Keeping Onions in the South

[meadowlarkponds]

We have a bumper crop of 10/15 onions this spring, more than we can use, give away, or refrigerate. I've heard that one can extend their usefulness by drying them and keeping in a shady place? Anyone have successful techniques for extending the useful shelf-time for onions? Thanks.

 

[JESSE1]

You can hang them from rafters in a barn to air dry. We always left the tops on the onions, gathered up about 4 and tied them together with baler twine. Then you could hang them up from rafters in a barn and let them air dry.

 

[Egon]

Bending over the onion tops while they are still in the ground may help preserve them when you air dry or hang them. This should be done about a week before harvest.

We used to store onions in boxes in a cool place for at least three or four months.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Thanks for the tips....the onions are already showing seed buds on the tips so its time to take action and hang them out to dry.

 

[Bird]

I did the same thing as Jesse and we had enough 1015Y onions hanging in my shop building each year to last until about Thanksgiving.

 

[jinman]

I did the same thing as Jesse and we had enough 1015Y onions hanging in my shop building each year to last until about Thanksgiving.

Bird, I'm thinking Meadowlarkponds must have planted his 1015s on Thanksgiving. Fully developed onions going to seed the first week of April sounds like an East Texas brag to me. What do you think?

Seriously, Meadowlark... When did you set them out?

 

[Bird]

Yeah, Jim, I looked back at some of my old records and I usually set out onion plants in late January and early February, and would be eating a few green onions in early April. I found a note where I cut seed pods off the tops of some of my onions on 4/17/1996. But the harvest to tie bundles to hang in the shop was from about May 20 to June 8 most years.

Now I don't know for sure, but I've heard the 1015Y label or name meant that the seeds were planted about October 15 and the "Y" is for "yellow" onions.

Maybe meadowlarkponds has an earlier season? It does seem pretty early to me.

 

[jonbravado]

we used to hang them in old pantyhose under our crawlspace in the coolest, darkest part.

J

 

[Bird]

I think cool and dry is best, but unfortunately, I didn't have a cool place to store mine, so at first I did worry about hanging them in that hot shop building, but they actually kept quite well. The pictures were made in December but you can see what kind of building it was; wood frame, uninsulated metal skin. The horizontal boards are 2 x 6 so nails in the edge let me hang onions that didn't touch anything.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Bird, I'm thinking Meadowlarkponds must have planted his 1015s on Thanksgiving. Fully developed onions going to seed the first week of April sounds like an East Texas brag to me. What do you think?

Seriously, Meadowlark... When did you set them out?

Jinman,

I've been known to make an East Texas brag about the fish in my ponds....but not on onions.

I always plant 10/15's when I can get the sets at the feed store around 10/15. They grow all winter here (Livingston area). I'll post a picture just in case my credibility is still in question.

Seriously, I'm really glad to learn from Bird that they will tolerate hanging in an uninsulated shed...cause after harvesting everything else is full of onions.

Thanks again.