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Gary350
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Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

26 onions, wash or dry naturally?

I harvested 1 of 3 onion crops this morning. I can not remember if I should wash them or just let them dry in the sun? I seem to recall my grandfather use to let them dry all day in the sun them put them all in the cellar.

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JayPoc
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Location: Virginia, The mountains Zone 6a/6b

No expert by any means, but here's what I've done with lots of success. I'll brush off any big dirt clogs attached to the onions, but I don't really try to clean them up to much. I'll lay them out in a shady spot in the yard for the rest of the day if it is nice and dry that day. I then bring them in doors, and place them in a single layer on my elevated drying rack (an old baby gate). About a week and a half later, the necks have completely withered and the greens are a dry brown. Then I remove the greens and brush off any surface dirt that comes off easily. I end up with this:

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jal_ut
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Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

I would not wash them. Pull them and let them dry then just snip the tops and brush off the roots and bag them. They need to be put in a mesh bag and hung up in the garage or basement so they will stay dry.

gumbo2176
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Location: New Orleans

What they have already said. I like to put mine under my 2nd story porch where I put a couple saw horses and a heavy open metal grate I use to load stuff in my pickup truck. After they are dried, snipped and brushed off I put them in my man cave in an area where they get air circulation. Last thing you want to do is put them in an enclosed box or storage bin.

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!potatoes!
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Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:13 pm
Location: wnc - zones 6/7 line

my tendency: leave dirty, dry in the shade, in a single layer for a few days/a week, then bag up and hang.

Peter1142
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Location: SE NY ZONE 6B

Nice onions!



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