Storing Onions and Garlic: Temperature, Humidity, Time

Storing Onions and Garlic - Why Store Them When You Can Buy Them Year-Round?

Why store onions and garlic when you can buy them at the store all year round? The answer is simple: their prices fluctuate and often rise, making home growing and proper storage worthwhile. With the right storage techniques, these vegetables can last for months, saving you money and ensuring you always have fresh, quality produce on hand.

Benefits of Growing and Storing Your Own Onions and Garlic

Growing your own onions and garlic offers several advantages beyond just cost savings. When you cultivate these crops yourself, you control the growing conditions and know exactly what goes into your food. Plus, properly stored homegrown bulbs often have better flavor and nutritional value than store-bought alternatives that may have traveled long distances.

Cost Savings Throughout the Year

Market prices for onions and garlic can vary significantly depending on the season and supply. By growing and storing your own harvest, you protect yourself from price spikes and ensure a steady supply without repeatedly paying retail prices.

Quality and Freshness

Homegrown vegetables stored correctly maintain their quality much longer than those that have gone through commercial distribution chains. You'll enjoy better taste, higher nutrient content, and the satisfaction of eating produce you've grown yourself.

Proper Storage Conditions for Onions and Garlic

To maximize the shelf life of your onions and garlic, understanding proper storage conditions is essential. Both vegetables require similar environments but have some specific needs.

Temperature and Humidity Requirements

The ideal storage temperature for both onions and garlic is between 0-4°C (32-40°F) with relatively low humidity of around 60-70%. These conditions slow down sprouting and prevent mold growth while keeping the bulbs firm and fresh.

Air Circulation

Good air circulation is crucial for preventing moisture buildup, which can lead to rot. Store onions and garlic in mesh bags, braided strings, or ventilated containers rather than plastic bags or sealed containers.

Darkness

Both vegetables should be stored in a dark location to prevent sprouting. Exposure to light triggers growth processes that shorten storage life and reduce quality.

Preparing Onions and Garlic for Storage

Proper preparation before storage significantly extends the shelf life of your harvest.

Curing Process

After harvesting, both onions and garlic need to be cured. This involves drying them in a warm, well-ventilated area for 2-3 weeks until the outer skins become papery and the necks dry completely. This step is essential for long-term storage success.

Cleaning and Sorting

Remove excess dirt gently without washing the bulbs, as moisture promotes rot. Sort through your harvest and separate any damaged or bruised bulbs for immediate use, storing only the best quality specimens for long-term keeping.

Storage Methods

There are several effective methods for storing onions and garlic, each with its own advantages:

Mesh bags or nets: Allow excellent air circulation and are easy to hang in storage areas
Braiding: Traditional method that looks attractive and provides good airflow
Wooden crates or boxes: Layer bulbs with newspaper between layers for added protection
Pantyhose: Drop one bulb per section, tying knots between each for individual storage

How Long Will They Last?

With proper storage conditions, onions can last 3-6 months, while garlic typically stores well for 4-8 months. Certain varieties store better than others, with harder-skinned varieties generally lasting longer than softer types.

Signs of Spoilage

Regularly inspect your stored vegetables and remove any showing signs of:

Soft spots or mushiness
Mold growth
Strong odors
Excessive sprouting

Common Storage Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced gardeners can make storage errors. Avoid these common pitfalls:

Storing onions and potatoes together: Potatoes release moisture that causes onions to spoil faster
Refrigerating whole onions: The cold, humid environment of a refrigerator causes them to become soft and moldy
Storing damaged bulbs: Always use damaged produce immediately rather than storing it
Inadequate curing: Rushing the curing process leads to poor storage results

Making Storage Worthwhile

The effort you put into properly storing onions and garlic pays off throughout the year. Not only will you save money by avoiding fluctuating retail prices, but you'll also enjoy the superior quality and flavor of homegrown produce. With the right conditions and careful attention to detail, your harvest can sustain you through many months, making self-sufficiency in these essential kitchen staples both practical and rewarding.

In short: Cure harvested onions and garlic for 2-3 weeks until the skins turn papery, then keep them dark, dry and well ventilated. Onions store best around 1°C with humidity up to 65%, garlic in a cool dry room at roughly 40%. Stored this way, onions keep 3-6 months and garlic 4-8 months.

