Dear friends, the spring May sun is warming up more and more confidently, which means that it’s time to plant onions. We hope that you have already prepared onion sets.
This is the name of a one-year-old onion grown from seeds (nigella) and representing a small onion.
Sets can be grown independently from seeds or purchased from garden centers and shops.
It is important to choose the right quality planting material. The bulbs should not be wrinkled or already sprouted. In this case, their supply nutrients I’ve already gone to the pen, and I won’t get a good turnip.
Also inspect them for damage and rot, this is important because such sets will not make a good onion head, it will be susceptible to disease, will grow poorly, and may even rot.
The principle applies here: quality is more important than cheapness. It is better to purchase good planting material than discounted material that does not meet these criteria.
A good set of small size, dense, with a shiny, smooth, whole and tight-fitting husk.
The most popular month for planting onions is May. Specific dates depend on your climate zone. In central Russia, onions can be planted throughout May, as long as spring soil moisture remains, which onions respect very much.
When planting onions, it’s not even the date that’s important, but weather and soil temperature. There is no need to rush planting if the weather is cold and wet. You need to wait for warm days when the soil warms up to at least 15-20 degrees Celsius.
If you rush and plant onions in cold soil, it will not lead to anything good. Although onions tolerate frost and cold quite well, their character deteriorates because of this. He will certainly take revenge on you and, instead of good turnips and greens, he will grow flower shoots for you.
Therefore it is better to wait for a stable warm weather without rain, than to be left without a harvest. Pay attention not only to the lunar calendar as the ultimate truth, but also to the weather forecast, it will be more correct.
Even before planting, it is important to know why the seedlings go into the peduncle and how to avoid this.
The reason that onions shoot is the incorrect storage temperature of planting material, lack of adaptation before planting, and violation of care rules.
Let us explain in more detail: onion sets must be stored at above-zero temperatures, because it is the cold that provokes the onion to create arrows. This is a signal to launch a self-preservation program and give birth to offspring as soon as possible. Therefore, as soon as you plant such a set, it will begin to produce flower stalks in order to produce seeds faster.
The key to large and strong onion turnips is storage in comfortable conditions, no cold stress.
But what to do if you purchased onion sets in a store and have no idea how they were stored? No problem. Purchased onions need an adaptation period.
To do this, keep the onion near a radiator or in another warm place for two weeks after purchase. And then we store it before planting only when room temperature and in the dark so that it does not begin to germinate ahead of time.
If there is no time for the radiator to warm up or the heating has already been turned off, then you can do the following: arrange the bow warm bath. In a basin with warm water(40-45) degrees, lay out the onion and leave for 8 hours, periodically adding warm water. Then we take out the heads, dry it thoroughly and store it at room temperature until planting.
For planting on turnips, choose medium-sized heads, because large ones are more prone to bolting and are better planted on greens. Do not plant in cold soil. For the same reason, you should avoid watering cold water.
First of all, when preparing the seedlings for planting, you need to carefully sort them out. Arm yourself with several sorting containers.
It is necessary to discard all damaged and small specimens, leaving medium-sized bulbs for planting on the head. Large onions, small ones, and even sprouted ones are suitable for greens. But we throw away the empty, wrinkled, missing ones.
Next, carefully cut off the dry tail on the top of each head with scissors. This simple operation will help them germinate faster and better. Well, you need to be afraid that an infection will get into the cut, because the seedlings will be treated for diseases before planting.
Should I soak onions before planting? And what is the best way to do this? Let's figure it out.
To feed the bulb so that it grows large, it is recommended to dilute complex fertilizer in water (40-45 degrees) and soak the onion there overnight. When the set is saturated with nutrients, you can begin to eat it. protective treatment and landing.
For a three-liter jar of warm (60 degrees) water, take 2 tbsp. l with a slide of salt + dark pink solution of potassium permanganate + 2 tbsp. l wood ash. Soak for 2 hours.
The most nasty pest of onions is, of course, the onion fly. Luckily for us, she cannot stand the smell of birch tar. And if you want to protect your crops, then it would also be a good idea to soak the onions in the solution: 1 tbsp. l. tar in a liter of water for 10-15 minutes.
The same solution can be used to additionally water the plantings during the growing season.
As we know, onions cannot be planted in the same place where the onion bed was also located last year. In this case, the likelihood of disease increases greatly, and such plantings should be avoided.
