Blue onion: varieties
Blue onion is a type of onion that differs from other varieties in its pronounced blue color. Previously, it was represented by pale blue family bulbs, very pungent and rich in essential oils. Modern breeders have developed many new varieties of this root crop, which are rich in vitamins and nutrients. They are used raw, to decorate cuts of meat and vegetables, and added to salads.
Varieties of blue onions with a photo
Varieties differ in bulb size, yield, planting method, harvest and storage time, susceptibility to disease. Bulbs of various shapes – round, convex, flattened, elongated. They can be blue only outside, and inside – white. But there are bulbs that are completely blue in cross-section.
The following varieties of blue onions are distinguished:
- “Carmen” – sweet, mid-season, high-yielding, stored until spring.
- “Red Baron” – salad, sweet, gives a high yield, well preserved.
- “Crimson ball” – early maturing, semi-sharp, quickly deteriorates.
- “Komissar” is semi-acute, mid-season, not stored for long.
- “Prometheus” – late-ripening, semi-sweet, poorly preserved until spring.
Some varieties have become popular in traditional medicine. They are believed to heal the liver, but this property is not fully understood.
Before planting, the sets must be sorted out and calibrated. It is better to plant small bulbs before winter – they will remain in the ground and take root. Large bulbs can be left in the spring. But in this case, some of them will rot due to the poor preservation of the blue onion. Growing onions involves several stages:
- Landing. Sevok is planted before winter or spring. The distance between the bulbs is 10-15 cm, the row spacing is 30 cm, the depth is no more than 1,5 cm. The seeds are sown after the snow cover has melted.
- Plant care. Weeds are removed regularly, the soil is loosened.
- Top dressing. Fertilizers are applied before planting and several times during the season.
- Watering. It responds well to soil moistening by drip.
- Pest control. The main enemy of the plant, the onion fly, is afraid of table salt and the neighborhood of carrots.
- Harvest. It is harvested at the end of summer, when the tops are completely dry.
After harvesting, the onions are dried and placed in a dry place. Stored at temperatures above zero.
The onion can withstand freezing, but you cannot defrost it in the heat. If you do it slowly, it will retain all properties. Small amounts of onions can be stored in the freezer and thawed in the refrigerator as needed.