Help regarding storage of onions.

[AllInContainers]

Sorry, I'm no use to you whatsoever. My long term plan for onion storage is leave them in the supermarket till I need them

[Penellype]

I am pleased with my overwintered onions this year and have a good crop. I even managed to get a few red onions this year. Spring planted red onion sets have all went to seed as have half of my spring planted normal onion sets.
Thank heavens for the japs or else i would have been struggling with my onion harvest!

A fair number of my red onions (Red Baron) have bolted too, but the Sturon are mostly ok. I'm still eating last year's Sturon!

[esbo]

Bill, I'm trying the same. I'm going to try and get them really really ripe and dry before hanging them up. We'll see how it goes!

These are them...
onions picture snipped for brevity

Wow those look great compared to my miserable onions!!

[Martin H]

Wow those look great compared to my miserable onions!!

Thank you ... although I have to admit that I cheated slightly. I had two lots of overwintering onions and showed you the good ones.

The others, Senchyu Yellow from the local garden centre and planted the same week, are just horrible, hardly a decent bulb in the whole lot:

[Bill HH]

Won't the 'batter' go soggy Bill? I'd freeze them as 'chopped rings', then do the battering just before cooking. But I've never cooked them, or even 'frozen onions' for that matter. Usually just dry and hang them up.

Well I am thinking part fry them, then freeze and then a final cooking should crisp them up, I shall try a few,

[Bill HH]

I planted sets in the open ground and also some in containers, the open ground ones are ok for general use but the ones in containers are much better, I will take a few pics tomorrow.

[bearded bloke]

Seems I have serious competition!

See you on the "VVVS" at the end of the season Martin!..........

Nah, yours are HUGE Deano. Still I'll be giving VVS my best shot!

That's they way,friendly competition Get snapping peeps there is a class for three onions/alliums,remember each class has first,second & third places,each of which counts to the cumulative overall first second & third

[Cr071]

We pulled our overwintered onions last week so I've just been looking into how to store them, they were Shakespeare and the website said they would keep until December - do those with experience think this won't be the case? First year growing for me, they are currently drying out with the garlic.

[Dorothy rouse]

My 'over wintered' ones have been drying in the sun, now in the shed, and will string them together and hang in garage, which us relatively cool, most of them haven't bolted, these that have I'll use them first. Have never ( yet) had them rot when hung up and well dried first.

But I use loads, so they won't last long.

The Feb planted ones, red and white are nowhere near ready yet, and more have flowered, hoping they bulk out over next month or so.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Nice "Haul" there Cr!

As "Dotty" said! Think the drying out process is detriment to preserving! and once in store! Keep a "Beady" eye on em!

[Bill HH]

As I have so much shade in my garden I now have a mobile drying unit! I chase the sun spots round the garden with it,

[Small pumpkin]

Should I be pulling my onions now? I thought you had to let the leaves turn yellow first, but from all your photos ( that I'm very jealous of by the way) that is not the case. I never grown onions before. Can you tell?

[Martin H]

Should I be pulling my onions now?

Not me. I wait until they flop over then I loosen them with a fork to encourage the foliage to shrivel. Normally I'll then leave them in place until they are dry and can be braided. Maybe, if I need the ground immediately, I might lift them up once the roots have shrivelled to finish drying somewhere else.

I believe, without actually having done any scientific experimentation, that lifting while they are still taking in moisture by the roots will result in smaller bulbs.

[Bill HH]

Should I be pulling my onions now? I thought you had to let the leaves turn yellow first, but from all your photos ( that I'm very jealous of by the way) that is not the case. I never grown onions before. Can you tell?

No you shouldn't and I still have plenty in the ground / pots, I pulled all these a bit early because I desperately needed the room.

[Tripmeup]

Overwintering onions should be ready by now usually, so should be good to pull....Spring sown ones are for later in season...

I have always grown Radar and these do very well for me and are okay storers..I do use them first tho...
This year I have also tried Senshyu and some red ones and they have done okay too.

My over winter seed sown ones (F1 Hi-ball) have been a bit smaller this year than usual....