[pgkevet]

.. well i got about half of them  before it got tedious. the weeds had taken over that bit and it was a case of feeling for the onions in the row. I did lift 3/4 of my tractor's bucketful and then trim the tops up and lay them out in the hay shed to dry. I found they kept better like that last year than in net sacks hanging in the main barn..
I'll probably give the second half another week or two to wither more in the ground and start lifting spuds meanwhile..

[princesslayer]

When did you plant them? I'm a beginner with onions so looking for tips. I lifted mine long ago but didn't plant enough to store so they got eaten pretty quick. Some of my reds went squishy so I got them all up thinking they might all go the same way.

[pgkevet]

Planted end of march (I think).. about 700 white and 200 red..most of the reds bolted.
We've just been pulling and eating as needed but with the weather getting colder soon I decided not to wait any longer for the majority to do a natural die-back before lifting 'cos the tops may not dry off out doors.
My first year here the onions and parsnips were a disaster but large amounts of dung, vegetable matter and woodchip ploughed into the beds has turned that around.
Last years onions were lifted (I think) beginning september and lasted until mid april before i had to dump the reminder as rotted, soft or too sprouted.
If these were well weeded and better ventilated they might stay better but the weeding got the better of me (again)

[cloddopper]

I harvested almost all of our onions about a month ago , some were real nice four inch'ers

 As we only had a three or four stone of them  I was able to lay them out on 1/2 " chicken wire frames , under cover but still able to get some sunshine & plenty of air movement on them.
 Like most of you , a lot of the Red Barron onions won't keep very long  but those that will are good solid specimens ..we'll be eating these first

One thing that comes to mind and it is done by the commercial onion growers in East Anglia ( I used to live there ) is that before the actual lifting  ..about 14 days before the rows are loosened  to leave the roots still below the ground .
 I reserched this practice and found it's to fool the onion to stop nutrient take up at the previous rates it had been doing .  This evidently helps close the onion down Allows the tops to fall due to less moisture being drawn in by the loosened roots and thus helps with the long term storage .
 Long term storage  .
Can be done in " Plastic bread trays " or seed potato trays as in the old days  in a frost free place with free moving dryish air situation .

or

 If you get the lifted onions with uncut tops ripened  up to a yellowing golden brown ,  plait them up in 10 pound or so long strings and hang them up away from the walls .

Remember to trim the roots & soil  off to help keep pests off the onions however you store them .
 

[cloddopper]

I harvested almost all of our onions about a month ago , some were real nice four inch'ers

 As we only had a three or four stone of them  I was able to lay them out on 1/2 " chicken wire frames , under cover but still able to get some sunshine & plenty of air movement on them.
 Like most of you , a lot of the Red Barron onions won't keep very long  but those that will are good solid specimens ..we'll be eating these first

One thing that comes to mind and it is done by the commercial onion growers in East Anglia ( I used to live there ) is that before the actual lifting  ..about 14 days before , the rows are loosened  to leave the roots still below the ground .

 I researched this practice and found it's to fool the onion to stop nutrient & water  take up at the previous rates it had been doing .  This evidently helps close the onion down , Allows the tops to fall due to less moisture being drawn in by the loosened roots and thus helps with the long term storage .

 Long term storage  .
Can be done laid on paper sacking set in " Plastic bread trays " or seed potato trays as in the old days in a cool frost free place with a free moving dryish air situation .

or

 If you get the lifted onions with uncut tops ripened  up to a yellowing golden brown ,  plait them up in 10 pound or so long strings and hang them up away from the walls .

Remember to trim the roots & soil  off the onions as this helps keep pests & their eggs  off the onions which ever way you store them .

[pgkevet]

If it was just a few dozen onions then doing things the right way is fine. Frost free here is more a matter of lottery as to how cold it might get.. an unheated barn is the best i can manage. Last year it worked out fine just laying the onions out on the floor of two open barns they kept better than those in net bags hanging in the better barn - laid out the air circulation was better. With the best part of two tractor bucket loads ('cos i always go overboard) they just end up taking their chances trimmed and spread out.
I swept out last years leftver mess in the hay store where the onions were just on the ground and actually found a couple of sl. shrivelled but still useable onions in the old hay 12mths after lifting