Choose a place where tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, legumes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, and cabbage were previously planted. The soil after them retains its nutritional value, and the onion needs this to grow a good turnip. Onions and carrots have good neighborly relations; they repel each other’s pests, so you can plant them side by side.
He also prefers the soil to be light, loose and nutritious. Loves bright places, with good drainage, without stagnant moisture.
It is better to prepare the future onion bed in advance in the fall, loosen the soil well and add humus and compost. In the spring, one to two weeks before planting, we loosen the soil and sprinkle it with organic humic fertilizers. Will do.
We prepare grooves approximately 8-10 cm deep. The distance between them is at least 15 cm.
We spill them with a disinfection solution. You can use both powder (1 tsp per 10 liters of water) and paste (1 tbsp diluted paste per 10 liters of water).
We plant our seedlings in the spilled grooves at a distance of 10 cm from each other. We sit him on what is called “shoulder-deep”, i.e. not only to cover the roots, but much deeper. This is necessary so that the bulb has good contact with the soil and does not dangle, because It won't be long before she has roots.
Sprinkle wood ash on top as fertilizer and disinfection. And fill the grooves with earth.
When we don’t have a goal to grow turnips, but we only want greenery, then to save space we suggest you use the bridge planting method.
This is when the bulbs are planted one to one very tightly and not very deep. In this case, planting in open ground is not necessary; you can use a container with soil. Or select a small place in the garden bed.
When we don’t have much space, but we want to good bow grow and eat greens, then this method will come in handy. We make the furrows as usual, but we plant the seedlings in them in a checkerboard pattern and quite often.
With such a goal that some of these seedlings will grow into turnips, and some can be pulled out as they grow into greens and consumed fresh.
Otherwise, the actions are the same as for classic planting on a turnip (see above).
When we organized good garden bed, in a lighted place, with nutritious loose soil, all we have to do is weed it in time so that weeds do not interfere with the growth of the crop. We water after planting once a week.
Onions also need frequent loosening of the soil (between rows and between plantings, especially after rain, so that the soil does not turn into crust) and fertilizing.
At the end of May it is necessary to feed it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, in mid-June - it already requires potassium fertilizers and ammonium nitrate. For those who prefer to do without chemicals, green fertilizers made from weeds and nettles, vermicompost and ash are suitable.
Fertilizing is also effective ammonia: 2 tbsp. dissolve a liter of ammonia in 10 liters of water; you need to water it on wet soil, not dry soil. Therefore, we pre-moisten the beds. Ammonia will drive away pests and nourish your plantings with the necessary nitrogen.
We do this feeding in triads with an interval of 10 days. And you will forget about the yellowing of the onion feather, and the onion fly will not even stick its nose into your beds.
That's it, dear friends, there is nothing complicated in growing onions, you will definitely succeed.
Onions are an ancient crop (more than 6 thousand years old), but they do not lose their popularity. Grow perennial different ways: for turnips and greens for food use. Most often, summer residents practice planting onions on a head in the spring, so that they can have healthy vitamins in their diet during the cold season.
Onions are grown in all dachas, but high yields are obtained on fertile soil with a loose structure. In this case, it is desirable to maintain the pH reaction at a neutral level. The depleted soil is enriched with organic matter in advance (in the fall), covering it to the entire depth of the cultural layer. In the spring, before planting, mineral fertilizers are applied to the site.
Onions can grow in a shaded area, but in the end the summer resident will reap a small harvest. Therefore, you should not treat the crop as secondary, but plant it in illuminated beds.
Planting onions in spring
On good harvest Crop rotation also has an impact. Cannot be grown onion after lily “relatives”: asparagus, garlic. But the beds after potatoes, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes are saturated with microelements useful for turnips.
A novice gardener uses bulbs to obtain heads. different sizes. An experienced farmer knows that it is better to take seedlings for planting, but not all of them, but with a diameter of 1.7-2.1 cm. Smaller onions are usually used for growing greens.
In order to end up with a good head, the planting onion should weigh 2-3 g. The turnip itself is not always used - the larger the onion, the longer it takes root and the later it produces a harvest. There is also a high risk that an arrow will appear on the turnip. To prevent this from happening, large onions need to be planted a little later than small ones.
In addition to this seed material have the following requirements:
Seeds of the same size are calibrated into the bed so that development is uniform.
Only if these conditions are met, you will get a high-quality, marketable head designed for a long shelf life. It should be taken into account that the age of the seeded onion should be a year, maximum two.
