We grow Cortland onions from seed. They get sown indoors in February, and it’s nice to have something growing that early, a harbinger of the season to come.
Onions did well this year!
As noted in an earlier Facebook post, we’re getting rain daily. That’s great for growing lawn and carrots and other items, but not great for drying onions outdoors. After the onions “flop,” or bend over at the stem, they’re ready to harvest within the next few days. Onions that have sent up a flower stalk should also be harvested, and they’re the ones that should be eaten first as they won’t keep well.
Rain throws a bit of a wrench into the harvesting schedule though.
Once the onions are ready to harvest, the usual routine goes something like this:
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Not great weather to lay onions outside to dry.
Harvest the onions and lay them in the garden to dry out for a day or two. Unlike garlic, you can leave onions to dry in full sun.
- Bring onions indoors to finish curing.
- Once onion necks and leaves have dried, cut the leaves and roots off.
- Store in a location with no light in a container that has holes (box with holes, milk crate, mesh bags, etc.) and cool, preferably around 40°F.
That’s pretty darn easy and requires little work, but an important additional note:
DO NOT BANG ONIONS!
DO NOT DROP ONIONS!
BRUISED ONIONS ROT!
With rain forecast, I could leave the onions in the ground a few days more but this can begin to cause problems with their long-term storage, and we keep onions for months. We’re also looking at about a week of potential rain. Time for some alternative planning.
Welcome to our basement!
With no garage and only a small, already packed shed that has minimal air flow, we again have to use the basement. The onions are now below the garlic (which is hanging from the ceiling), on a piece of scrap cedar lattice.
The lattice is really convenient because it stores flat, doesn’t sag with material on it, and it helps facilitate air flow. In a pinch I can also lay either plastic mesh or hardware cloth on it, if I’m concerned drying items may fall through.
The fan is already there, blowing on the garlic above, with the dehumidifier on the opposite end of the garlic. This should all work out just fine, and this year’s onions are big!