When it comes to onions, we just have to accept that long-storing onions cannot be grown in the south. The sulfurous compounds that sting your eyes are the same ones that inhibit rot, so the more pungent the onion is, the longer it will store. They’re usually smaller in size with thinner rings and tighter skins, and are best known for making you cry when you cut them. Pungent onions, on the other hand, can keep as long as six months or even up to a year. If your crop includes mild onions, you’ll want to eat those first. Unfortunately, most mild onions don’t last more than two to three months, even when cured and stored under optimal conditions. They’re sweet enough to eat raw but they really shine as onion rings and bloomin’ onions. Mild onions are generally large and juicy with thick rings and papery skins that peel easily. Once properly cured, onions store for a very long time-through the fall and winter, and sometimes even spring under the right conditions.Īs a general rule of thumb, long-day varieties store longer than short-day varieties (the “long” in long day refers to the onion needing 14 to 16 hours of sun to develop properly), and pungent onions store longer than mild onions. What does it mean to cure onions?Ĭuring is a month-long process of drying down your onions to prep them for storage. Afterward, they can be picked and cured for storage. Since the cultivar, weather, and timing can all affect a plant’s maturity date, the best way to tell when you should harvest onions is to wait for at least half your plants to fall over. Onions are ready for harvest in mid to late summer when the leaves begin to die back. (Onion sets are tiny onions that can be transplanted-generally these are a better choice for people with short growing seasons, and they have a higher success rate in spring as they can withstand light freezes.) If you planted onion sets, expect to harvest in 60 to 80 days. In general, onions are ready for harvest in 100 to 125 days from seed. Where to buy onion harvesting and storage supplies.Common questions about harvesting, curing, and storing onions.Secret #7: Save tiny onions to plant in spring.Secret #6: Store onions in a dry, dark, and airy space for maximum longevity.Secret #5: Trim the onions so you can see which ones to use up first.Secret #4: Cure your onions so they keep through winter.Secret #3: Dry out the roots immediately after harvest.Secret #2: Stop watering your onion crop before harvest.Secret #1: Wait for half the plants to fall over before you start harvesting.7 secrets to harvesting, curing, and storing onions from the garden.
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