Another important point - right choice varieties, because not every one of them is suitable for growing per head. Below are the most popular ones for central Russia.
The best varieties of onions for growing by the head
| Variety | Description |
|---|---|
| Red Baron | Produces a red head with a semi-sharp taste. Early variety - 90-95 days of growing season. Good maturation, keeping quality, resistance to bolting. From one square meter you can take up to 3 kg of onions |
| Stuttgarten Risen | Medium ripeness, quite productive (up to 5 kg/sq.m.). The weight of a slightly flattened onion is 150 g, but it can be grown at 250 g. The pulp is white, juicy, sharp, covered with golden husk |
| Centurion F1 | Attracts gardeners with stable yields, high keeping quality, and resistance to bolting. The hybrid belongs to the very early varieties. Gives a medium head with a slightly elongated shape |
| Rostov local | A spicy variety with a yellow flat bulb, zoned for the southern region. Ripens in 70-90 days, produces up to 2.5 kg per 1 sq.m. |
Residents of the Non-Black Earth Region should pay attention to the Bessonovsky and Strigunovsky varieties.
The crop is grown as an annual and biennial. The second option is suitable for planting onions on a head if the gardener independently breeds varieties from seeds (nigella). Although planting material can not be harvested from last year, but purchased immediately before spring sowing.
“When to plant onions on the head?” - a pressing question for inexperienced gardeners. Many of them try to take the lunar calendar as a basis, determining for themselves the most favorable day for work.
Experienced farmers are more guided by the climatic features of their region. Having waited until winter has subsided, gardeners begin preparatory work in the beds, but they are not in a hurry to plant onions yet - they are waiting for the soil to “ripe” for planting (i.e., warm up). In some regions this period falls in April, in others in May.
Guided by the climatic characteristics of their region
If it is possible to grow onion seedlings, you can start sowing at the end of March. To do this, it is not necessary to have greenhouses or heated greenhouses - seedlings feel great on window sills. When the feather on the bulbs reaches 8 cm, the seedlings are planted in the beds.
Having selected an onion suitable for planting, it must be properly prepared. To begin with, warm it up under the rays of the sun, placing the container on the windowsill of a south window. If this is not possible, then the boxes with the seeds are distributed on heating radiators (in private houses - on the stove).
After 2-3 weeks, start etching using warm solution manganese or “Fitosporin”. The onions are kept for 15 minutes, then the product must be drained, and the planting material should be slightly dried and immediately planted in the garden bed.
Having decided which period is most suitable for work, we begin to solve the next problem: how to plant onions correctly in the spring. They begin their actions by forming rows.
You can plant onions in grooves marked with a simple scriber, placing the grooves at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. The spacing between the bulbs in the furrow depends on the diameter of the seed:
In a loose prepared bed, you can do without furrows - just distribute the holes evenly over the strip, 2 cm deep. Mark them with a stick suitable diameter or use homemade markers that allow you to form several holes at the same time.
By the way, egg trays are great for this. The parameters of the cells and the distance between them are of the required size.
Is it possible to plant onion seeds on a head in spring?
As mentioned above, good heads are obtained from sets, which are grown by seeds. In the southern regions, some varieties are used in annual rotation.
Varieties for growing heads from seeds
In the Ural region, where the warm period is shorter, the seed is used to grow seedlings, which are planted in beds in May.
Nigella varieties for seedlings
| Variety | Description |
|---|---|
| Yucont | The pungent-tasting bulb has a simplified rounded head with purple scales. The average weight of a turnip ranges from 30-80 g with a ripening period of 90 days. Quite a long-lasting, productive variety |
| Kaba | The ripening period is 120-140 days. The head is large, cast-iron-shaped, with brownish-yellow scales and a semi-sweet taste. |
| Golden Semko | Early ripening - up to 90 days when grown from seeds. The bulbs are round, weighing 80 g. During the process of ripening, the scales change shade from white to light brown. The yield is stable - up to 3.5 kg per square meter. Keeping quality is high - about 90% of the harvest lasts for at least six months |
The Moscow region belongs to a climate zone with unstable weather conditions. The spring season is particularly fickle. It’s not for nothing that people associate this period with the character of an evil stepmother: sometimes it will warm you up, sometimes a cold wind will blow and rain will pour down.
