There are few things more satisfying than lifting a crop of onions and garlic in late summer and knowing you won't need to buy a single bulb until spring. But that pleasure depends entirely on how you treat the harvest in the fortnight after lifting. Get the curing stage right and you'll have plump, firm bulbs well into March. Rush it, and you'll be peeling away soft, mouldy layers by November.

Why Curing Matters More Than You Think

Onions and garlic come out of the ground with a thick, moisture-heavy neck and several layers of damp outer skin. That moisture is the enemy of long storage. If you box them up straight away, the trapped humidity encourages neck rot, botrytis and a host of other fungi that will quietly spread from bulb to bulb.

Curing is simply the process of drying the bulbs down so the outer skins become papery and the neck shrivels tight. A properly cured onion feels light for its size, rustles when you handle it, and has a neck that is completely dry and closed. Once that's achieved, the bulb is effectively sealed and can sit for months without spoiling.

The rule of thumb is simple: the longer you spend on curing, the longer they'll keep. Two to three weeks of proper drying is not excessive — it's an investment.

Lifting Without Bruising

Stop watering your onions and garlic about two weeks before you intend to lift them. This lets the bulbs firm up and begins the drying process while they're still in the ground.

Choose a dry morning and lift with a fork rather than pulling by the stems, which can tear the neck and open the bulb to infection. Ease the fork in well away from the row and lever gently upwards. Shake off the loose soil but don't wash them — soil that clings will brush off later, and water at this stage only adds moisture you'll have to dry out again.

If the weather is settled, you can leave them lying on the surface for a day or two to dry, turning once. If rain is forecast, move them straight under cover. Never leave freshly lifted bulbs sitting in wet grass overnight.

• Lift on a dry day, ideally after a fortnight without watering
• Use a fork, not brute force
• Don't wash, don't trim the leaves yet
• Keep the roots intact for now — they help the bulb dry evenly

Setting Up Your Curing Space

The ideal curing spot is warm, dry and genuinely well ventilated. A greenhouse bench, a polytunnel, a covered porch or a shed with the door propped open all work well. Aim for something in the region of 20-25°C with good air movement and low humidity.

Lay the bulbs out in a single layer on wire racks, slatted shelves or old bread trays. The key is air circulating underneath as well as around them. If you must stack, keep the layers shallow and rotate them every few days so nothing sits damp against a neighbour.

You can also plait garlic and soft-necked onions at this stage, or tie them in bunches of eight to ten and hang them from a rafter. Hanging is efficient in a small space, but only do it once the leaves have withered enough to twist without snapping — usually about a week in.

Leave them for two to three weeks. You'll know they're done when the outer skins are dry and papery, the necks are completely shrivelled, and the roots are brittle enough to rub off with your thumb.

Preparing Bulbs for Storage

Once cured, tidy them up. Rub off the loose outer skin — but don't strip them down to a bare, shiny bulb, as those wrapper layers are protection. Trim the roots close to the base and cut the necks back to about 2.5cm, or leave them long if you intend to plait.

This is the moment to sort ruthlessly. Any bulb that feels soft, has a thick or damp neck, shows grey fuzz, or has been nicked by the fork should be set aside for the kitchen and used first. One bad bulb in a net can spoil the whole lot, so don't be sentimental.

Choosing Nets, Trays and Plaits

Good ventilation is the whole game from here on. The old-fashioned approach still works best:

• Onion nets — hang them from a hook in a cool, airy shed or garage. Fill loosely, never packed tight.
• Slatted trays or crates — brilliant for larger harvests, stacked with gaps between them for airflow.
• Plaits and strings — traditional and space-efficient, though they do need a genuinely dry hanging spot.
• Tights or old stockings — a thrifty alternative; knot between each bulb and hang the whole string.

Avoid sealed plastic boxes, closed bins, or anything that traps moisture. Equally, don't store them in a warm kitchen or a damp garage corner. The sweet spot is a cool, dark, dry place around 5-10°C with moving air — a frost-free shed, a ventilated loft or a spare room works well.

Check your stores every few weeks. Roll each net or tray gently in your hands; if a bulb feels soft or light, pull it out and use it. This five-minute habit saves whole harvests.

Getting the Most from Every Bulb

Even with perfect storage, some bulbs will start to sprout as the days lengthen in late winter. That's the signal to use them up. Any that are getting soft are ideal for roasting whole, chopping into soups, or dehydrating into onion flakes and garlic powder for the year ahead.

With a little patience at curing time and a cool, airy corner to store them in, a modest patch of onions and garlic can carry you right through to next summer's crop. There's real comfort in walking past a hanging net of your own onions in February, knowing the work was done properly back in August.