Question
I grew for the first time this year some beautiful white onions.  I live in the northern virginia area at the bottem of a moutainside with wonderful soil.  My onions were doing great till about mid july when some of the greens starting falling over and turning mushy.  I noticed that some of the ones yet standing were also getting a little bit of sliminess to the onion part that was sticking out of the ground.  Just in case I had some sort of disease, parasite, etc trying to move its way in I went ahead and pulled all the onions and let them dry on a screen for a few days in the sun then I braided the greens and hung the onions in a well ventilated goat barn shed that gets a fair amount of sunlight.  I just had to throw most of my onions away today due to them all being mushy.  I was able to get a couple of nice onions that I had used in the past month.  However when I went for one today is when I noticed they had all turned bad.  What did I do wrong?  

Answer
Dear Jennifer:

I suspect Soft Rot is the culprit:

Soft Rot
(bacteria - Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora and other species): Soft rot is one of the more prevalent causes of loss in storage onions. The soft rot bacterium can enter the neck tissues as plants approach maturity. In the field, plants wilt and die. As the rot progresses, invaded scales become soft and foul-smelling. Onions with mechanical injuries, sunscald, or bruises are particularly susceptible to bacterial soft rot, especially if they have been held under warm, humid conditions.

For your next crop, I would suggest you consider using sterilized soil in raised beds which will reduce the level of bacteria exposure.  Also, ensure good air flow during the drying process, a fan is recommended.

Regards,

Mack Jean
AllExperts
Master Gardener
Tennessee