March is the most capricious - the time for preliminary gardening efforts. If seedlings are needed, then in this month (dates 10-15) nigella is planted in boxes with soil. The seedlings are sent to open ground when the soil temperature rises above 5 degrees Celsius.
The beds with the seedlings are immediately covered with a film frame. This will protect the onions from return frosts and speed up the ripening of the bulbs. But as soon as the heat sets in, the film must be opened, otherwise the onion will overheat.
In April, seedlings can already be taken out into greenhouses. If it is grown on a windowsill, then it’s time to harden off.
The last month of spring is the full mobilization of the labor force. It’s not for nothing that people say that the May day feeds the whole year.
Gardeners in the Moscow region should not rely entirely on lunar calendars, looking for the optimal number for planting onions. For many, the beginning of May is the time to sow nigella in beds and plant onion seedlings. There is even a specific day for this - on Luka, May 5th. But there is no change from year to year, so it is recommended to monitor the weather.
Previously, ancestors did not use calendars - they were guided by nature. On the 1st day of the month (on Kuzma) we looked at the weather. If the day turns out to be warm, you should expect frost soon.
Bird cherry has always been the signal for mass planting. As soon as the trees have bloomed, you can safely plant almost all crops. As for onions, here in addition there is such a sign - you need to wait for the violets and willow to bloom.
The beds with seedlings are immediately covered with a film frame
If the apple trees do not bloom on Mark (May 8), autumn will be lean. This forecast gives folk calendar. Therefore, the summer resident will have to make every effort not to lose money.
By the end of May, the seedlings are thinned, maintaining a gap of 5 cm. If the season turns out to be rainy, the beds with onions are periodically watered. Mulch made from rotted straw will help retain moisture.
As for varieties, for the Moscow region the most acceptable is Khiberina MS with an early ripening period. Even with average agricultural technology per square meter you can get up to 5.5 kg of heads, weighing 125 g. To increase productivity, it is recommended to use the advice of experienced gardeners.
You should not plant one type of onion in the beds if you are not sure that it will give a good harvest. When selecting a crop variety, the regionality of the variety is taken into account. If the head will be grown on long-term storage, then preference should be given to spicy turnips.
IN Lately family onions have become popular. The multi-bud variety allows you to get up to 30 bulbs in one nest, weighing from 25 to 50 g each. They taste in no way inferior to ordinary turnips.
It's hard to imagine dinner without onions. It is used in soups, borscht, main courses, salads, pickles and marinades. For vegetables, fish, meat - raw, stewed, fried onions are indispensable for Russian cuisine. Summer residents have the opportunity to grow large, crispy, fragrant heads on their own in their own area.
In order for the harvest to be significant, you need to decide on the cultivation technology and choose the variety that is ideal for planting in your conditions. Onions per head can be grown in three ways: sow the seeds in the ground in early spring, plant sets (small bulbs grown last summer) or use seedlings. The choice of technology determines the planting time. The cultivation method also determines the varieties you should choose.
Onions are distinguished by varietal diversity. Some varieties will give birth well in annual crop, others are unsuitable for this. In the southern regions of the country the following is grown from seeds in one year:
In two-year cultivation the following are cultivated:
In one gardening season, onion heads can only be grown in warm regions countries or using seedlings and film covers. Last year's seeds are used for sowing. They are soaked and sown in the ground in early spring, as soon as the snow melts and the soil dries out. The seedlings are thinned out, leaving an interval of 3-5 cm between the young onion shoots. The closer the plants are to each other, the smaller the bulbs will be. If your region is not the Krasnodar Territory, it is better to use seedlings for cultivation.
Planting onions in the spring on a head begins after warm weather has stabilized. Plants caught in frost will not die, but they will inevitably die and the harvest will be spoiled. It's good to use your own supply of bulbs. If they are stored correctly, there will be no unpleasant surprises. If spring is early, you can plant the seedlings before the end of April. If not, it’s better to wait until the beginning or middle of May.
Large onion heads grow in open ground when the location for the plants is chosen correctly:
When planting onions on the head in the spring, minimal tillage and surface loosening to a depth of ten centimeters is required. It’s good if the garden bed has been filled with humus or compost since the fall. There is no need to add fresh organic matter to the soil immediately before planting. It provokes the growth of green mass, but at the same time slows down the development of the head. During drought, growing onions will need to be watered.
