How to store onions

You’ve growing your onions and now you have to keep them so they last all winter.

Storing onions isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Start-off by growing a variety that stores will such as: Yellow globe or Southport red globe.

Harvesting Onions

You can harvest mature bulbs in late spring after the leaves on the onion fall or bend over.

Gently loosen the bulbs from the soil and spread the onions out in an airy location but away from direct sunlight. This allows the skins to harden off.

Leave the leaves on the onions and allow them to dry in an airy space for several weeks.

How to Store Onions

• When the outer skins of the onions have completely dried cut them to around an inch above the bulb.
• Onions should be kept in a cool, dark, and dry condition. The ideal temperature is somewhere between 40 and 50 degrees. If the place is too warm then the onions will sprout.
• A good place for storing onions is in a dark corner of the garage or root cellar.
• Stored onions require ventilation as well.
• Use a mesh bag (onion nets) for storing the bulbs in.
• When the outer skins of the onions have completely dried, you can braid/plait the onion stems together. If plaited, hang the stored onions in a cool, dry area.
• If the onion is soft or slimy then it’s best to throw it on the compost heap.