Onions and garlic are probably the two most popular veggies, thanks to the amazing flavors they add to dishes. I mean, I cannot even imagine a world without them! Our culinary world would be so bland!

Not only do I love them in cooking, but I also love growing them. Seeing them grow and push through the soil is so rewarding.

Thanks to their sulfur compounds, onions and garlic are also great natural pest controllers in the garden. And on the other side of that, they also attract beneficial bugs. How amazing!

If you are an onion lover or have a huge harvest, you may want to store them for use throughout the year. And this is where curing becomes your friend.

Read more below on why you should cure onions, how to harvest them, how to cure onions, how to store them correctly, and how long they can keep fresh!

Why should you cure onions?

Curing onions is crucial if you wish to save them for later in the year.

Onion bulbs become soft and mushy if not properly cured. And when fully cured, their dry, cured skins protect them from drying out and prevent microorganisms from getting into the bulb, which can cause rot and a foul smell.

When you cure onions, you can enjoy them long after they have been harvested, sometimes even up to a year if they are stored correctly.

Note! Curing onions after harvesting is not a must! Onions are edible at any stage of their growth, and you can eat them right after harvesting or store them in the fridge for a few weeks.

You only have to cure onions if you want to keep them long-term.

When to harvest onions

This will depend on your growing zone, but there are a few telltale signs that your onions are ready to be harvested:

The leaves will begin to flop over at the "neck" of the onion, signaling that the plant has stopped growing.
The leaves will also start to brown.
The neck will feel crunchy and dry.

Here is a rough guideline for the different zones:

Zone 6 and colder: Fall planting from mid-September to early October, with a harvest in early June. Spring planting from March to April, with a harvest mid-to-late summer or early fall.
In zone 7 and warmer: Fall planting from September to December, with a harvest in late spring to early summer. Winter/ spring planting from January to March, with a harvest mid-to-late summer.

Depending on the growing conditions and variety, it will typically be 80-120 days after planting. Fall planting is usually better as cool temperatures enable quicker germination and bigger bulbs.

Here you can see the tops have fallen over. This indicates the onions is ready to harvest

How to harvest and cure your onions

Step 1

Once the tops have started to brown, the leaves have fallen over, and the neck feels dry, stop watering your onions for 3-6 days and loosen the soil around them to dry the skins out a bit.

step 2

It is best to harvest your onions when the weather and ground are dry, and there is no risk of frost. Gently pull them out and let them lay there on the ground for 1-2 days.

If rain or frost is expected, move the onions immediately into a protected spot. This can be in your garage, basement, or patio. Anywhere where they will stay dry.

Handle them carefully, as the slightest bruise will encourage rot!

step 3

Use your fingers or a soft brush and gently remove the excess soil. Do not wash or rinse them; you want to avoid moisture at all costs.

If little roots protrude from the bottom of the onion, do not cut them off at this stage, as doing so could promote rot.

step 4

Now you have two options for how to cure them for the next few weeks:

Laying them down in a single layer or hanging them in small bunches. I prefer to hang ours on a fencing panel. Note that the onions should not hang with their leaf tops straight above them. This will cause moisture to go down into the bulb, and we don’t want that!

No matter what you use, you must let them cure in a cool, dark place, out of direct sunlight. You also want to ensure they have good air circulation around the entire bulb.

step 5

As the onions cure, their necks gradually dry, and the papery skins tighten around the bulbs and harden. And the remaining leaves will dry out and shrivel. This will take around two to four weeks.

Don't let the bulbs get wet, and turn them over once or twice during the process.

step 6

Once the curing is done, the leaf topes will contain no moisture, and the necks will be dry and tight. Now you can trim the roots and the leaves to within 1" of the bulb with sharp scissors.

Any onions that did not cure properly or are sprouting should not be stored for long periods but used immediately.

How to cure onions

How to store cured onions

Now you can store your onions indoors! Store them in a dark, cool space (around 40 to 50 degrees F) like a cellar, garage, or shed for best results.

You can store them in mesh bags, a wooden storage crate, a bushel basket, an orchard rack, or a cardboard box with some holes punched in it.

Tip! Don't store onions with pears or apples, as the fruit's ethylene gas will interrupt the onions' dormancy, and the onions may also spoil the flavor of these fruits.

Also, don't store onions with potatoes, as they release moisture with age, which can encourage onions to develop soft spots.

While your onions are stored, remember to check on them occasionally. If one onion in the box or bag rots, it will quickly spread and ruin all the others.

How Long Will Cured Onions Keep?

This will depend on the variety and type of onion. Let me explain below!

You get three onion categories:

Short-day
Day-neutral/ intermediate
Long-day onions.
And within these categories, you get two types:
Sweet/mild onions and
Pungent onions.

Mild Onions

Mild onions are typically larger, sweeter, juicier, and have thicker rings. They are the ones that you would not only cook with but also eat raw, use for onion rings, or use to make pickles, salsas, chutneys, and caramelized onions.

Unfortunately, mild onions do not store that long and should be used up within a few months. But that's not to say they can't keep longer; it's just an average!

Popular "mild" onion varieties:

Spanish
Bermuda
Vidalia
Walla Walla Sweet

Pungent Onions

Pungent onions are typically smaller, have thinner rings, and make you want to cry when you cut them!

Pungent onions are much better for long-term storage, even for 10–12 months. Their very sulfurous compounds, which make us teary, are what help inhibit rot. So the more pungent it is, the longer it will store.

Popular "pungent" onion varieties: