Hi all

When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there more
to it?

TIA

Phil

In message ,
TheScullster writes
Hi all

When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there more
to it?

TIA

Phil


Hi Phil,

I would lift them pronto if I were you otherwise they may start to get
affected by frost/bad weather and start rotting. The way I store them is
to the clean off the very loose outside skins, cut off the roots and
remove the tops leaving about a couple of inches. Make sure they are
dried off. Then take some strong string and tie it into a circle the
diameter or length being dependent upon the number of onions you have
for storage. I find it best to put the string loop/circle on a hook
letting it hang so you have the two parallel string sides. Take an onion
and fix it to the bottom of the loop by weaving the couple of inches of
old top in a figure of 8 and press it down tight. Then do the same with
the next onion above and gradually work your way up the string until you
feel it's "full". Then hang the completed string of bulbs wherever you
feel is most convenient for access and use. Keep in a dry, frost free
place and they should keep for many months.

Any very large, exhibition type onions I store in a net bag also hanging
it the garage - as I do with shallots and garlic.

Undoubtedly you will get other storage tips in response to your question
as there are other ways of managing the storage but I find the above
works well. HTH
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

"TheScullster" wrote
When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there
more to it?

We have had ours in storage for a couple of months already, how come yours
aren't dried out completely? If you don't store them asap they will either
rot or start to grow again.
Depends how dry the stalks are as to which way we store them, this year as
it was so dry the tops were completely dry and I just cut them off (like the
ones for sale) and stored in crates. Some years when there is still sap in
the stalk we tie together and hand in the shed to dry completely.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"TheScullster" wrote
When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there
more to it?

We have had ours in storage for a couple of months already, how come yours
aren't dried out completely? If you don't store them asap they will either
rot or start to grow again.
Depends how dry the stalks are as to which way we store them, this year as
it was so dry the tops were completely dry and I just cut them off (like
the ones for sale) and stored in crates. Some years when there is still
sap in the stalk we tie together and hand in the shed to dry completely.

You put yours up at the 'begining' of August?

On Oct 5, 1:54*pm, "TheScullster" wrote:
Hi all

When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there more
to it?

Don't hang them in the garage unless you like the added flavour of
carbon monoxide. What do you think your shed is for - drinking tea and
listening to Radio 2?

In message
,
moghouse writes
On Oct 5, 1:54*pm, "TheScullster" wrote:
Hi all

When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there more
to it?

Don't hang them in the garage unless you like the added flavour of
carbon monoxide. What do you think your shed is for - drinking tea and
listening to Radio 2?

You're not one of these strange people that actually use a garage for a
car, are you. It should be for everything except listening to Radio 4
and drinking coffee :-))

--
Gopher .... I know my place!

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Ophelia" wrote
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
"TheScullster" wrote
When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw
coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there
more to it?

We have had ours in storage for a couple of months already, how come
yours aren't dried out completely? If you don't store them asap they
will either rot or start to grow again.
Depends how dry the stalks are as to which way we store them, this year
as it was so dry the tops were completely dry and I just cut them off
(like the ones for sale) and stored in crates. Some years when there is
still sap in the stalk we tie together and hand in the shed to dry
completely.

You put yours up at the 'begining' of August?
Yep, they were completely dry by then.

Thanks, Bob My 'gardening' file grows apace)

"Ophelia" wrote
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
"TheScullster" wrote
When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there
more to it?

We have had ours in storage for a couple of months already, how come
yours aren't dried out completely? If you don't store them asap they will
either rot or start to grow again.
Depends how dry the stalks are as to which way we store them, this year
as it was so dry the tops were completely dry and I just cut them off
(like the ones for sale) and stored in crates. Some years when there is
still sap in the stalk we tie together and hand in the shed to dry
completely.

You put yours up at the 'begining' of August?
Yep, they were completely dry by then.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

"Ophelia" wrote...

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
"Ophelia" wrote
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
"TheScullster" wrote
When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw
coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is
there more to it?

We have had ours in storage for a couple of months already, how come
yours aren't dried out completely? If you don't store them asap they
will either rot or start to grow again.
Depends how dry the stalks are as to which way we store them, this year
as it was so dry the tops were completely dry and I just cut them off
(like the ones for sale) and stored in crates. Some years when there is
still sap in the stalk we tie together and hand in the shed to dry
completely.

You put yours up at the 'begining' of August?
Yep, they were completely dry by then.

Thanks, Bob My 'gardening' file grows apace)
I might add it's been a very dry summer here although the onions grew well
they did die off early and also dried well once lifted out of the ground and
left there in the sun.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

moghouse wrote:
On Oct 5, 1:54 pm, "TheScullster" wrote:
Hi all

When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is there more
to it?

Don't hang them in the garage unless you like the added flavour of
carbon monoxide.

The only way you could get CO poisoning in our garage is if you first
took out all the lawnmowers, cardboard boxes, broken kids toys,
furniture, umbrellas, shoes, single wellies, saddles, dog-baskets, alien
artefacts......

What do you think your shed is for - drinking tea and
listening to Radio 2?

playing snooker.

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Ophelia" wrote...

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
"Ophelia" wrote
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
"TheScullster" wrote
When should onions be lifted for storage, or should I have done this
already?
Most of the tops have died back to half-green or totally straw
coloured.
Do I just string them together and hang them in the garage, or is
there more to it?

We have had ours in storage for a couple of months already, how come
yours aren't dried out completely? If you don't store them asap they
will either rot or start to grow again.
Depends how dry the stalks are as to which way we store them, this
year as it was so dry the tops were completely dry and I just cut them
off (like the ones for sale) and stored in crates. Some years when
there is still sap in the stalk we tie together and hand in the shed
to dry completely.

You put yours up at the 'begining' of August?
Yep, they were completely dry by then.

Thanks, Bob My 'gardening' file grows apace)
I might add it's been a very dry summer here although the onions grew well
they did die off early and also dried well once lifted out of the ground
and left there in the sun.

Thanks Noted!