Harvest Candy onions when roughly half their tops have fallen over and dried, then lift them gently and cure them somewhere warm, dry and well ventilated. Candy is a sweet onion, so plan to use it sooner than pungent storage onions rather than expecting a long, guaranteed shelf life.
When should I harvest Candy onions?
Use the foliage rather than a fixed date as your main cue: harvest when about half the tops have fallen over and dried. Utah State University Extension’s general guide puts bulb-onion maturity at about 100–120 days, but that is not a Candy-specific timetable; growing conditions affect when your crop is ready. Utah State University Extension and the University of Minnesota Extension recommend using fallen tops to judge harvest readiness.
There is a balance between allowing bulbs to mature and leaving them exposed outdoors too long. Prolonged field curing can expose onions to rain, rot and cold. If wet weather is approaching, lift mature bulbs and cure them under cover rather than waiting for them to dry in the garden.
How do I lift the bulbs without damaging them?
- Loosen the soil around each onion with a spading or garden digging fork, taking care not to pierce the bulb.
- Lift the onion gently. Avoid pulling hard on the tops, bruising the bulb or cutting into it.
- Move the bulbs to a curing area. If they are wet or the weather is unsuitable for outdoor drying, bring them under cover.
Bruises and cuts can compromise bulbs intended for storage. Utah State University Extension’s home-garden guidance recommends careful lifting; its onion production guide also warns that cutting green or moist tops during storage preparation can contribute to neck rot.
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- 🧅 Candy Onion - These sweet flavored onions tend to be medium to large in size and have sweet flavor. They are often consumed raw, grilled or lightly cooked with other foods, or added as a decoration to salads.
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How do I cure onions after harvesting?
Spread the onions in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place and allow roughly two to four weeks for curing, following the University of Minnesota Extension’s general onion guidance. Keep them protected from rain and damp conditions; good airflow helps them dry.
Check for curing rather than relying only on elapsed time. The necks should be tight and dry, and the outer scales should be dry and papery. Dry roots are another sign noted in Utah State University Extension’s garden guide. These are general onion recommendations, not results from a Candy-specific curing trial.
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- VARIETY: Candy Hybrid onion seeds produce large, sweet, golden-colored bulbs with excellent flavor ideal for fresh eating, cooking, and storage
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How should I store cured Candy onions?
Store only fully cured bulbs in a dry, ventilated place. Mesh sacks are one option for dried onions, as described by Utah State University Extension’s onion guide. Check the bulbs regularly and use any that show signs of softening or decay promptly.
Candy is a sweet onion, and sweet onions generally do not keep as well as pungent yellow storage onions, according to Oregon State University Extension. Use Candy onions sooner rather than treating them like long-keeping storage varieties. No Candy-specific shelf life is established by the cited guidance.
For context, the University of Minnesota Extension’s general home-garden table gives onions an expected shelf life of four months; it is not a Candy-specific guarantee. A separate UMN guide updated in September 2026 says properly harvested and handled dry onions can store for 6–9 months at 32°F and 65–75% relative humidity. That figure is general dry-onion guidance and should not be taken as the expected storage life of sweet Candy onions: home-garden vegetable storage guidance and vegetable storage guidance.
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- 8 ONION VARIETIES WITH DISTINCT ADVANTAGES AND UNIQUE FEATURES. A diverse range of unusual flavors, shapes, and colors, from sweet to pungent. Perhaps it’s time to welcome something new to your garden. Diversity is the key to an interesting and abundant harvest. Why not discover new aspects of a familiar vegetable when nature offers such rich choices? Amazing variations of this valuable everyday product will delight your taste buds. Many dishes are unimaginable without these vegetables.
- BARLETTA is a high-quality, extra early, vigorous salad-type variety. It’s grown both for its green stalks and bulbs. Long, hollow, dark-green stalks are rich in carotene, essential oils, and phytoncides. Bulbs are flat-round, pearl-white, with thin necks. Its semi-spicy, juicy, sweet, mild taste and tender texture provide gentle piquancy suitable for a wide range of dishes. An excellent flavor base for sauces, marinades, and pickling.
- RED BURGUNDY is a popular culinary variety. This early, hardy, attractive variety consistently produces high yields of large, firm bulbs under diverse conditions. It grows quickly, is drought-resistant, and produces until early frost. Noted for its oval shape and thick purple-red skin, it's valued for quality, long storage, and distinctive spicy flavor—rich, gently spicy, sweet-pungent without bitterness.
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Sweet onions versus storage onions
| Type | Best suited to | Keeping quality |
|---|---|---|
| Candy and other sweet onions | Sweet flavor and use sooner after harvest | Generally keep less well than pungent storage onions; no Candy-specific shelf-life figure is established. Oregon State University Extension |
| Pungent yellow storage onions | Longer-term storage | Generally keep better than sweet onions. Oregon State University Extension |
Outdoor or indoor curing?
| Approach | When it makes sense | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor curing | Conditions are dry and the bulbs can be kept in a well-ventilated spot. | Protect onions from rain and avoid leaving them exposed if wet or cold weather threatens. |
| Covered or indoor curing | Rain or unsuitable outdoor conditions could interfere with drying. | Choose a warm, dry place with good airflow; do not pile bulbs where air cannot circulate. |
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