Allotments 4 All

Hi everyone - not been around much recently, have been madly busy. Hope I'm not duplicating anything with this one:
I am overrun with garlic, shallots, and onions - and obviously very happy to be in this state. Trouble is, now that the weather is wetter, I have had to bring them all indoors - previously had them drying in the garden for a few days. If i plait them and hang them up, do they continue drying and then will keep well. Or is it necessary to have them lying around in the sun to dry?

Thanks,
Sarah.

I'm no expert Sarah, but my neighbour advised leaving them intact (ie don't cut the long bit offf like I have been doing!!) and tying them up with string in the garage.
I remember my mate's mum used to hang bags of em (that she bought at the market) in her shed. I've been leaving mine to dry on windowsills.
But I'm sure more knowledgeable folk have better advice.
I can't decide whether to pull up the rest or leave it in the ground (wiill they rot?)

Yes - you've missed a bit!

I would dry off till still bendy before plaiting. See earlier instructions if you need.

If you plait them before they are dry you'll end up with very loose plaits. The trick is to let them dry and then lay the dry stems on a wet tea towel to soften up before plaiting. That way you get perfect plaits  Once we start getting a long wet spell at this time of year, any left in the ground become susceptible to rot. I'm taking my remaining onions up today.

I hung mine up from their necks with string but I noticed that some of them have gone soft and started to rot off at the point where the string was too tight.  Lesson learned  :(

Got mine hung up in onion sacks (bit like string bags). Every now and then I move them around in the sack so different ones are on the outside. Definitely had a bumper year for shallots.  ;D

I inherited a wire mesh wheelbarrow which is now an outdoor onion drier with a old coldframe door on top ;D   At last I know why I kept it!!

oh,  meant to also say thanks for the tips on plaiting the 'leaves'.  Saves learning the hard way....

Nice idea, dj. but damping down 7-800 bulbs on a wet tea towel is not my idea of fun!!

And, as said earlier - do not over-dry your garlic.

Don't laugh ... I store mine in ladies tights. Put one in at the toe, knot the tight, add another, knot it and so on. And when I want them i just take a pair of scissors and cut off from the bottom. Because they are individually separated by knots, they don't seem to rot or anything, and they do seem to keep their moisture.

Tim, you mention earlier instructions - is that in a recent thread and if so where for I can't find it.  Thanks Iain

Jenny - if one did rot......??

Iain - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/garlic.jpg

You're right Tim, like you I have far too many to damp down and plait them at the right moment. For someone who's not done it before or doesn't have as many, the tea towel trick is a get out if you let them overdry. I learned the hard way last year by first plaiting some when green and then leaving the rest too long.

When i first lifted my garlic i laid them out on a spare patch of ground in the veg plot (what you say - you actualy have SPARE GROUND in your veg plot! Yes where i cleared a bed of old past it strawberry plants - so there! Its planted up now dont worry).

The ground at the time was bone dry so no chance of rotting nad each bul could be laid out seperate fron the rest. Oce the rain came i tied them up and popped them in the greendouse to continue drying.

I guess now i will have to do something more long term with them, though it wont be long i am sure before some gets used for cooking.

Incidentaly with such things as storing onions and garlic, sometimes neglect can be as good a way as any. After my previous attempt at growing garlic only a few cloves were produced. These were put in a net bag (in the garage)and promptly forgoten about for about a year. They were still Ok when last october i decided to use them as 'seed bulbs' for a new crop, i decided to try planting them and see what happened. They have now produced a decent crop, some of which will be used to produce next years garlic as well as being used for cooking.

A similar storage solution has been used for onions harvests as well, last years one lasted well into winter as a result.

In other words. DONT WORRY ABOUT IT!

The garlic I'm planning on using over the winter is in small strings but I could't resist making just one 'ello 'ello style braid out of next year's planters.

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Nice  ;D ;D

Lovely DJ, wish I could do that!!! Any tips??  :)

I bet you'll curse if the nail fails??

Quote from: tim on July 27, 2005, 08:52:50
Jenny - if one did rot......??

Iain - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/garlic.jpg

Just make a slit in that compartment and take it out!

I tried all sorts before finding this..http://www.bloomingfieldsfarm.com/garbrdhow.html

The trick is place each bulb where you want it and to not pull it in too tightly. I could show you my earlier attempts but they're shameful.