Hi Martin and welcome to GoY are you drying your shallots of on a wire frame before putting into a net to hang and store. They really do have to be well dried off first. Also how good is the air circulation in your 'open garage'?

My Grampy use to have a baton on a south facing wall with cup hooks screwed in. He tied all his onions and hung them from it for a few days. Never seen anyone else do this.

The key is properly drying off and making sure the neck is folded over...

Martin MG Knows her onions.. Follow her advice

Well, thanks for that. I thought I'd got them really dry this summer, leaving them baking on a slatted bench in the sun. Why is folding the neck over crucial? Maybe the air doesn't circulate well enough in the open-front garage. It's a real shame to see my wife discard 85% of the crop after putting in all that effort!

Folding over the neck a week or more prior to harvesting helps to stop mould spores from getting into the onion or shallot. We dry on racks for anything up to a week, putting under the car port or covering if the weather turns wet.

You do need a good air circulation where you store them, our potting shed is huge and has a chicken mess screen door which is all that is shut unless the weather is very bad.

Have you considered mincing your shallots and storing in oil in the freezer? The oil will stay soft enough for you to just scoop out the amount of shallots you need.

May I ask what the mould looks like. We can no longer grow onions as we have got White mould in the soil and that basically is untreatable. The base of the Shallot would grow a white fungus all over it.
Mould on improperly dried Shallots is more often than not, green.

Good point Owdb. and one I hadn't thought of as isn't a problem for us.

It's not mould, as such, but the bulbs just go soft and rot on the inside despite looking healthy enough on the outside. I like the mincing/freezing suggestion as it seems the only sure way to beat the problem; otherwise, I'll just grow something else instead which works 100% - parsnips!

Can't beat a good parsnip!

Basal rot and neck rot are common to all onions/shallots - not much to be done except ensure good crop rotation, leaving at least three years before planting in same spot. Also, too much nitrogen based feeding can bring on the same rot. Onions etc generally do not require any nitrogen based feeds. Before harvesting, as MG says, bend their necks when their foliage starts to yellow off, and leave a few days before pulling up.

Good that you have so much 'book' knowledge Avkq!

Actually, I have been growing onions and shallots in my garden for many years - successfully too, after initial problems, which I took the time to research and ask about. Is there a problem with this? I also grow lots of other veggies and fruits.

None at all Avkq

So why your gibe about "good that I have so much 'book' knowledge" ... come on, out with it. It was an unnecessary and hurtful comment from someone I took to be a professional. If you have a personal issue with me, then please leave your comments for private messages, and not within gardening questions.

Avkq it was not a gibe at you... I am impressed with anyone who has 'book knowledge' whether gained from a book or experience. If I am a little 'sour' these days it is due to an accident which has damaged my back leaving me in a lot of pain. MG

Book knowledge is not experience, as you seem to suggest, or the same as the love of gardening that I do and have. We all have to occasionally resort to the written word, as I have done openly on this site. Your original comment came out of the blue, with nothing to substantiate it. Continue this conversation in private, or apologise and drop it.

Avkq it is you who are creating this conversation not me... I have no desire to continue it in any way shape or form!

That's okay, MG, I accept your apology for the misplaced comment. Life is too short, and the truth will always 'out' in the end. Take care, and best wishes for a good Christmas ... sincerely.

And you have a good Christmas too Avkq