The best-storing onions are hard, well-covered yellow varieties of the Rijnsburger type. A well-managed variety of this type, such as Hybelle F1, can stay in storage until mid-June, almost until the new season. Red onions keep for a shorter time, and set onions are not a long-storage product at all. In this post we explain what determines a variety's storability and how we select varieties for our storage facility of around 13,000 tonnes.
What makes a variety store well
Storability is a trait a variety carries in its genes. Storage conditions can only make use of it or waste it. Long storage is possible with varieties that combine several traits:
- Bulb firmness. A hard, dense onion loses water more slowly and copes better with months of storage and transport.
- A strong, tight-fitting skin. Several layers of dry skin protect the onion from damage, disease and drying out. Thin-skinned varieties are out from the start.
- Deep dormancy. A variety with long dormancy starts sprouting late, even when spring gets warmer.
- Plant health. Resistance to storage diseases, above all neck rot, limits losses in the store.
- A closed, thin neck. A neck that dries down well means a lower risk of infection during storage.
If a variety lacks these traits, neither the best ventilation nor low temperature will save it. That is why we treat variety choice as the first storage decision of the season, made before sowing.
The Rijnsburger type, the foundation of long storage
Our onion programme is built on yellow onions of the Rijnsburger type: round, hard, covered with a strong straw-gold skin. This type was bred precisely for keeping quality, which is why it forms the core of what goes into our store. We describe the type in detail in our post on the Rijnsburger onion type.
We grow around 250 hectares of onions with yields of around 60 tonnes per hectare, so variety selection is a decision about thousands of tonnes of produce. We do not experiment across the whole area: we rely on varieties that have proven themselves in our fields and in our store.
Our varieties and how long they keep
We mostly rely on the varieties Hybelle, Hysinger, Hyfive, Nation, Revelation and Bingo (yellow onions) plus Redtide, Redmate, Aurelion and Tannat (red onions). From a storage point of view, the key differences look like this:
| Variety / group | Type | Strong point | Indicative storage life |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybelle F1 | yellow, Rijnsburger | firmness, strong multi-layer skin | until mid-June |
| Hysinger F1 | yellow, Rijnsburger | exceptionally large calibre | long storage |
| Hyfive, Nation, Revelation, Bingo | yellow | complement to the variety programme | good, batch-dependent |
| Redtide F1 and other reds | red | colour and quality for the fresh market | shorter, usually until end of March |
| Set onions | yellow and red | early harvest from the start of summer | not directed to long storage |
You will find a detailed comparison of our two leading varieties in our post on the yellow onion varieties Hybelle and Hysinger.
Storage life figures are indicative, because they always depend on the season, curing and storage conditions. The same variety from a wet year keeps for a shorter time than from a dry one.
Red onions, a shorter horizon
Red onions naturally have a more delicate skin and shallower dormancy, so even good varieties keep for a shorter time than yellow Rijnsburger types. We plan the sale of our red varieties, such as Redtide F1, usually until the end of March. That is not a product flaw but a trait of the crop that has to be built into the sales plan. We write more about our red variety in the post on Redtide F1 red onion.
For a wholesale buyer the conclusion is simple: orders for red onions in late spring are best planned earlier or based on the fresh set-onion harvest, which at our farm starts in early summer.
The variety is necessary, but not sufficient
Even the best variety will rot if it is poorly prepared for storage. That is why every batch at our farm goes through the same path:
- Harvest at full skin maturity, when the tops have fallen over.
- Curing for 2-4 days, until the neck is dry and closed.
- Selection: we reject soft, damaged bulbs and any with disease symptoms.
- Gradual cooling and stable conditions in a store with controlled ventilation.
You will find the full guide to conditions, temperature and storage diseases in our post on onion storage. How long onions can realistically keep is covered separately in how long onions can be stored.
What this means for a wholesale buyer
Selecting varieties for storage brings our buyers a concrete benefit: we supply onions all year round, not only after harvest. In early summer set onions come first, followed by the fresh crop from spring sowing, and from winter to spring we release batches from the store. Every batch is re-selected and sorted before dispatch, so March produce is just as uniform as September produce.
We do not publish a price list, because we calculate prices based on current market prices, depending on variety, calibre and order size. You will find our varieties and packaging options on the onion offer page.
Frequently asked questions about storage onion varieties
Which onion variety stores best?
Hard yellow varieties of the Rijnsburger type. At our farm Hybelle F1 keeps longest; well managed, it lasts in storage until mid-June.
How can you tell a variety is suitable for long storage?
By a hard, dense bulb, a strong and tight-fitting skin, a thin closed neck and long dormancy that delays sprouting.
Are red onions suitable for long storage?
To a limited extent. Red onions have a more delicate skin and keep for a shorter time than yellow ones, at our farm usually until the end of March.
Can set onions be stored long term?
No, set onions are an early product, sold from the start of summer. For long storage we use onions from spring sowing, above all Rijnsburger-type varieties.
Is the variety alone enough for onions to keep until spring?
No. The variety provides the potential, but the outcome also depends on 2-4 days of curing, strict selection before storage and stable conditions in the store.
Which varieties do you grow with storage in mind?
The core is yellow Rijnsburger-type varieties, above all Hybelle F1 and Hysinger F1, complemented by Hyfive, Nation, Revelation and Bingo.
Looking for onions that will keep at your site until spring, or for deliveries spread across the whole year? Write to us via the contact page and we will match the variety, calibre and delivery schedule. See also our full guide to onion storage.
