[MichelleC]

I harvest shallots about 4 wks ago and tied a knot around each stem and hung them out to dry in a sheltered area. I made sure they weren't touching each other. However this evening I wanted to pickle them I found 50% were very moist on top and some turning mouldy. I had to keep stripping away the layers. Could this be due to all the moisture from the stem that went back in to the shallot when I tied it in a knot? 

[NN2Blue]

I harvest shallots about 4 wks ago and tied a knot around each stem and hung them out to dry in a sheltered area. I made sure they weren't touching each other. However this evening I wanted to pickle them I found 50% were very moist on top and some turning mouldy. I had to keep stripping away the layers. Could this be due to all the moisture from the stem that went back in to the shallot when I tied it in a knot? 

I don't know. Were they hung up outside? They really should have dried out after one month. When I harvested my shallots I put them in a big cardboard box in an outhouse and kept turning them until they dried. Collected up all the stem material and now just have a couple of boxes of shallots.

[MichelleC]

Yeah they were hung outside but under cover like a porch. When you had them in a box to dry out, were they touching each other? Could I do this in my allotment shed?

[NN2Blue]

Yeah they were hung outside but under cover like a porch. When you had them in a box to dry out, were they touching each other? Could I do this in my allotment shed?

I dried them out in my allotment shed last year. They were touching each other but they came out of the ground bone dry. The soil is still very, very dry in Northampton. Digging the spuds yesterday, they came out soil free as well! 

[MichelleC]

Maybe I just left mine in the ground too long and we did have a few days of rain. After peeling the layers I also notice they were spliting into like cloves. Or is that how they are anyway?

[Salmo]

I have had to pickle some of my shallots hastily before they rotted. Some of the remaining ones look a bit dodgy.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=747

[Belgarion]

I always try to leave them for a few days outside if there is no rain forecast, using the blue trays that you get from the Cob shops on industrial estates, etc. Then store them in Hessian Sacks.  But you can't beat pickling them!!

[Trillium]

If the stem wasn't crispy dry when you hung them to finish, then there'll always be problems. I always leave mine in the ground until they're totally browned. Only then do I pull them, and tie them for further drying. So yes, any stem moisture will cause problems as the string will stop any moisture flow within the shallot.

And humid outside air is a killer so better to store them inside somehow.

[JayG]

I sympathise with MichelleC because I often seem to have more trouble than the average grower seems to when it comes to drying and storing shallots.

Three things which sometimes go wrong:

1) Rot often seems to start at the neck, particularly in bulbs with a thicker than average neck; pulling the remains of the dried foliage off seems to open it up a bit and help it dry properly (although having done  that they obviously have to be stored loose rather than be plaited.) Removing any loose skins also helps with the drying process.

2) I sometimes get bulbs which have sub-divided into two or more closely attached bulbs, and these are very hard to dry thoroughly and I use them first.

3) I used to store them in the shed which although rain-proof gets pretty damp in winter and is not frost-free; this year I'm going to store them in an under stair cupboard which although technically is outdoors is actually built into the house so should be a bit warmer and drier.

Hope this helps, because I find that once mould has started to grow the bulb has usually just about had it.

[Babstreefern]

I dug mine out over a month ago and I placed them on a wire rack upside down in the greenhouse for a couple of weeks and then strung them up in my little conservatory on the allotment = they are just perfect - will be pickling them in a week or so

[MichelleC]

Oh dear. I have all my onions and garlic strung up like the shallots. Think I'll take them down to dry out. Hope they're okay.

[JayG]

Oh dear. I have all my onions and garlic strung up like the shallots. Think I'll take them down to dry out. Hope they're okay.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with stringing them up; lots of people do it and it works just fine if the bulbs are dried properly first.