How-to Guide
How to Cure and Store Your Harvest
The short answer
Onions, garlic, and winter squash all store for months, but only after curing — a drying step that toughens the skin so they don't rot. Cure onions and garlic in a warm, dry, airy, shaded spot for about 3-4 weeks (leave the papery skins on), then trim and store them cool (around 45-55°F) and dry with good airflow. Cure winter squash and pumpkins about a week in a warm, dry place, leaving a few inches of stem, then store them cooler but not cold, not touching each other.
The theme: dry the skins first, keep them out of direct moisture, give them air, and don't pile them together.
Onions
- 1Cure — Spread in a single layer in a warm, dry, well-ventilated shaded spot ~3 weeks until the necks are dry and skins papery.
- 2Trim & store — Cut tops to about 1 inch (or braid), then store cool (~45-55°F), dry, and airy in mesh bags or a ventilated crate.
Garlic
- 1Cure — Don't wash; hang whole plants in a warm, dry, dark, airy place for 3-4 weeks.
- 2Store — Trim roots and tops, leave the wrappers on, and keep cool and dry — not in the fridge.
Winter squash & pumpkins
- 1Harvest with stem — Cut leaving about a 3-inch stem — a broken stem is an entry point for rot.
- 2Cure & store — Cure ~1 week in a warm, dry spot, then store cooler (but above ~50°F), dry, and not touching each other.
⚠ Canning, freezing, and other food-preservation methods have strict food-safety rules — follow USDA / National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance, not general gardening advice.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- Iowa State University Extension — Storing Winter Storage Vegetables — Cure onions and garlic in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area for several weeks, then store cool and dry; cure winter squash before storing at moderate temperatures, keeping fruit from touching.
- University of Saskatchewan — Cold storage of root crops, cole crops, winter squash, onions and garlic — Onions and garlic are cured and stored cool and dry with airflow; winter squash is cured then stored at moderate (not cold) temperatures.
Keep going
When to Harvest Garlic
Decide when fall-planted garlic is ready to lift, and how to cure and store it
When to Plant Garlic
The fall planting window — anchored to your FIRST frost, not spring
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Reference
How to Test Seed Viability with a Germination Test
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How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors
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What to Harvest and Protect Before the First Frost
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How to Dry and Store Garden Herbs
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How to Harvest Cut-and-Come-Again Greens
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Green or Sprouted Potatoes: Safe to Eat or Toss?
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