[tjg911]

no you can't keep garlic or onions in the ground for storage like carrots or parsnips.

i'm not familiar with the garlic variety you grow. you say it out stores music, is it a softneck? music is supposed to be the longest storing hardneck afaik. how long is it storing? some softnecks store just a few months and others a year+.

what variety of onions are you growing? some store for just a few months and some for a year or more. it is important to not water them prior to harvest and to cure (dry) them properly. red wing stores a good 9 months. copra can store longer. my red wing were dug in mid august and they are still rock hard. same for my copra. i've had copra store to the following october (ie august 2009 to october 2010) tho they were getting soft.

garlic should be stored with adequate air circulation, straw may be inhibiting that. i store my garlic in the basement on the shelves of my grow light stand. it is 45 to 70 degrees down there but when the temp hits 55 i take them upstairs into a cool north bedroom and store them at 58-64 degrees. do not store garlic in the fridge as it'll simulate winter in the ground and they'll start to sprout roots and a green stalk.

onions should be stored at 37 degrees (optimum temp) so i keep mine in an extra fridge (about 40 or 42 degrees) but initially i put them in mesh bags and store them on shelves in the basement from october to say december as the fridge is full of other stuff.

tom