Cure and store onions and garlic

When to do it

At crop maturity, choosing dry weather where possible.

What you need

• Fork
• Airy sheltered drying surface
• Ventilated storage containers

How to do it

1. Check maturity before lifting: bulb onions naturally soften and fall at the neck; garlic is lifted as lower leaves yellow while some green leaves remain. Check a sample bulb.
2. Loosen soil and lift without bruising. Do not bend onion tops deliberately or delay garlic until all protective skins have deteriorated.
3. Lay bulbs in one layer in an airy dry place, protected from rain and scorching sun. Leave tops attached while necks and skins dry.
4. When dry, trim tops and roots as appropriate and brush away loose soil. Keep only sound bulbs for storage; use damaged but otherwise sound bulbs first.
5. Store cool, dry and ventilated, checking regularly for softness or mould. Storage life varies with variety and growing conditions.

What success looks like

• Necks and outer skins are dry and bulbs remain firm.

Watch out for

• Washing bulbs before curing.
• Sealing damp bulbs in plastic.

Plant guides using this technique

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