Onions & Garlic: Planting, Harvesting, Braiding

Onions and garlic belong in every self-sufficiency garden: little space needed, hardly any care, and stored properly they last well into the following spring.

Onions

• Onion sets are the easiest way: plant in March/April (tip pointing up, just barely covered), 10 cm spacing
• Site: sunny, well-drained soil – waterlogging causes rot
• Watering: moderate; stop entirely from July so they can ripen fully
• Harvest signs: the foliage bends over and turns yellow (July/August). Then pull them up in dry weather
• Curing: 2 weeks in an airy spot protected from rain – only then are they fit for storage

Garlic

• Planting time: October is ideal – winter produces large bulbs (spring planting stays smaller)
• Individual cloves, tip pointing up, 5 cm deep, 15 cm spacing
• Variety: use winter-hardy varieties from a nursery or farmers' market; supermarket garlic is often treated and not winter-hardy
• Harvest: July, once the lower third of the foliage has yellowed
• Tip: twist out flower stalks (scapes) early – they cost the bulb size but taste excellent fried

Storing & Processing

• Braiding: braid onions or garlic into plaits using the dried foliage and hang them somewhere cool, dry, and airy – keeps for up to 8 months
• Never in the fridge: too humid, both will sprout
• Fermenting garlic or preserving it in honey: pickled cloves make a long-lasting seasoning treasure for the pantry
• Onions with thick necks (bolters) should be used first – they don't keep long