Onion planting material is carefully selected and prepared. The bulbs should be clean, tight, free from stains and mold. Too small and too large plants are not suitable for growing heads. The ideal diameter of the set is from 14 to 20 mm. Such a bow does not shoot and survives late without loss. spring frosts, is growing rapidly. With proper pre-sowing treatment, seedlings of this caliber do not get sick and produce a generous harvest.
It is necessary to process onions before planting for the purpose of disinfection. For this they use table salt, copper sulfate or good old potassium permanganate. You need to soak the sets in a dark pink solution of manganese. The salt mixture is made at the rate of one tablespoon of sodium chloride or potassium permanganate per liter of water. Before soaking, it would be good to warm up the planting material for five to seven days at a temperature of 40-50 degrees, placing it near a radiator or boiler.
When the temperature of the ground at the dacha rises to +12 degrees, you can begin work. Onions are planted on the head in spring in rows. The arrangement of the bulbs is usual: the rows are placed at a distance of 15-20 cm, plants in a row - from 5 cm. Shallow furrows are made in the treated soil, the seedlings are lightly pressed into them, and covered with earth. In a week, the garden bed will be decorated with green onions peeking out of the soil in even rows.
Onions do not require complex care. All he needs is loose soil, sun and moisture. It is necessary to weed the bed on time, water it in the heat and loosen the soil after rain. Do seedlings planted on turnips need fertilizing? This issue must be approached thoughtfully, and fertilizer must be used carefully. If humus and compost have been added to the garden bed since the fall, that will be enough.
Remember what to feed the onion head with if you consider it necessary. The herbal infusion has an excellent effect on plant growth. Application:
3-4 weeks before the expected harvest date, watering is completely stopped. The heads must ripen, acquire the required number of scales, and dry out. Dig up plants after complete lodging of the tops. It is advisable to organize the collection when it is dry and hot outside. Well-dried onions can be preserved in winter with minimal losses. Bulbs different varieties stored separately. Rules:
Planting onions on the head in spring is successfully practiced experienced gardeners. Personal and family secrets of good harvests are irreplaceable vegetable crop distributed in articles and videos. Find out whether you need to soak the onions before planting, how to plant the sets, and what to pay attention to when caring for the garden bed. A selection of stories that answer these and many other questions will help you grow an excellent harvest.
Preparing the land, planting onions in the spring, caring for them, harvesting in the fall and storing them - each period is important, each has its own characteristics and rules. Compliance with them will help achieve the main goal of every gardener - to grow, harvest and preserve the maximum possible harvest.
What could be easier than growing onions? All you have to do is lower the small bulbs into the ground - and within a couple of weeks green feathers will sprout. In fact, in order for the first tender shoots to turn into large golden bulbs, you should adhere to the technology at all stages.
Before preparing the soil, we will select a place for the onion beds. In lowlands where water stagnates, planting onion sets from onions is extremely undesirable. Excess moisture will lead to rot. Eventually it will grow poor quality material, completely unsuitable for winter storage.
Like most plants, onions do not like shade. Choose a place for it that is well lit by the sun. Provide for beds natural ventilation. If the wind dries the dew on the feathers, the plant will avoid a whole bunch of diseases.
It is advisable to plant it where potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and green manure grew last year. These plants saturate the earth with organic matter. Planting onions in the spring in beds where cucumbers, carrots, garlic, and onions were previously grown is again possible only after three years. During this time, the soil will be cleared of pathogenic bacteria and pests inherent in these crops.
Fertile, non-acidic and oxygenated loams are ideal soil for onions. Isn’t there one like this in your garden? No problem, it's easy to fix. To do this, feed your soil in the fall. organic fertilizers(4-5 kg of compost and 1-2 kg of wood ash per 1 m2) and dig it up to the depth of a shovel bayonet. In the spring, apply 1 kg of complex mineral fertilizer per 10 m2 of soil, loosen it with a rake.
If it was not possible to prepare the soil in the fall, the planting area is fertilized and dug up with half a spade in the spring. In order not to burn the roots of plants with fertilizers that have penetrated into the lower layers, and also to preserve moisture, they dig and loosen the soil shallowly. If the soil is highly acidic, add it to the soil before digging. dolomite flour, ground chalk, ash.
