[darcyhen]

hello, this is my first post.
I planted onions, shallots and garlic back in October and i have harvested them over the last week.
Having put in the effort to grow them and been successful I am now worried all my good work will go to waste if i dont store them properly.
Unfortunately some of my onions and garlic had started to go to flower and have thick necks. How does this affect storage and keeping?
I have a small pantry that's quite cool 9if anywhere is at present!! Our garden shed (really an old stable) has a fair bit of space but also rats.
Also how long should i expect to be able to keep them?
Any advice really appreciated.
Thanks
Michelle

[wyandotty]

I too have harvested my onions over the last few days.  All I do is tie about six together and hang them upside down to dry out.  The leaves will then go brown (especially with the weather we are currently having) and you will get brown skins on the onions.  Carefully untie them and snip off any remaining dried leaves and then store them in a cool dry place until you are ready to use them.

[Aidy]

as above, its really important to ripen them for long storage, use the the thick necked ones first, these wont store that well.

[DD.]

As for keeping properties, garlic will be OK until well into next year.

Winter onions do not have the storing properties of the spring planted sets, and are usually regarded as a stop-gap before the spring ones are ready. They'll be OK for 2 or 3 months, but I wouldn't try & store them for much longer.

Shallots - you'll have to ask someone else! I've only grown the spring planted ones/

[darcyhen]

thanks.
when you say upside down do you mean leaves down. I've bunched my onions and are hanging them but the way i've tied the string means it hangs from the middle and both leaves and bulbs are lower.
should i try to hang them properly upside down with bulbs up?

[Aidy]

darcyhen
I will post a photo tonight on my shallots and garlic so you can see how I do it, my shallots will last through until may next year if we dont eat them first. Garlic don't last that long. Will post it around 7pm ish give or take however long it takes to sup some beer first. 

[Aidy]

Sorry for the late posting of pictures, beer in fridge x hot person = happy person
Anyways dragged me self over the fence to photo me shallots n garlic, so here is some of mine hanging...

[darcyhen]

thank aidy for the pictures. I shall get something set up similar.
We shouldn't complain about the heat... but it is very hot!

[Jay Dubya]

Hi, a good idea when you lift your onions is place some chicken wire on some bricks and lay your onions on it they dry out lovely.

[Salmo]

The secret of keeping onions/garlic/shallots is to make sure that they are dry. When you think they are dry, dry them some more. Many of my last years crop, Spring planted, began to sprout in May, but I still have some left that are still perfectly sound.

Lifted shallots today, garlic will be about another week before it is ready. Both planted mid February.

[Sadgit]

This reminds me.. I found about 50 pickling sized onions I harvested last July and put them in a cat litter tray. I forgot all about them until I found them hidden in the depths of the garage at the weekend. All are perfectly sound and might get them stuck in some vinegar at the weekend. Really shocked they lasted so long.

Oh and I was wondering where on earth my red baron onions where that I planted.. found them in the garage as well.. sure I planted them, but the fact they are still in the onion bag shows me I hadn't ... my mind is like mush recently though

[Blue fingers]

Ok have just pulled up about half of my first ever onions and spotting this thread this is what I've done



Take it this is right? Will they be ok there even though its forecast to be stoooopid hot tomorrow?

There is a garlic bulb there too but it was teeny so I've left the rest.

[Faz]

Wow lovely looking onions!

[Blue fingers]

Thank you. I'm so excited to have something ready its untrue, thus far all we've eaten is lots of lettuce and a handful of strawberries lol.

Just want to make sure I get storing them right now.

[crowndale]

I have garlic still on the go from last year, only about 4 bulbs left though so will need to harvest this years soon!  onions didn't store well.  I used onion bags but they went manky.  think I'll string or plait them like the garlic this eyar instead.