I've lost about 2/3rds of my onions to rot and center rot. What have I done improperly? It was rainy and wet when they had to be harvested. I set them on wire racks to cure, some air movement, not constant. Storing them in milk crates. What must I do differently?
Well, several things could have gone wrong. It could be you have a fungal infection in the soil (Botrytis allii), in which case don't plant onions in the same spot for three years. Or, the wet conditions when harvesting could be the culprit. There isn't much anyone can do about that, except wait and hope for drier conditions. Or, it may be the storage in milk crates. We store ours in the barn, hanging from rafters (good air circulation, no direct sunlight) but slatted shelves with only one layer of onions works pretty well, too. Now, isn't all that confusing? It's a shame you lost so many onions, but there is always next season, and better success, to look forward to!
Thanks Miss Jane, this is the first year for storage onions in the garden, only the third year for vegetables in that area. I'll plant elsewhere for next year and the year after. I tried to wait for drier weather, but I suspect that wet weather was the main culprit.
Those should have been fine. Guess we will have to blame it on the moisture/rain. Only thing I can think of that guarantees onions to last a while is refrigeration. I have a problem with mine sprouting due to high humidity. But I use the green sprouts as much as the onions.