The optimal size of the heads is 0.8-1.5 cm. First of all, the seed is sorted out to separate the dried and rotten bulbs. Planting an onion on a head is carried out in three stages and depends on its size. For this reason, the seeds are divided into three parts:
Three days before planting the heads in the ground, they are warmed up near a warm radiator. Then the bulbs need to be made healthier. Treat them with hot ash water (2 handfuls of ash per 5 liters of boiling water). Place the planting material in a large mesh sieve or colander. First, pour them with an ash solution cooled to +50˚C, then pour cold water over them. This procedure will protect the future harvest from diseases. If there is no ash, dip the seeds for 15-20 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
To prevent fungus, treat the material for sowing well copper sulfate. Prepare a solution: dilute 0.5 teaspoons of copper sulfate in 5 liters of water, place the onions there for 10-15 minutes. Wash them clean water. The seeds are ready, the next stage is planting the onion on the head.
The first sowings are done when the soil warms up to +12˚С. Usually this is the first half of May. There is no need to rush into planting if real warmth has not set in. Green feathers will not freeze at temperatures down to -1˚C, but the last spring frosts will negatively affect the quality of the onion, it will sprout.
In order for planting onion sets to give optimal results, the smallest heads are sown first, a few days later the medium ones, and a little later - the large ones.
If large onion plant ahead of time, he will have time to shoot the arrow.
Best neighbor in the onion bed - carrots. Plants mutually repel pests, carrot and onion flies.
Furrows are made in the ground with a depth of no more than 2 cm. The distance between the onion beds is 30 cm. The grooves are well filled with water, and after it is absorbed, they are watered again. If onion heads are planted in the spring in dry or insufficiently moistened soil, it will dry out and may die.
The heads are planted in increments of 10-15 cm and lightly covered with soil. Do not press the bulbs too hard to avoid damaging them. The main condition for good growth immediately after planting in the ground - regular watering. In the first seven days after planting, it is necessary to irrigate the beds once every 2-3 days.
The method of planting seedlings before winter is often praised. But growing onions from sets planted in the spring will bring the same results if you provide the plants proper care. Onion beds need fertilizing, irrigation, weeding and loosening. After planting the head in the ground in the spring, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is not advisable. The plants are fed with organic matter (1 cup of mullein per bucket of water) three times per season:
Onions need regular watering. Irrigate the beds 1-2 times a week. It's important not to overdo it here. Most plant diseases arise not from lack of watering, but from stagnation of moisture. The next day after watering, be sure to loosen the soil. This will ensure aeration of the roots.
When loosening, weeds are removed and used for mulching between rows.
It is impossible to do without protecting plants from pests and diseases when growing onions in open ground. To minimize possible diseases, the leaves are treated with a solution of copper sulfate (for 5 liters of water, 0.5 teaspoons of copper sulfate and 0.5 tablespoons finely grated laundry soap), dusted with wood ash or tobacco dust.
When the heads reach medium size, the earth is scraped off a little. With better access in spring sunlight they will grow larger and mature faster. From the beginning of July, watering is limited, and two weeks before harvest it is completely stopped. This is done to improve shelf life. Onions that are oversaturated with moisture rot and do not reach maturity.
Some gardeners break off onion feathers a couple of weeks before harvesting. This procedure is not always beneficial; more often it leads to a decrease in the quality and quantity of the harvest. The feathers should dry out on their own, this will serve as a signal to begin harvesting.
Have the bulbous leaves dried out and turned yellow, and have the necks become thinner? The time has come for cleaning, usually the end of July - beginning of August. Delay will make all previous efforts in vain. The first rain will lead to new growth of the roots of the bulbs left in the ground and damage to the crop.
Ideally, the first drying of the harvested onions is best done directly in the beds. If this is not possible, lay it out in one layer in a well-ventilated area. Do not trim the tops immediately after harvesting; during the drying process, all nutritional and useful material should go from feathers to bulbs.
After a week, the bulbs are cleaned of excess husks, roots and feathers are trimmed. For two weeks they are additionally dried at a temperature of +25-30˚С (in the attic or in a heated room). In winter, onions are stored in a cool, dry place.
Watch the video on how to plant onions on a head in spring
Now you know how to plant onions in the spring, using heads.
Onions are no longer exotic in a summer cottage; on the contrary, it’s strange when they’re not there. Despite its wide distribution and popularity, not all gardeners know how to grow it. This is a rather capricious crop and any deviation in agricultural technology leads to a deterioration in the quality of the crop. Excessively “evil” onions grow when there is a lack of moisture at the beginning of the growing season, a small head is formed when planting is thickened and at the wrong depth, non-compliance with crop rotation and violation of care rules leads to the development of diseases and affects keeping quality.
