How To Store Onions Properly. Part 3

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In order to preserve onions for as long as possible, it is important to take into account the humidity and temperature of the air in the storage areas, as well as which onion varieties were grown for subsequent storage. There are other little tricks that will allow you to keep the onion crop intact for a long time. If you take them into account, positive results will not be long in coming, and the fruits of summer cottage labors will delight you until the next harvest

Which onion will be best stored

Common yellow bulbs generally store much better than red and white bulbs. The dense shell of yellow onions contains a huge amount of essential oils. In addition, such onions are less demanding on storage conditions and are less whimsical. It has also been noticed that onions grown from seedlings are stored much better than onions grown from seeds.

And, of course, the storage duration of the onion crop depends on the onion variety. Tear-inducing spicy varieties hold significantly better than their semi-sweet and sweet companions. The fact is that the husk of sweet varieties is very tender, and they are much more susceptible to all kinds of diseases. Late onion varieties are also distinguished by their high keeping quality.

At what temperature to store onions

Bulbs of semi-sweet and sweet varieties are usually stored at a temperature of about zero degrees, and for spicy varieties, a temperature of minus three degrees will be most suitable. With regard to humidity, a mark of 75 - 90% will be the most optimal.

If the bulbs are stored in an apartment (in a closet, a closet or in a closet), it is advisable to try to keep the thermometer not higher than eighteen degrees, and the air humidity does not exceed fifty percent.

Little tricks

It is strongly discouraged to pull the onion out during harvesting - such decisive actions can damage the bottom of the onions, and the bulbs will begin to rot. The bulbs should be handled as carefully as possible, trying in every possible way to avoid blows and various mechanical damage.

It is highly undesirable to store onions together with beets, potatoes and some other vegetables that need a higher level of moisture.

Always store onions in places that are reliably protected from bright light.

Some gardeners use modern biological products for better storage of onions. It is noteworthy that some of them can increase the shelf life of onions up to two times or more. You should not be afraid of them - if the drug is of high quality, then it will be absolutely harmless to a person.

To reduce the germination of the bulbs, their roots are often burned - they will subsequently be unsuitable for planting, but they will remain perfectly. And some summer residents actively use liming, in which onion cuts, after cutting the roots, are processed with a previously prepared lime paste.

In no case should plastic bags be used for home storage of onions. Since polyethylene does not allow air and moisture to pass through, the bulbs will quickly fog up and rot.

If the onion cellars are too damp, you can try to lower the humidity. For this purpose, containers filled with lime, shavings or ash are placed around the room - all these materials perfectly absorb moisture.

To protect the bulbs from drying out, it is a good idea to sprinkle the stored onions with husks.

For home storage, onion sets are placed in containers made of non-synthetic materials - these can be cardboard boxes, wicker baskets or cotton bags. They need to be located as far as possible from sources of strong heat.

It is possible to store the bulbs on the loggia or on the balcony, the main thing is to prevent them from excessive freezing. And you can store them in the refrigerator - for this, the onions, carefully peeled from the peel, are cut into slices.