[m1ckz]

can you pull up onions an hang them to dry out,i allways hang them in the shed to store,,but do you have to dry them first , regards mick

[BabbyAnn]

if they are going to be hung up in the shed, then they should dry out anyway - the warmth of the sun (WHEN it shines) should warm up the shed and with hanging, air should be able to circulate the whole bulbs and gradually dry them out. 

Drying the bulbs is more like curing than simply making sure the outer skin/roots are dry - it helps to reduce the water content inside the bulb and enables longer storage 

[MyAchingBack]

At the moment I don't have a shed or a greenhouse. Can they be hung in the kitchen or will they be too hot? The same with my garlic. 

[m1ckz]

in the KITCHEN    oh boy the house will stink forever lol,,,,i wouldnt dare

[BabbyAnn]

kitchens are not ideal - too much humidity from cooking and washing (it's the warmth & humidity together that don't go well)

I have mine outside on wire racking (a mini greenhouse without the original plastic cover)  on the patio.  There is a bit of plastic pegged (with laundry pegs) over the top to stop the rain from landing on the onions but they are getting plenty of fresh air and hopefully sun soon.

[MyAchingBack]

I hadn't thought about the smell. Blimey that would have pleased the boss ( )! I will try drying them in my plastic three shelf green house with the doors tied open. I just hope it doesn't rain. How long on average do they take to dry?

[mattwragg94]

How long on average do they take to dry?

well that depend on alot of things (weather and the size on the onion neck etc), but the longer they are left to dry the better, i would say on average it takes around 3 - 4 week for the to dry!

[snowdrops]

I harvested my onions & garlic last Sunday. At the moment they are in the wheelbarrow in the garage(integral) & upstairs on the landing smells of onions. My job for today is to put them in the blue plastic mushroom trays that i store them all in. They stack & have sides that are 'mesh' to allow air to flow & let the onions dry out. If I can, I put them out on the patio in the sun.

[sunshineband]

Those trays are really useful Snowdrop, aren't they?

Our onions are in the garage on some old sheets on the floor and I turn them over from time to time. Been there two weeks now, and the leaves are drying off quite well

[snowdrops]

I actually did it all very differently. Since  it tried to rain on me every time I set foot out of the door I eventually set off to buy myself another mini blow away as my other 2 got smashed in the freak hailstorm. I'd been to get a price for the insurance the other week & seen that at *yevale they had double width ones on special offer for £29.99. I had £13  worth of vouchers so thought I'd treat myself as it turned out the insurance didn't cover it.
So I decided to set it up down the side of the house & sort the onions /garlic into it to save me lugging the trays in & out. I'll put them in the trays when they are dried.