Often, summer residents receive a harvest, half of which does not survive until mid-winter, and the other half is only suitable for borscht due to its pronounced spiciness. What features need to be taken into account in order to plant onions correctly and avoid many problems?
Onions love illuminated areas and do not tolerate lowlands with heavy, waterlogged soils. Cabbage, cucumber and nightshade will be good predecessors for it. These crops do not have common pests and diseases with onions, and since their cultivation is accompanied by the introduction of high doses of organic and mineral fertilizers, then the soil remains quite nutritious.
Onions can also come after zucchini and peas, but it is undesirable for them to occupy areas that were previously under carrots, since fresh organic matter is not added to this crop, and onions require fertile soil. Also, the area after it is vacated late, you may not have time to prepare it for new landing. You can plant carrots after onions; joint planting and close placement of the beds are good (they repel pests from each other).
The plant can be returned to its original place no earlier than after 3 years, and in case of high disease damage - only after 5 years. Planting onions on a head in the spring should be done in loose and moderately moist soil, so in the fall the area should be dug up with a shovel, and in the spring it should only be harrowed with a rake and leveled.
If necessary, compost or humus and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are added in the fall. To neutralize the soil solution on acidic soils add chalk or lime. It is recommended to occupy areas where fresh manure was applied with onion plants only for the 2nd year.
In poorly heated areas with heavy clay soil In the fall, wide ridges are cut into which planting will take place.
The exact planting dates are determined by prevailing weather conditions and ground temperature. Onions are a cold-resistant crop, but when planted in cold soil they will bolt, which will reduce the quality of the harvest.
On the other hand, the procedure must be completed when there is still a supply of moisture in the soil, the needs of which are great for onions at the beginning of growth. And the relatively long growing season of this crop does not forgive delay.
Planting material (seeds) stored warm way(18-20ºC with a humidity of 60-70%), does not require any procedures to activate growth processes. A week before planting, it is sorted out, discarding dried, sprouted and rotting bulbs, and sorted, dividing into 2-3 fractions.
Most fine fraction(diameter less than 1.5 cm) it is recommended to sow earlier, as it does not shoot. Sewing from the middle fraction (diameter 1.5-2 cm) gives the best harvest, but provided that the planting is done in sufficiently warmed soil. Large onions (diameter more than 3 cm) can be used for growing onions for harvest or for obtaining turnips for canning, as they often shoot arrows, which affects keeping quality.
If the planting material was stored at low temperatures (in the attic, cellar, etc.), then 2 - 3 weeks before planting it must be transferred to warm room and dry (the container with the seeds can simply be placed near the radiator, but not very close).
The calibrated seed is heated at a temperature of 40ºC for 8 hours to destroy internal infection (can be placed on the battery in cardboard box). Before planting, the bulbs are soaked in hot water for 12-24 hours. Instead of water, you can use a weakly concentrated solution of complex fertilizers.
Immediately before planting, the planting material is treated for 15 minutes with a pale solution of potassium permanganate or a fungicide (for example, copper sulfate). After treatment, rinsing in clean warm water is required.
Some summer residents trim the “tails” of the seedlings to speed up germination. However, such a procedure damages the protective barrier and opens the door to infection, so it is better to get by with soaking, which will already halve the time before germination.
Shallow grooves are cut on the leveled bed. The distance between the grooves should be 15-20 cm to make it convenient to care for the plants. If the soil is not moist enough, the furrows are shed with water. Onions respond well to the addition of wood ash and sand into the furrows.
Treated seedlings can be planted in the prepared bed. The bulbs are buried with the bottom down to the “shoulders”, and then sprinkled with earth, so that a layer of 2 cm is formed on top. Surface plantings will give earlier shoots, but with this technique you will not be able to get a good turnip.
The sets in the row are placed at a distance of 6-10 cm (depending on the variety). Some summer residents advise planting it densely in a “snake” pattern in order to obtain not only bulbs, but also greenery from one bed. As the plants grow in the row, they are thinned out, removing the bulbs along with the feather. This method is convenient for a small garden bed, when you are sure that it will be thinned out in a timely manner.
Growing onions for turnips in the Non-Black Earth Region, on Far East and in Siberia it occurs in a two-year culture, that is, first a set is obtained from the seeds, from which turnips are grown the next year. In the southern regions and central Russia, some sweet and semi-sharp varieties and hybrids can form a marketable bulb from seeds in one season. To get a turnip directly from seeds, you need to sow in early spring and winter or use seedlings.
