Contents
Onion is one of the most useful vegetables for the human body, since it contains phytoncides that can neutralize pathogenic bacteria. That is why many gardeners are interested in how to properly grow onions from seeds. There are no trifles in this important matter, everything matters here – how correctly you will be able to prepare the land for planting, sow the seeds, provide them with proper care in order to be able to reap a rich and high-quality harvest.
Soil Preparation
The root system of the onion is rather weak, it is not placed very deep in the ground. Its bulbs, even in the absence of moisture, can remain at rest for some time. It is realistic to grow this vegetable crop not only with the help of seeds, but also with bulbs or onion sets. If you choose the wrong soil and plant the seeds deep into it, then they are often able to sprout up roots.
Specialists and experienced gardeners advise placing beds for sowing onion seeds of any variety in those places of the site where they will be well warmed up by a natural source of heat – the sun. Since vegetable crops such as cabbage, tomatoes, legumes, cucumbers, potatoes perfectly nourish the soil with nitrogen, it is recommended to plant onions after them. Loamy soils are considered the best types of soil for onions, in which mineral and organic top dressings must be applied.
When digging up a piece of land, up to 3 kg of peat should be applied, or about 4 kg of compost per square meter of area. Ideally, the width of the beds should be up to 80 cm, their height is planned to be no more than 15. Also, along with the above fertilizers, nitrophoska mixed with superphosphate is added when digging. Their consumption is about 1 tablespoon of each product per square meter.
A bed prepared for sowing seeds can be called a bed, on which all components will be thoroughly mixed and the earth will be leveled from above. The final step should be watering the earth with a solution of copper sulfate – you should take 1 tablespoon of the product in a bucket of water. A few days before the sowing of the seeds, the earth prepared in this way is insulated using a conventional polyethylene film.
Seed sowing
For sowing seeds in the regions of our country, onion varieties such as Globo, Chalcedony, Strigunovsky, Timiryazevsky, Arzamassky, Odintsovets, Rostovsky, Danilovsky 301, Carmen, Svirsky and some others are best suited.
For example, the Globo onion has large-sized bulbs, the weight of which, with proper care, can reach up to 700 grams. It has an interesting shape of a wide ellipse, it is characterized by the presence of light yellow scales. Its inner scales are juicy, while the upper ones are dry to the touch. Planting this plant should not be carried out too densely. It has many advantages – it is resistant to possible diseases, it is grown for one year from seeds, it is also possible to grow it from special cassette seedlings. Still such an onion has an excellent taste and aroma, it can be well preserved indoors until the middle of the first winter month.
Onion Chalcedony has dense rounded bulbs and is the result of crossing such wonderful varieties as Strigunovsky and Mako. It is able to grow well on fertile plots of land, sowing is done starting from the end of April. Bulbs of this variety have white scales with a creamy tint inside, which are brown-bronze on the surface. Care requires timely loosening of the soil, weeding, fertilizing and watering.
Before sowing, the seeds should be sorted out to select only the largest and most viable. A week before sowing, the seeds are advised to soak in a solution of potassium permanganate. After the seeds absorb moisture well, they are laid out on a cloth soaked in water and left in a warm place. When you see the appearance of the first sprouts, the seeds must be taken out to the glacier. For sowing, a piece of land is suitable, the width of which is up to a meter. First you need to level the surface of the prepared beds. After that, you need to form about five grooves, the depth of which should ideally be up to 3 cm.
Then, when you compact the bottom, onions should be sown at the rate of about a gram of seeds per two square meters of usable area. Sowing technology includes mixing seeds with sand. When the whole procedure is completed, you need to carefully seal the furrows in the garden with moistened earth, and then level them using a conventional rake for this. If you correctly carry out all the steps and adhere to the well-known sowing technology, you can expect fast and good onion germination.
If you grow onions from seeds in two stages, then the set will ripen about three months after sowing. It is not worth thinning out thickened friendly seedlings, since they are able to give a good harvest of small bulbs. When planting sevka, it is customary to use furrows, the distance between which is up to 7 cm. Long-term care is almost identical to growing onions in one year, which was described above.
Video “From seed to bulb”
Care
Onion planting care activities with seeds include steps such as weeding, watering at recommended doses, and controlling diseases and pests that can cause serious damage to your future crop.
As for watering the beds, it is recommended to carry it out once a week – this applies to the time from May to June. Only if the weather is too dry can the number of waterings be increased to twice a week. At the same time, its norm is from 5 to 10 liters per meter of land. In order not to interfere with the ripening of the crop, in July you should stop watering the plantings. But if there is an unprecedented heat on the street this year, then you can water the beds a little to prevent the appearance of wilted onions. When watering, be careful not to damage the feathers.
When you see small weeds in the garden, you need to start mercilessly fighting them, as they interfere with the normal growth and full development of onion plantings. If you do not do this on time and start weeding already too large weeds, then you can hook the onion root system at the same time. Weeding performs two functions – it gives you the opportunity to get rid of harmful weeds and loosen the soil so that the plants can get enough air.
If you see that the formation of leaves is too slow, you need to feed with urea. To do this, mix 1 tablespoon of the product in a bucket of water and spill the beds in such a way as to use about 4 liters of the resulting solution per square meter of area. To combat the occurrence of diseases of vegetable crops, as well as pests, gardeners today are helped by modern preparations purchased in specialized stores.
Harvesting
To determine whether it is already possible to harvest, just look at your beds. If the plant’s feathers turn yellow and begin to wilt, it’s time to start harvesting. Most often, this important process is carried out in the period from July 25 to August 10. In the event that the onion can already be harvested in time, and its feathers are not yet yellow enough, you can still remove it from the beds and determine it for a couple of weeks on a well-lit piece of land. After the feathers dry normally, they are removed, and the bulbs are dried using a conventional oven or other heating devices for this purpose. Such a simple and proven method of drying over the years can become a reliable protection for your crop from mealy flour and prevent the process of decay. 
After the onion dries normally, it should be sorted out. At the same time, small bulbs are selected, which will later be used for winter planting. Their diameter is up to 1 cm. The remaining larger bulbs are recommended to be stored in boxes or canvas bags, in which up to 5 kg of vegetables are usually placed. They should be in a dry and fairly dark place where the temperature is +15 degrees. From time to time, you should visit your store and check the stored onions for rot or dried bulbs, which must be removed immediately.
Video “Growing onions from A to Z”
In the video you will see a global attitude to such a process as growing bulbs from seeds. Learn about some of the secrets and subtleties of the process.
