From: songbird@anthive.com   
      
   T wrote:   
   ...   
   > Do you wash off the dirt, which can be prodigious, or   
   > just wipe them?   
      
     i try to stop watering them a week before lifting.   
      
     most of the dirt can come off with a little bit of   
   shaking what is left is mostly on the roots so i leave   
   that alone to dry and then cut it off later when the   
   bulb has cured.  i cut it a bit away from the bulb so   
   i don't bruise the bulb with the cutters.  at this time   
   i also remove the one outer layer of tunic which might   
   have some dirt on it so that it is now cleaned up and   
   so it won't drop dirt where i store them.   
      
     this is for both onions and garlic at the point where   
   they've been cured/dried.   
      
      
   > On the seeds, do you just cut the heads off when the seeds   
   > start to harden?   
      
     if i don't want the seeds to spread around i'll cut   
   the tops off and dry them fully in box tops so i can   
   harvest and give away the seeds.   
      
      
   > How do you store the seeds?   
      
     cool dry location.  they are not good for long   
   otherwise.  i haven't tried freezing them yet nor do   
   i plan on it.   
      
   > And when do you plant the seeds?   
      
     they should be viable immediately.  so if you want   
   to start some for the next season you can plant them   
   outside where you want them right before your next   
   fall rains happen.  some should start up and then the   
   cold will stop them and the small bulbs will be in   
   place and ready to go for the following spring.   
      
     if you want to have starts ready for the following   
   spring you can do them inside.  i've not done that   
   here.  i just plant a long row or two of seeds in   
   the early spring and thin them as needed.  the larger   
   bulbs that form are eaten.  the smaller bulbs i left   
   to grow and flower.   
      
     this year i have only one kind of onion flowering   
   now as the patch i'd had planted with onions before   
   i finally got cleared so now there is only the bunching   
   onions which have yellow flowers.  my chives are done   
   and Mom cuts those back hard to keep them from spreading   
   seeds around.   
      
     the large sweet onions we plant are done from starts   
   that the greenhouse does.  we put them in hard clay   
   this year so i'm not sure they'll do all that great.   
      
     the garlic i grow here is acclimated to the clay   
   enough that no matter where i grow it it seems to do   
   ok.  the wetter summers and clay can make a challenge   
   for harvesting, if the ground is wet i'll just wash   
   the bulbs off when lifted since they are already   
   wet.  then i dry them well to get ready for storage.   
   garlic doesn't get exposed to the sun when curing.   
   onions can take a bit more light and heat to cure so   
   i'm not as careful with them.   
      
      
     songbird   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)