Storing Onions

[Greenleaves]

Just a quick question on onion storage:

My onions are currently drying in the greenhouse on my improvised sun bed, my question is once dryed can I store them in there or will it get too warm?

I have read they should not be stored in the dark as it encourages growth, as I dont normally have such a good crop I want to maximise their storage.

thanks

[berbie]

They will cook on a hot day in the greenhouse. I've been tempted this week to dry mine in the greenhouse but resisted
the temptation as the weather is allegedly warming up. Unless you can be there to move them if needed I wouldn't risk it

[Greenleaves]

Thanks Berbie
Time is not an issue

In the immortal words of Louis
Armstrong "We have all the time in the world" ( perfect opening for Bearded Bloke)

[Penellype]

I use my garage for drying if the weather isn't suitable. It has a window at one end (facing east) and is not too hot. Once the onions are dry I string them up and hang them near the window and I've not had problems with them sprouting until about May or June. The key is to make sure that the leaves are absolutely dry before you string them - I find this can take a couple of months, depending on the weather (takes longer if its damp).

To string them, make a loop of string - I hang this from a hook in the rafters, then take an onion with a strong looking tuft of dried leaves and push the leaves through the loop in the string, round the back of one string, across the front and back towards you through the loop. Bend the leaves down and cut off, leaving a few inches of leaf. This is the anchor onion on which all the others will sit, so it needs to be strong. After that, just push the leaves through the loop and twist round alternate strings and secure under the onion - you'll need a minimum of a couple of inches of leaf to do this. Use onions from the top first. I make 2 strings, one of the largest onions and one of smaller ones.

[Guest]

I seem to be the only person who does this but straight from harvest I tie and hang bunches up in the garage. Occasionally giving them a rummage so the center sections are exposed and also tighten the strings around the foliage as it dies. I haven't had any issues yet. Cool and ventilated is what I thought they tended to need.

Oh and yes I have a piccy - first proper harvest for a couple of years (I feel all pleased )

[SusieG]

Onion stringing!

Penellype - your onion stringing sounds a bit complex, think I'd need to see you actually doing it to understand !!! Bet it's simple really, just me being a bit dim ...

[SusieG]

Lovely looking bunch!

Norfolkgrey, I have onion envy!! What a lovely crop you've got! I'm hoping to be able to post piccies next year ...

[Jay-ell]

Penellype - your onion stringing sounds a bit complex, think I'd need to see you actually doing it to understand !!! Bet it's simple really, just me being a bit dim ...

You can plait it without the string - once you've started it off it's like plaiting hair.

I never could plaot hair though so my first attempt has room for improvement.

Bloomingfields Farm Garlic - - How To Make a Garlic Braid (illustrated) - -

[Penellype]

Penellype - your onion stringing sounds a bit complex, think I'd need to see you actually doing it to understand !!! Bet it's simple really, just me being a bit dim ...

Its like describing how to tie a knot - very hard to do without a 3D demo! If you know how to tie a reef knot, its that sort of effect you want for the bottom onion. After that just put an onion to one side of the strings, wind the top round the furthest string and back under the onion, then repeat from the other side with the next onion. It doesn't really matter how you do it as long as the onions are reasonably secure.

[pandasyard]

You can plait it without the string - once you've started it off it's like plaiting hair.

I never could plaot hair though so my first attempt has room for improvement.

Bloomingfields Farm Garlic - - How To Make a Garlic Braid (illustrated) - -

The joys of having 2 daughters with very long hair is I have been taught to plait lol

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

GL!

I hang mine, foliage n all for a good few weeks till the foliage begins to dry, tend to think the "Onions" are much more "Flavoursome" Doing so!



Then "Plait" and hang in the shed! It works for me!

[Alison]

I'm still eating my over wintered onions, my main crop aren't ready yet, still green so no worries about storage for a few weeks yet. Are people growing early season ones for them to be ready so early? Doesn't that make them more likely to sprout as (in theory ) it should be warmer now then at the end if the month?

[Penellype]

Mine are nowhere near ready either - the tops are just starting to bend over at the necks on some of them. They are well behind last year's crop which I was bringing in to dry off on 5th August with most of the foliage having died back. They will ripen eventually.

[Greenleaves]

I would guess that those growing onions on our site (110 Plots) 90% have lifted their onions, maybe it is because we are further south? I always try to grow my crops so there are ready either side of my holiday but then that depends on the summer. This year we went 6 weeks without rain so beans are a bit behind last year.

[Guest]

I'm still eating my over wintered onions, my main crop aren't ready yet, still green so no worries about storage for a few weeks yet. Are people growing early season ones for them to be ready so early? Doesn't that make them more likely to sprout as (in theory ) it should be warmer now then at the end if the month?

I lift mine when they show signs of dying back not when they have died off. As mentioned mine go straight from ground to garage, If anything can sprout in my garage it is close to a miracle. It has 2 temperatures, cold and not so cold