Yep -- keep them out of the sun. It dries them out too much and shortens the storage time. I dry mine on old window screens propped up, in an airy garage (no car in it -- wouldn't want them to absorb car odors.) Just to share another method of storage -- I don't cut the tops off until I use them. I braid them into LONG braids, adding one garlic each time there is room for a head on the braid, first on the left, then on the right. It's like making a French braid in hair. Then I hang the braids in a cool room during the winter, and transfer to a closet when I think they might be thinking about sprouting in March.(I actually drape the braids over an old wooden laundry hanging thing.) I cut off a head whenever I need one, and the braids stay where they are. It keeps them nice and airy. My garlic from last July is still perfectly good now. I grow over 200 heads of garlic, so mesh bags or paper bags would take up much more room than this. I also don't ever trim the roots (too much work on 200!)

Matt, not knowing where you live and what type of onion you planted makes it difficult to answer your question. There are long day onions for planting in the north and short day onions for planting in the south. If your onions are laying down, they are probably done bulbing and have started to seal off the top of the bulb. Don't water at this point. You want them to dry out. Layton and Mari--Onions do not usually flower unless it is a second season of growning for them. If they flower they are working on seed production and not bulbs. (That's why it is not a good idea to leave bulbs in the ground for next year.) Onions that bulb should be harvested and used shortly thereafter. Trying to keep those for storage will result in disappointment.

I think you're on the right track, just be patient. You should leave the gourds on the vine until the stems are brown and dry. You should also notice that the gourds are becoming lighter in weight and possibly losing their bright green color. Some will begin turning brown or tan in spots. When you harvest, leave at least 4 inches of stem on the gourd, and don't lift or handle the gourd by the stem. As for cutting a hole for drainage.....that seems risky to me. (possibly an entry port for insects or bacteria) The water in the gourd is part of the fiber...much like the fiber surrounding the seed in a pumpkin or a squash. The process of evaportion is a part of the curing of the gourd. Again, be patient. Put your harvested gourds behind the garage, under the deck...somewhere they will have adequate air circulation. Check them every few weeks to check for rotted gourds, etc. Don't panic if you see mold...that's part of the curing process. It could take up to six months or more, but it will be worth it. Jan

I'd harvest the onions now, and you could have been pulling and using them since they developed their round shape. Mine I harvested in September when the tops died back. You don't want to let them get frost damage since they then would not keep well. Pull them and spread them where they will be protected from temperature extremes and will get dry enough to store. When dry, cut off the tops and the roots. Depending on what type you grew, they may only stay useable for a few weeks (mild ones like Ailsa Craig or Walla Walla) or until March or so if they are specifically storage varieties. Regardless, when mine start thinking about sprouting, I make French Onion Soup, which also freezes well, to use up the remainder. Since yours are still growing, you may not have gotten a variety that is specifically bred for shorter northern season use. Brussel sprouts are supposed to be improved by frost, but you can certainly harvest them now. I am not fond of them, though so have no experience growing them.