Judging by the size of the bulbs it looks like they are just in their normal growth cycle. Depending on variety the bulbs will begin sizing up when day length reaches a certain point which would usually be in early June for Copra. The bulb growth taps the stored energy in the leaves (one leaf = one layer of the bulb). As the bulb absorbs the energy stored in the leaves the leaves slowly die off. When the neck of the plant flops over the bulb growth is complete and it's time to harvest!

Nice job!

My Copras are doing pretty much the same thing, but not quite so far along. So long as the stems stay upright the bulbs will continue to size up. So if I were you I wouldn't be in a rush to harvest. It doesn't really hurt your onions to leave them in the field until the tops are completely dried off or very close to it. Of course once they get close and wet weather is forecast you might want to bring them in under cover.

We may not see Copra again after this year, however. The word for a few years now is that it was discontinued, and this sorta looks to be its final year. I had some seed left over and am trying to see if I can grow sets under lights. The Copra sets I grew last year are doing very well in the garden without a single bolter. I know it is late, but I am getting germination and we shall see what 400 old seeds will do inside. I am hoping that whatever comes along to replace, will allow me to plant back any smaller bulbs for additional size from an additional growing season like Copra does.

It looks like the substitution for the discontinued Copra will be Patterson, another very long keeping hybrid, but supposedly bigger. I cook for myself and I don't need a bigger onion; so I think I will give Crystal Dawn from Fedco a try. It is an OP variety supposed to have been developed out of Copra. I have some seed and may try to set up another tray. I have never had much problem with sets bolting; so I have until next spring to get my sets set up. I find dried and cured onion sets to be very handy.

Dutch - I'd give Patterson a try sometime. I grew it this year for the first time. They grew a little bigger than Copra has for me in the past but not by much.

I only have Candy onions left to harvest. They all flopped over in a storm we had here Wednesday morning. I need the bed space to plant some cabbage seedlings anyway although I'm dubious of the cabbage seedlings surviving the 90+ degree heat we have in the forecast. I'll rig up some shade cloth for them.

LOL I suspect that if they had called Patterson "Copra Improved" I would be less reluctant. Too many of my favorite hybrids have been discontinued over the years! So I am a bit of a grouchy old coot when it comes to discontinued hybrids!

In my previous post it should have been Clear Dawn instead of Crystal Dawn. Since that is OP it should be available as long as anybody grows seed. I like hybrids, but when one of my favorites is no longer made, I feel more than a bit let down. And Clear Dawn was developed out of Copra and has been around for some time now, like 36 years; so it is a mature item, and one that is showing up in several nursery offerings now. There was little to no need so long as Copra continued to be available. That is all changing. I think you will see Clear Dawn in an increasing number of OP and actual heritage offerings in the coming years.

IMO Clear Dawn has the potential to replace Stuttgarter as a set onion, too, provided it is as bolt resistant as Copra seems to have been. I set up another flat of onion seed last night, this one for Clear Dawn. If I can get these three flats to produce set sized output under lights, I will be able to have a side by side comparison next summer. I am getting a pretty decent showing on the old Copra seed.

The lights are on a timer; so I can change day length at will. Any suggestions about that are very welcome!