damage the crown on the bulb
Leaving too much top on will slow drying
Drying though is the key thing and is specialist, you will need some heat, but overdoing it will reduce yield.
You can do a fair bit of drying in the field by lifting and wind rowing. However such onions will be discoloured on one side, this is of no harm at all but supermarkets will not touch them. Many of the processing crop are dried in the field where they see grown for processing.
When lifting the onions into trailers the haulm rollers will need reversing so they do not drag the onions through the rollers
You will need a door on the front of the lifter as the onions are shy of going up the web . There is no dirt to help them and they can just roll around in the front, as you get to the end of the row a lot can be lost as you lift out

Not agree with you on all points there Exfarmer. Don't you have issues with neck rot? We do sadly, a lot. So onions are heated up asap to close the necks and get it to a temp at which the fungus is no longer active and spreading in storage. Does cost yield, but neck rot is worse. Todays storage systems can work very efficiently. Especially during hot summer/autumn days you can dry a lot with outside air as it's often 20c+ still.

There was a great deal of research done over here during the last years about drying on the field. People seem to think it does a lot of good. Turns out the crop does dry, but morning dews wet the swaths again. So common practice is now shifting to a short drying period in field (only if the weather is favourable). Otherwise just lift and load. If you get rain in the swath the crop will change colour but otherwise it's fine. If you store them for a few months the outer skirt comes loose anyway when shifting them so you lose the grey for gold.

The door works well and is nice in the dry but a foam roller in front is easier to build and operate. However, if it gets wet soil will stick and it won't run. Ref. the harvester a proper onion lifter that puts it on a swath is better than a converted potato lifter as dedicated harvesters usually lift with a revolving rod and no shears. Or perhaps discs. Less soil in the crop. Shears can do a good job on light land but require lots of attention and scoop up to much soil. Can always have a go for a year or two. If you have established a market for onions dip in some proper machinery.

Oh and for the Nicholson topper in the photo series. Yes not the best of jobs but it's onions sets and the haulm never tops very well, especially that laying in between the beds.

 

[Exfarmer]

i certainly did not mean to give the impression I was any sort of expert on drying onions, of which I have little experience.
I have grown several but always left it to others to dry them.

 

[Brisel]

Do you have any info to hand about temp and humidity required for drying onions?

These guys do, and fixed our storage shed computer:

http://www.abcentre.co.uk

What kind of scale are you thinking of?

 

[Stuart J]

Much much much smaller scale!

I just grow from about 25kg of sets for direct sale. Last year I got about 3/4 sold before they went soft. They were just kept in an airy shed, but obviously not airy enough.
Shall be trying a small fan under a drying type box this coming year.

 

[Brisel]

Ah. A bit smaller scale than I'm used to. Lots of air is the basic idea.

 

[Flat 10]

Don't park you tractor in the onion drying shed-it will stink!

 

[Badshot]

Onions are also worse than spuds for swings in price.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Any cure for white rot over there yet @Niels?