How to properly store onions in the cellar and is it possible to do so?

Onions are a vegetable crop with widespread distribution. The vegetable is used year-round in the preparation of numerous culinary dishes. Many housewives and summer residents are interested in the question of how to preserve the harvest for a long time.

About whether it is possible store onions in the cellar in winter and how to do it correctly, we will tell you in the article.

Optimal conditions for storing onions in winter

In order to preserve a vegetable until the onset of the new season, it is necessary to create optimal conditions in the vegetable storage - temperature and humidity suitable for long-term storage.

Important! The main condition for storing onions is the presence of ventilation in the room. With little or no ventilation in humid air conditions, the bulbs will quickly begin to rot.

Optimal air humidity is within 75-80%. At higher humidity, the bulbs grow and roots appear. This affects the taste characteristics and table quality of vegetables.

If at high humidity the vegetable begins to become damp, it is transferred to a dry room and dried, after which it is returned to storage.

At low humidity (less than 75%), vegetables begin to dry out.

The storage facility maintains a constant temperature of 0…+3°C. Onion scales create an additional thermal effect, so a slight decrease in temperature is not scary for vegetables. This applies mainly to spicy varieties. Red, sweet onions do not tolerate low temperatures.

Increasing temperatures cause the onion heads to sprout, causing the onions to begin to rot.

The stored crop is protected from light. When illuminated, green arrows will appear on the vegetables.

How to prepare onions for storage

A month before the expected harvest, they stop watering the crop so that the bulbs do not become saturated with excess moisture.

Attention! Unripe and overripe bulbs will have a shorter shelf life.

To harvest onions, choose a dry day. Crops harvested in rainy weather will be susceptible to premature rotting.

During harvesting, it is not recommended to pull onions out of the ground. If pulled out sharply, the heads may be damaged, which will negatively affect shelf life.

Carefully dig up the onion with a shovel, then clean off the remaining soil. It is not recommended to throw the heads onto a hard surface; in wrinkled places the fabric will be deformed, damaged, and the head will begin to deteriorate.

The harvested crop is laid out in a sunny area or in a dry room for 10-14 days to dry. During this time, the moisture collected between the scales will have time to dry.

After drying trimmed dry leaves, leaving 5-7 cm of the neck of the bulb.

Before storing onions, they are sorted by variety and size. Early, sweet varieties of the crop are stored less (until February) and are more often susceptible to diseases. Spicy varieties retain freshness until the new season. Winter onions are stored worse than spring onions.

Healthy, dense bulbs without damage, with a dry tail, are selected for storage. Cooked onions are sorted by size and stored in separate containers.

Rules for storing onions in a cellar or underground in winter

A small amount of onions is stored well in an apartment, but to store a large volume of the harvest you will need a cellar or basement. A properly created microclimate in the basement will preserve nutrients and vitamins in vegetables.

Preparing the premises

A room for winter storage of vegetables needs to be prepared. To do this, carry out thorough cleaning using disinfectants.

The cellar or basement should be dry and spacious so that it is possible to arrange vegetables freely and in several layers. If there is limited space on the walls, nail shelves or install racks. The shelves on the racks are covered with paper and burlap.

Important! If in winter the temperature in the basement drops below the recommended level, the walls of the room are insulated.

The main condition for long-term harvest preservation is constant ventilation, which will prevent rotting of vegetables.

Neighborhood with other vegetables

It is not recommended to store onions with other vegetables. For storing most vegetables and fruits, the optimal humidity is more than 85%. In such conditions, the bulbs will begin to rot.

When stored together with potatoes, onions are saturated with moisture from potato tubers, which also leads to damage to onion heads.

It is allowed to store crops with pumpkin and garlic, since they have approximately the same storage conditions as onions. In storage with pumpkin the temperature is maintained at +4...+10°C, humidity 80%, with garlic - from –3 to +3°C, humidity 80%.

Shelf life

If the conditions are met, onions can be stored for 8-9 months. White and red varieties of the crop are stored for 3-4 months. Yalta onion – 4-5 months. After the specified time, the heads will begin to germinate.

Storage methods

For winter storage of crops, several methods are practiced: in wooden containers, cardboard boxes, fabric bags, vegetable nets, fagots.

Regardless of what you choose way Vegetables must be checked periodically, removing soft, sprouted, and rotting vegetables. This will extend the shelf life of the crop.

Plastic and wooden boxes

The most common method of storing onions is in plastic or wooden boxes. It is advisable that the height of the boxes should not be more than 50 cm, since in containers that are too high, the lower layers of vegetables will deteriorate under the weight of the upper ones. The side walls of such containers should have holes for air circulation. Vegetables are poured into containers in several layers and placed on a shelf or floor.

There should be space between the bottom of the box and the floor; its absence will lead to the accumulation of moisture in the lower layers. A gap is also left between the side walls of the container and the wall of the room. This will allow air to circulate between the layers of vegetables.

Containers with vegetables are placed on top of each other, which saves space in the basement.

Attention! Air access is provided from all sides of the container.

