Kitchen Garden Forum

my onoins have started to rot
i harvested them after the stalks had died down and i thought they were dry. i even left them spread out at home for a while before i removed the roots and excess stalk and have kept them in a cardboard box in my kitchen.
most of them have now gone soft around the top and a bit rotten inside.

any ideas why this might be and how to avoid it happening in the future.

thanks

Evening Meow, your not alone with this problem this year.

Mine, and a lot of other people that i know are suffering from the same problem this year.

It often happens when they get soaked several times as they are dying down or when drying.
But i must admit i thought it was fairly good weather when harvesting this year, but i could be wrong.

I'm not sure but if they looked fine when you harvested them removing roots and excess stalks might have allowed entry of whatever caused the rot, I usually plait mine with string by the dry stalks and hang somewhere dry and frost free, I only cut the stalks when i use the onion If the rot is spreading I would be inclined to cut my losses, cut off the rotton bits and use the good bits to make some caremelised or plain onion chutney, or chop saute till soft and freeze, ready to add to casseroles.
I know with pumpkins, damage to the stalk end can cause the whole pumpkin to rot, onions might do the same, With pumpkins I usually take a T shaped cut above the stalk which forms the stem of the T

Dear Nature's Babe, you are correct about damage to the neck of Onions causing this problem.
If you pull them up by the leaves before they have dried off, or the roots are still firmly in the ground, this can cause neck rot.

thanks for the quick response.
fortunately i dont have loads left so i shall make some chutney and try tying them up in ropes next year.

Hi Meow, don't forget to don a blue beret, like the french onion growers when they plait theirs.