Harvest time	July, when the foliage yellows and falls over (about 1/3 fallen for onions)
Curing	2-3 weeks in a warm, well-ventilated shaded place until skins are papery
Onion storage	Around 1°C, dark, air humidity not above 65%
Garlic storage	Cool, dry, ventilated room, air humidity about 40%
Shelf life	Onions 3-6 months, garlic 4-8 months, shallots until June
Bunching garlic	Trim roots, tie into bunches of 15-20 bulbs

Storing Onions and Garlic

Do you sometimes get shocked by garlic prices in stores and wonder if it's really local? The good kind, with a strong flavor? If you grow garlic and, of course, onions too, then read this article about storage so these vegetables last as long as possible without damage.

When Garlic and Onions Ripen

Both garlic and onions ripen in July. Garlic should be harvested on time. Harvest it as soon as the foliage starts to yellow and falls over. With late harvesting, the clove covers break apart and the garlic bulb falls to pieces.

Dry garlic in the shade, under a roof. Trim the roots. Tie into bunches of 15-20 bulbs.

If you let onions overripen, you'll be happier on one hand - they'll be bigger. On the other hand, they'll store poorly and be more susceptible to diseases. Larger onions won't dry well enough to be stored properly.

So when should you harvest onions? You'll know when the foliage starts to fall over. When about 1/3 has fallen, stop watering the onions and let them dry out in a sunny bed (usually around mid-July). This way the onion foliage dries well, the skins firm up and turn golden, dark red or purple depending on the variety grown.

Don't harvest onions in rainy weather. If it starts raining while onions are drying in the bed, immediately move them under a roof.

Storing Onions

At the end of October, prepare onions for storage. Onions should be sufficiently dried. Don't store bulbs affected by mold - discard those. Place onions in a wooden crate and cover with a blanket. Store onions at lower temperatures. Ideal is around 1°C. They can briefly tolerate temperatures below freezing. You can store them in a cellar. The cellar shouldn't be too humid. Check that air humidity doesn't exceed 65%. You can also store onions at home in a pantry. Place the crate on the floor. They tolerate cooler temperatures better than higher ones.

Shallots stored this way will last until June. Onions generally stay tasty until February or March, when they start to sprout. If onions freeze, they become glassy. After thawing, they're still edible. Well-stored onions are firm and solid to the touch. They don't sprout green shoots.

Onions should be an essential part of your diet. They're most beneficial raw. Heat treatment reduces their potency. In the autumn season, they're beneficial with large doses of vitamins C, E and B for the human body. They also contain folic acid. A whole range of minerals and trace elements - calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, copper and iodine.

Storing Garlic

Store dried garlic in a dry and well-ventilated place. It can be a cooler room. A damp cellar is not suitable for storage. A room with room temperature is also not suitable. Under these conditions, the cloves start to sprout, which reduces their quality.

Also store garlic cloves intended for planting in a dry and cool room.

Maintain optimal air humidity during storage, which is about 40%. Higher air humidity is unsuitable. For example, in the fridge it's 80%. Just like onions, you can store garlic in a wooden crate or cardboard box covered with a blanket. Garlic can freeze for a moment, but it loses its flavour. Keep the stored box closed at lower temperatures.

Garlic can be peeled - pressed into jars, mixed with salt and kept in the fridge. Be careful - garlic that comes into contact with air may turn blue, green or even brown. Pressed cloves prepared this way are intended for quick consumption. They can be temporarily placed in a plastic container in the freezer and gradually taken out. Garlic becomes glassy when frozen - it becomes watery and loses its flavour. Whole cloves of garlic can be preserved in a jar - in oil. Be careful - the jar may overflow. Don't fill it to the brim. Garlic cloves can be sterilised in a sweet and sour brine.

Try storing garlic with stems pointing upwards. It should stay fresh longer than garlic stored with stems pointing down in hanging bunches. You can store it in a vase in a darker corner of the room.

You can also make your own original olive oil - add a sprig of rosemary, a clove of garlic and a chilli pepper. If you love pickled cheeses - cut them into cubes, layer them with capers, slices of chilli pepper and garlic cloves. You can also add an herb - basil, savory or bay leaf. It depends on your taste. These treats prepared with garlic not only taste great, but also look good and make a suitable gift.

Do you peel garlic in autumn and add it preventively to all your meals?

Do you know any original recipe with onion? Share the article with friends on Facebook!

Author: Hana Michalíková