Canvas bags

Linen bags are used to store onions. It is better to choose small bags so that the layer of onion in them does not exceed 30 cm.

Reference. In large fabric bags, the bottom layer of vegetables will quickly begin to deteriorate and rot.

Bags should be made of natural fabric that allows air to pass through well. Synthetic fabrics cannot be used for storing vegetables, since synthetics do not allow air to pass through well, resulting in moisture accumulating in the bags.

Filled bags are placed on shelves or suspended from the ceiling, secured to the horizontal crossbars of the basement.

Nylon stockings or tights

Some housewives use nylon tights or stockings to store onions. Such products are distinguished by a porous structure (mesh), air passes through them well, and excess moisture escapes.

Vegetables are placed in stockings or tights of 2-3 kg each and hung from the ceiling or on the side walls of shelves and racks at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. It is recommended to hang the bulbs at a distance of at least 50 cm from the damp walls of the room.

To prevent a spoiling head from infecting neighboring ones, isolated storage of each bulb is used. To do this, a knot is made above each inserted head, thus creating a separate pouch. This method extends the shelf life of healthy heads, since spoiled specimens can be easily removed from the bunch by cutting off a separate bag with the onion.

Egg containers

Egg containers serve as suitable storage containers for onions. When using cardboard containers, vegetables will not rot, since paper absorbs moisture well. The disadvantage of this method is that only small and medium-sized heads can be stored.

One head is placed in each cell of the container. Filled trays are placed on top of each other on shelves or racks.

Knitting or braids

Knittings are braids woven from onion leaves, the oldest and most reliable method of long-term storage of onion crops. To make fagots, the tops are dried enough to maintain their elasticity. Overdried feathers will crumble.

Reference! To make braids, choose a bow of approximately the same size.

There are two ways to knit braids:

1. To fasten the braid, use rope or twine. The rope is folded in half and an onion is tied to the middle.Then the braid is braided using the usual method, adding 1 head at each grip. The tops are pulled tightly to firmly hold the vegetables. 30-35 heads are woven into a braid. A loop is made from the remainder of the rope.
2. In another method, two pairs of bulbs are first tied together. Then take a rope folded in half and tie a bow head to the middle. The tied bulbs are placed between the ends of the rope, alternating them so that each bunch is turned in the opposite direction.

After each ligament, the rope is tied into a knot, securing the finished section. The ends of the rope are tied.

Onion bundles and braids are the best way to store onions, as each head allows free air access. The heads hardly touch each other, which reduces the risk of their rotting. In bundles and braids, you can easily notice a spoiling onion and cut it off without compromising the integrity of the weave. Knittings can be hung in any free space, saving space.

How to avoid rotting onions when stored in the cellar

Sometimes during storage the bulbs begin to deteriorate and smell unpleasant. This occurs due to an incorrectly created indoor microclimate.

The crop may be affected by diseases:

• neck rot - a fungal infection, first at the neck, then on the surface of the bulb black dots appear, after which the entire head rots;
• bacterial rot - the bulb rots from the inside, alternating rotten and healthy layers are visible on the cut;
• fusarium - bottom rot, a whitish coating appears at the roots, then the entire vegetable is affected.

The rotting process can begin as a result of the penetration of stem nematode larvae and root mites into the bulb.

To reduce the likelihood of infection, the bulbs are treated with the biofungicide “Fitosporin-M” before storage.

Grown for long-term storage varieties with late ripening. Vegetables that have been treated with a solution of potassium permanganate before planting and planted taking into account correct crop rotation have good shelf life.

Healthy, undamaged specimens with golden skin are carefully selected for winter storage. To prevent rotting, the crop is regularly inspected, and diseased specimens are immediately removed. Supports the recommended storage temperature and humidity, keep vegetables in a well-ventilated container.

To prevent vegetables from becoming damp, layers of onions in containers are sprinkled with sawdust or ash - 200 g per 10 kg of harvest.

It is not allowed to place a large number of vegetables in one container. Do not use plastic bags for storage, as condensation quickly forms in them, leading to rotting.

Lifehacks for storing onions in the cellar

Some useful storage tips:

• For better storage and to prevent rotting, the bulbs are sprinkled with crushed chalk, which will absorb excess moisture. For 10 kg of vegetables use 250-300 g of chalk.
• Containers with lime are placed in several places in the room, as lime absorbs moisture from the air.
• Onion peels are not removed from storage: they are saturated with moisture, this will help preserve the crop from waterlogging.
• To prevent the heads from sprouting, the lower part of the fruit is coated with clay and dried well.
• Wicker baskets are suitable as containers - they allow air to pass well even through large layers of vegetables. Onions are stored well in vegetable nets - every vegetable is visible in them.

Conclusion

The cellar is considered the best place to store onion harvest. In it you can create the necessary microclimate to preserve the bulbs throughout the winter. Cellar conditions allow you to store vegetables in wooden or plastic containers, linen bags, on racks or hanging.

The main thing is to choose the right variety that will retain its qualities for a long time under suitable conditions.