The Fellowship of the Holland Onion - Part 3 (The Harvesting Season)

Описание: https://www.holland-onions.org/gb - ‪@Holland_Onions‬the third part of our new series of video clips 'The Fellowship of the Holland Onion' we are captivated by the final act of the onion plants in the open field. It is a feast for the eyes to see the onion bulb maturing as we move on to the first phase of the harvesting process. A good onion harvest is the sum of years of hard work, dedication and investment. It is the result of a complex process that starts with selecting the right soil and planting the right seeds. It ends with the harvest of a new generation of healthy and high-quality Dutch onions that may carry the name Holland Onions. Harvesting represents both a joyous and tense period of time for the onion grower. There is always tension whether the onion quality and harvest yield are as anticipated.

So now that summer is coming to a close and the days are getting shorter, Co van den Dries is aiming his full attention to the approaching onion harvest. The onion crop is in full bulb formation. The weather is excellent for further crop growth, but there will be no new green foliage formed anymore. It’s the onion bulb that will continue to grow in size now and draw all the growing nutrients from the remaining foliage, making the onion neck increasingly soft and easily collapsing. The onion foliage will therefore fall over soon.

But, there is a risk of a moisture shortage for a successful ripening of the onion bulbs.
Fed by the warm sun, Co's onions are already nicely high-round, but they still have to grow considerably in size for a good yield. And the onion neck is already becoming somewhat less firm…

So the hose reel irrigation system has been driven out anyway. The welcome, wet boost assures the onion plants of sufficient moisture and nutrients for their final growth spurt.

Completely refreshed, the onion bulbs can continue to grow undisturbed for a while…

Then the onion necks start collapsing and the foliage lies down. The onion bulb turns into a beautiful golden yellow, while the toppled onion foliage continues to feed the bulb and slowly loses its green shine.

But only when half to two thirds of the onion leaves have withered, the harvesting process begins.

The onion leaves are mowed to fist thickness. The shredded leaves are thrown back next to the windrow and already feeding the soil for the next crop in the rotation schedule of the field.
The harvesting machine puts the sieved soil back in a tight layer in which the onions do not submerge. This way they can cure optimally in the sun.

The smell of freshly harvested Dutch onions and earth fills the air.
It's a good harvest day.