platting onions

[taralastair]

Does anyone have any detailed instructions about how to best store onions (mine are over-wintered ones harvested last weekend). I have them drying out, but how long should they be dried for. I would also like to try platting them a but not sure how to go about.

Any info much appreciated.
Tara

[richard p]

ive plaited in the past by copying the daughters hair, hold 3 onions upside down with the dry leaves hanging down, start plaiting the leaves together, when there is room add another bulb so you are plaiting one double set of leaves and 2 singles, then add another bulb etc if this isnt clear find a woman with plaits and ask for help

[Chantal]

I tie one big onion onto a length of twine which I hang up from a ceiling hook. I then take the second onion and wind the dry top round the twine a couple times then hold the top around the twine whilst I do the same to the third, fourth onion etc etc. The weight of the top onion holds down the one beneath and so on. It's dead easy and very quick to make. When the string is as long, or as heavy as you want it, trim off all the tatty bits of onion tops and roots that are poking out and hang it somewhere for storage.

[taralastair]

Thanks for the advice. However how dry do the onions need to be and how long after harvesting. Harvested ours on Sunday and most still have green-ish stems although most also have necks that have bent over. Was thinking they needed to be relatively dry stems to plait or they would rot. Is this right?
Tara

[mandylew]

http://www.bloomingfieldsfarm.com/garbrdhow.html

these are instructions on how to plait garlic but work fine with onions too.

mandy

[Chantal]

I lay mine out to dry in the greenhouse until there's no green to be seen. However, I usually leave mine in the ground for longer than you by the sound of it as mine have very little green when I pull them.

[peter]

I asked this last year, got quite a few replies if I remember right, it might be worth doing an Allan and searching the archive.

[Johnboy]

Hi Tara,
I appreciate what you are trying to do but please remember that there is a very great difference in the weight of Garlic and Onions.
I would recommend that you use a string/twine loop
rather than a platt. The dried foliage of Garlic is somehow a lot stronger than Onion foliage dried.
If you have a few pounds of Onions and they do manage to fall to the ground just think of the damage that will occur. So may I suggest you use the method in Chantals first posting.

[Piglet]

I hung mine on strings last year but will be storing them in the perforated blue plastic boxes that greengrocers throw out this year as it negates all the fluffing around.

They allow the air to circulate around them and as they are fairly shallow you cant pile them too high. They stack on top of each other as well which is a brucey bonus.

[taralastair]

All great advice thanks.

Tara

[sprout]

Thanks so much for the advice in this thread, our entire crop of early purple hardneck was plaited up yesterday! Not the tidiest result, but should improve with practice

[Johnboy]

Wow Sprout!! They look super and they will taste even better now that you have grown them!

[sprout]

Thank you johnboy they are certainly fierce!
I also saved the six biggest bulbs for planting next year, someone told me they adapt over time to grow better in your local conditions. Is this true?

Later - Just found the link to roping onions:
http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk/Guides ... onions.htm