If weather conditions permit, onions can be sown at the end of April directly into open ground. To speed up seed germination, they must be placed in warm water or a solution of growth stimulants for 1-2 days.
It is better to sow on high ridges. Seeds are sown to a depth of about 2 cm, belt method with a distance between the ribbons of 20 cm. Thus, if the ridge is 1 meter wide, then 4-5 rows can be placed on it. The seedlings need regular watering and thinning twice. The first time is thinned out a few days after mass germination, leaving an interval of 2 cm between plants, and the second time - in the phase of 2-3 true leaves with an interval of 6 cm.
In winter, seeds are sown from late October to mid-November. Pre-winter sowing is characterized by an increased seeding rate (3 times) and mulching of crops with peat. Shoots appear earlier, so the bulb ripens earlier.
Mostly sweet salad varieties are grown through seedlings. Sowing of seedlings in a heated greenhouse is carried out in early March. It is possible to grow seedlings at home, but only with sufficient lighting. When sown in nutrient soil, seedlings only require regular watering. Plants are planted in open ground at the age of 55 days (they should already have 3-4 true leaves). To do this, choose a cloudy day or evening. They are planted with a row spacing of 25 cm, with 6–8 cm between plants in a row.
Onions are very sensitive to daylight hours, so for planting you need to choose only zoned varieties or achieve local selection. Varieties bred in the northern regions may not form a bulb at all in the south with short daylight hours. When creating your collection of favorites in the garden, include representatives from different groups. Spicy varieties are distinguished by high keeping quality and yield, while semi-sharp and sweet varieties have good taste.
A guaranteed harvest can be obtained by planting old local varieties. IN different regions Strigunovsky, Rostov local, Bessonovsky, Spassky, Mstersky, Pogarsky, Timiryazevsky received national fame. They are zoned quite widely and are known among gardeners throughout Central Russia and beyond.
From widely zoned spicy varieties and hybrids worth noting are Golden Semko, Centurion and Stuttgarter Risen.
Golden Semko - early ripening with a large round golden bulb, which is formed in one season directly from seeds; gives high yield; cultivated in all regions of Russia.
Centurion - a low-shooting hybrid with a mid-early ripening period; the bulbs are golden, medium-sized, slightly elongated; resistant to diseases.
Stuttgarter Risen - mid-season with large, slightly flattened bulbs.
Peninsular varieties for Middle zone Russia: Zolotnichok, Odintsovets, Sputnik, Myachkovsky 300, Red Baron.
Zolotnichok - mid-early with golden rounded bulbs.
Myachkovsky 300 - early high-yielding with flattened yellow bulbs of medium size; Suitable for growing turnips directly from seeds.
Red Baron - early date maturation; The bulbs are dark purple, round, weighing up to 150 g.
Good varieties and hybrids of sweet onions: Exhibition, Ritmo, Comet.
Exhibition - medium ripening with large oval bulbs yellow color; suitable for growing as an annual crop from seeds; has high yield, but low shelf life.
Comet - late ripening with white large onions; resistant to diseases and suitable for long-term storage.
It can be difficult for beginning gardeners to decide which onion to plant. After all, not only taste and yield are important here, but also shelf life and disease resistance. Moreover, the same variety in different soil and climatic conditions can show different result. Therefore, select up to 5 different varieties in order to highlight your favorites in 2-3 seasons.
Young seedlings need regular (1-2 times a week) and moderate watering, followed by loosening the rows to restore root aeration. As the head begins to form, the frequency of watering is reduced, and a month before harvesting it is not carried out at all for successful ripening of the bulb. However, in case of severe drought, it is recommended to sprinkle with a small volume of water.
Weeds pose a serious threat to seedlings, so weeding must be timely. Hilling up of plants and close loosening is not allowed. Weeds in the row are removed manually so as not to damage the bulb with a weak root system.
Many summer residents advise carrying out one or even two feedings per season. However, the need for them is fertile soils, filled with organic matter since the fall, no. On poor soils, the first fertilizing with liquid organic fertilizers ( horse dung, bird droppings, mullein) are carried out approximately a month after planting. The second feeding is carried out during the period of turnip formation, using phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. To prevent root burns, fertilizing is carried out after moistening the soil and before watering.
