Onions are a vegetable crop that no family can do without. According to statistics, every adult in Russia consumes about 7 kg of onions during the year. For an experienced summer resident, planting an onion on the head in the spring is not difficult, but for beginners it is useful to learn the planting technology.
What varieties can be sown in cold weather and can be grown in a country house in the Moscow region, the Leningrad region and Belarus, we will tell in the article.
What does planting a bow on the head mean?
Onions are a two-year culture. To get a large head, which can be used to prepare the first, second courses and add to salads, you need to have a set. You can plant this crop in seedlings, but not all varieties are suitable for this option.
Suitable for growing from seeds varieties:
- Exibition.
- Danilovsky 301.
- Odintsovets.
- Annual Siberian.
- Strigunovsky.
Consider the traditional option - sowing onion sets per head.
Where to get sevka bulbs to plant in the open field
There are two options. The first, the simplest is buy set in a gardening store, in the market or order in an online store. The second is to plant and grow sevok yourself from nigella.
Onion seeds are called nigella. During the summer, small bulbs grow from seeds planted in autumn or spring. Their size can be different - from 8 mm to 30 mm.
For large heads, the size of the set is important. Optimal size for spring planting 14-21 mm.
Pros:
- does not arrow;
- takes root easier;
- by the end of July it gives large heads of onions.
Sevok must not only be grown, but also properly stored during the winter. Optimal storage conditions: humidity 70%, temperature 15 degrees.
You need to buy sets in the spring. Assess it visually and feel it with your hands. Bulbs must be dry, resilient, free from mechanical damage and rot. Good quality seed has a good onion smell.
Signs substandard sevka:
- Wet.
- It smells like mold.
- There are white roots.
- Green sprouts hatched.
- Bulbs of different sizes from the smallest (8-14 mm) to large (30 mm).
Advantages and disadvantages of the method
With self-cultivation of seedlings, you can get heads for food only in the second year... But at the same time, it is easier to choose the seeds of the variety you like and get your own good quality seed material.
The quality of the seed offered by specialty stores is often poor and the selection of varieties is usually limited.
There is a richer choice of varieties in online stores, but in order to receive seeds on time, you need to make an order on time.
What varieties can be planted
Centurion F1 - an early ripe hybrid, resistant to shooting. Forms medium-sized elongated bulbs covered with yellow husks. Keeping quality is good. The yield in the garden is stable, high.
Stuttgarten risen - mid-season fruitful variety of German selection. From 1 sq. m you can get up to 5 kg of large bulbs of a beautiful, round, slightly flattened shape. Average weight is about 150 g, large specimens can weigh 200-250 g. The color of the husk is golden yellow, the pulp is white. The pulp is moderately spicy, juicy. The period of onset of marketable ripeness is 95 days. The keeping quality of the Stuttgarten Riesen heads is good.
Red baron - early, red variety. Ripening period in the garden is 90 (95) days. Productivity - 3 kg / m². The maturation of the variety is good. Husk and pulp are red. The variety is resistant to shooting. The variety is popular for its long shelf life during the winter, good semi-sharp taste.
How to prepare a site for planting in spring
In the fall, you can start preparing the site for planting in open ground. Areas where cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage were grown in summer are suitable. Loves nutrient-rich chernozem or loamy soils with normal acidity.
Proper preparation of the beds
The success of the harvest depends on the soil in which the onions are supposed to be sown. Over the summer, it is depleted, its fertility can be restored with the help of mineral and organic fertilizers. As organic matter, you can use compost prepared by yourself, or humus.
Fertilizers must be applied to loamy soil annually. Demanding on the nutrient composition of the soil.
Rates of autumn fertilization per 1 sq. m ridge:
- 0.5 buckets of humus (compost);
- 30 g superphosphate;
- 15 g of potassium chloride.
I'm going to dig up on a shovel bayonet... Do not break the clods. Such treatment is the prevention of pests and diseases. The ground will freeze deeper. Fewer pest larvae will survive until spring. When the snow melts, moisture will stay in the soil longer.
In the spring, scatter ammonium nitrate over the surface of the ridge and shallowly loosen the soil, followed by harrowing. Saltpeter rate per sq. m - 20 g.
Seed preparation
In the spring, a month before planting onions go over... Divide into fractions. Smaller bulbs are planted earlier. The largest onion set is the latest in order to reduce the chance of arrows appearing.
Before planting, the seed must be processed - pickle... But first it is warmed up for 2-3 weeks. You can warm it up in the sun by placing a box of onion sets on the windowsill, or near a heating radiator.
For processing, you can use phytosporin.
Prepare an aqueous solution of manganese before planting. The water should be at room temperature. Dip the sorted seed material into the solution and hold for 15 minutes. Dry slightly the treated seed and start planting.
At what distance and depth to plant
The head landing technique is simple. On the prepared ridge, make grooves spaced apart from each other by 20 cm... Water the furrows with water, add a small amount of sifted ash.
Arrange the bulbs into grooves. Stick to the scheme:
- When planting large bulbs, the distance 10 cm.
- Average - 8 cm.
- Small - 6 cm.
Cover the bulbs with a layer of earth or humus. Layer thickness by depth no more than 2 cm... Seedlings will appear much later when the onion sets are deeper.
It takes a little to get large heads. Choose the right variety, prepare the soil for planting. When choosing a place, observe the crop rotation. Observing these simple rules, even a novice gardener will not be left without a crop.