How to store onions in an apartment, cellar and what temperature

Every summer resident and gardener knows that growing and harvesting a good onion harvest is half the battle. To keep it until spring and remain as useful, you need to know how to store onions, which conditions are best for him, and which, on the contrary, can lead to spoilage.

Start with the preparation of

The first step is to dry the product properly. This will ensure longer storage of onions and protect it from decay. Better and faster onion dries under natural conditions at a temperature of 25-30 ° C.In sunny weather, the crop is laid out in one layer in the open air. Some just leave it for a couple of weeks right on the bed and periodically turn the bulbs.

If the weather conditions do not allow drying the onion in the manner described above, place it in a well-ventilated place where it does not damp. You can decompose it in the yard under a canopy, in a gazebo or on a balcony. Vegetables quite quickly dry in shells. They let in air from each side, so you do not have to constantly mix the bulbs. Also bulbs can be tied in small bundles and hung on the street or indoors in a draft.

After drying, onions must be cut from each side. Cut the roots, and cut off the feathers, leaving a small neck about 5 cm in size. Before storing the onions for the winter, carefully sort, otherwise, due to a couple of spoiled bulbs, you risk losing the whole lot. For long-term storage, healthy bulbs of large or medium size are suitable. On them there should be no visible damage and signs of rot. Small, immature and, conversely, overgrown bulbs do not stay long, so it is better to use them first.

It is recommended to distribute onions separately according to grades, because they can differ in terms of shelf life.

• The best varieties are sharp varieties( Rostov, Krasnoyarsk, Arzamas).
• Half-pointed onions( Golden Ball, Danilovsky) is slightly worse.
• Sweet varieties( Yalta, Spanish) have a minimum shelf life.

Optimal conditions: at what temperature and humidity do they store onions?

• When storing in basements it is recommended to keep the temperature in the range from 0 to 3 ° С and humidity not higher than 70-85%.
• Store onions in the apartment is recommended at temperatures up to 18-22 ° C and humidity of about 50-70%.
• Leury will keep its freshness at a temperature from -1 to +2 ° С and humidity 80-85%.

Non-observance of these conditions( for example, too wet and warm room) can lead to decay, germination, development of diseases. True, a slight drop in temperature is allowed.

Where to store onions?

Ideal for storing onion in the cold season - dry cellar or cellar. The main thing is that the temperature in the room does not go down much below zero. If the conditions in the attic correspond to the optimal indicators, then you can store it there.

Advice

It is not recommended to store products in the garage. Exhaust gases from the car not the best way will affect their taste qualities and useful properties.

Not everyone, especially in urban conditions, has the opportunity to store the harvest in the cellar. The optimal solution in this case is the storage of onions at home. It is recommended to allocate a dark and cool place, where the sun's rays do not fall. It can be a corridor, a closet or a pantry. In addition to the place for storage period, the container also influences, therefore it is worth to take into account its choice to be equally responsible. Let's consider the most accessible and widespread variants.

1. Plastic or wooden boxes with vented holes, thanks to which the bow is well ventilated. Well, if the height of the boxes does not exceed 30-35 cm. This method will save space( just put the boxes on top of each other), which is especially true at home.
2. Wicker baskets. They not only provide good ventilation, but also look great. Therefore, to use such baskets for storage is pleasantly doubly.
3. Cardboard boxes. It's a budget option to equip a place where storing a bow will be convenient. To make a simple box suitable for these purposes, make several small ventilation holes in the walls and bottom.
4. Fabric bags. Perfectly cope with their task. But it is not recommended to pour the whole onion into one bag. It is better to distribute it so that the layer in each bag does not exceed 30 cm.
5. Polypropylene mesh. Provide excellent air circulation. In addition, if any bulb starts to germinate or rot, you will immediately notice.
6. Scythe. In this case, the feathers are not cut after drying, they are used for weaving braids. The bundles are suspended, and in this form, at the right temperature, the onion is remarkably stored. But this folk method is suitable in case you do not have a very impressive harvest and enough free time.

Advice

To preserve onions at home, conventional plastic bags are not suitable. They do not let in air, as a result, the onion becomes misty and begins to decay much more quickly.

How to store onions in winter in a cellar?

In the cellar, as in the home, onions are stored in large boxes, special bags or baskets. The main thing is that the room was well ventilated. How to properly store onions in a cellar so that it does not start to deteriorate? Arrange containers with harvest preferably on shelves or special supports. The bottom of the box should not touch the floor, and the sides - with the walls of the cellar. Some simply lay onions on shelves and shelves, covered with paper, straw or woven cloth.

Council

To protect the vegetable from damp, it can be sprinkled with chalk.10 kg of the product will require about 200 g of chalk. You can also place containers with lime in the corners of the cellar. This substance will absorb some of the moisture from the air.

Do not forget occasionally( about 2-3 times for the entire period of storage) to view the cellar in the cellar. Rotten, soft and sprouted onions must be cleaned. If you saw that the whole crop( or most of it) is wet, get it and dry it well. A repository must be ventilated.

In addition to onions in the basement you can store leeks. Take a box with the height of the walls from 20 cm. Spread the sand around the bottom of the container with a layer of about 5 cm, set the stems of the lee vertically, then pour a layer( 10-15 cm) of moistened river sand between the rows. Previously, peat can be added to the sand. In such conditions, the product can be stored for up to six months.