Onion advice sought, please

Who knows their onions then? At least on successfully storing them.

I had a great crop last year, with some very large onions indeed. Unlike most other years when I've left them in the ground and dug them up when needed, last year I dug up the lot and dried them on papers in my garage for a month. All appeared well and I then moved them to a cardboard box with papers between the layers. Well they have all gone mouldy and soft. None are edible and all are black through part of the middle.

Could anyone please advise on where I want wrong and how to avoid this in future years?

Many thanks

GNG

I chop them up and freeze them - I use only what I need them, and there is not so much waste, as I only cook for 1 old couple. This year the necks did get soft sooner that usual.

when onions are ready for lifting, bend over the stem, loosen soil and allow to dry in the sun (or air). When most of the moisture has gone from stem and from soil on onion remove from earth, take inside and either pleat the stems together (as the onion/garlic sellers do) or get some tights/stocking and tie a knot in the leg of stocking between each onion after you insert onion, hang up in a dry dark place - shed or garage, then snip below each knot for an onion when required. Always works for me.

I usually lift my onions a the end of August, dry them off quickly (a couple of weeks) in the greenhouse them store them tied up in a dry shed. Later in the winter if frost likely I bring them into the house. Plenty of ventilation is necessary.

I'm surprised you can leave onions in the ground until you need them. Maybe the ground in your garden is very well drained. If I left mine in till , say mid September, they would start to rot and even if they look ok by mid ocober/November the inner core would be going off.

Maybe I dreamt this (:confused) - but I'm sure I remember my Dad would "lift" them about mid-September and then bury them in sand in a large wooden box in the garage to be used as and when.

They definitely need ventilation once they've been dried, only onions with thin necks (bit where the bulb joins the stem) will store well. Thick necked onions need to be used asap.

We struggled to dry store onions this year as they were almost all thick necked (something to do with the horrendous season that some dared to call summer), hence all ours (that could be salvaged) were pretty much chopped and frozen or made into various sauces prior to freezing.

Check out www.allotment.org.uk they've got some great advice on all veg on there.

Thanks very much to you all. The vast majority were thick necked and so perhaps that explains it. I'm going to give Pat's advice a go this year.

Thanks all once again.

GNG

Hope im spelling this correctly, but try growing 'Rijnsburger', they store very well.

Sturon is also a good onion to try