1) plant when it's cool, well before the heat of summer takes over. I planted these last February.
2) plant shallow. In fact, I usually plant so shallowly that I have to really pinch the dirt up around the seedlings to get them to stay up. This seems like the main thing to get big, healthy onions.
3) harvest when the bulbs push their shoulders up out of the dirt.
4) cure the onions for a good while in the sun. I'll cure these for about a week.
5) store in a cool, dry place with good air flow. I break this rule a bit because I don't have such a place to store them. I put them in a basket in my pantry, which is cool and dry but without much airflow. But we eat them so quickly, and we have two growing seasons, so we've not had any spoil yet.
Great post, I'm going to try onions in my winter flower bed next year, thanks to your inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathleen! I'll bet onions would do great in a flower bed. Might even deter pests. :)
ReplyDeleteI've had luck storing onions and garlic in the legs of panty hose, (in my hot garage) knotted in between each one so they don't touch. Use by cutting off one at a time.
ReplyDelete