Contents
Shallots are valued for their rich taste and fast ripening time, because on average, after 65 days after planting, you can feast on fresh green feathers and bulbs. In Eastern Europe and Our Country, this vegetable is called the family onion, since it forms a rhizome with several small bulbs. It is this detail that radically distinguishes it from onions and other varieties of this crop. Below we will tell you about the main secrets of growing shallots, consider some popular varieties, get acquainted with common diseases and pests, and analyze the features of care at different stages of growth.
Sorts
Varieties of shallots differ from each other in fertility, ripening time, resistance to disease and frost, as well as the taste and color of the flesh of the bulbs. Based on the brief characteristics, you can choose the seeds that are most suitable for your climatic conditions and meet your needs.
Variety Chapaevsky has juicy bulbs of light purple color. From 3 to 8 heads weighing 40 grams are formed in the nest. The variety is classified as mid-season, as the growing season takes about 66 days. Resistant to pyronosporosis. From 1 hectare you can harvest up to 20 tons of crops. Suitable for cultivation in the central regions of Our Country.
Shallot Seryozhka is considered one of the most fruitful hybrids. One plant can produce up to 10 bulbs. This variety practically does not give arrows and is resistant to rot. The bulbs are similar to onions because they are rounded and colored white on the inside and golden yellow on the outside. The earring gives a harvest already on the 58th day of vegetation. Suitable for growing in all zones.
In the Nizhnevolzhsky district, the Kuban yellow variety has proven itself well. The bulbs grow quite small and flat – 25-30 grams each. At the same time, up to 1-20 tons of crops can be harvested from 27 hectare with proper care and suitable weather conditions. Shallots Kuban yellow are classified as mid-season varieties. The growing season lasts from 80 to 96 days.
For growing at home, as a two-year crop, the Airat variety is best suited. From 1 square meter, an average of one and a half kilograms of crops are obtained. The bulbs are small, 15 grams each. The heads are rounded. On 1 plant, 5-6 onions are formed. For winter planting, choose the Albic variety. Its fruits have a greenish color inside. Bulbs grow up to 30 grams. The indicators of keeping quality are excellent. In the nest, from 3 to 8 bulbs of a transverse-elliptical shape are formed. In terms of growth rate, Albic shallots grow in 60-65 days.
There are many other hybrids out there. So for dry areas with a low level of humidity, Konak, Zvezdochka, Zaporozhye, purple varieties are suitable. In the conditions of Siberia, the Far East and the North, the varieties Sprint, Sir-7 and Siberian Yellow proved to be the best.
Video “Variety Features”
Growing in soil
Cultivation of shallots in the ground is carried out with seeds, which are popularly called sevok. In general, the conditions for it are the same as for onions. The soil should be slightly acidic with a high content of compost, so there is no need to regret manure during the autumn preparation of the soil. In order for shallots to grow well, 1-2 buckets of humus or compost are poured onto 3 square meter of the site. Mineral fertilizers are also added. For the same volume of soil, take 70 grams of superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
It is best to sow shallot seeds after legumes. It is necessary to plant sevok in open ground only after the departure of winter frosts. If you are planting in winter, then the timing is calculated in such a way that before the onset of frost, the seeds have time to take root, but do not begin to germinate. Before planting, it is necessary to carry out mandatory seed preparation.
First, the entire set must be sorted out and all illiquid assets discarded. Good shallots can only be grown from healthy seeds. All heads with signs of rot, black spots, fungus, as well as dry and damaged bulbs should be sent to the bin. For sowing, choose bulbs with a diameter of up to 3 centimeters.
If you kept the seedlings in a cool place all winter, then before planting, such seeds need to be warmed up at a temperature of + 20- + 25 ° for 1 week. Immediately before planting, the seedlings are dipped for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or wood ash. This procedure allows you to protect the seeds and the future plant from diseases and pests.
For planting, moistened ridges with a depth of 10 centimeters should be prepared. Shallots are planted at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other. There should be at least 30 centimeters of free space between rows. There should be about 3 centimeters of soil between the top of the set and the surface of the earth. Immediately after planting the seeds, mulching should be carried out so that moisture is retained in the soil longer.
How to care
Proper planting of seeds is only the beginning of a long journey to a high yield. The quality and quantity of onions directly depends on further care. Abundant watering is necessary in the first half of the growing season, when the plant spends all its energy on forcing green mass. When the bulbs begin to ripen, watering should be reduced. Additional watering is completely stopped 3-4 weeks before harvesting. Care should also include the removal of arrows if they begin to appear.
Shallots, the cultivation of which is not very different from onions, love top dressing. In the presence of infertile soil, dilute mullein or bird droppings should be applied to the soil. To improve the process of bulb formation, a solution of wood ash and potash fertilizers are added. Remember to remove weeds in a timely manner.
In order for large heads to form in the nest, experienced gardeners recommend thinning out the plantings. To do this, you will need to rake a little earth in order to better see the size of the bulbs. The smallest specimens are removed along with feathers, leaving 5-6 bulbs each. After the procedure, the plant is carefully covered back with earth.
Diseases and pests
Most of all, the shallot is afraid of the onion fly. You can protect your planting from this pest with the help of preventive spraying with a solution of wood ash. You can also plant carrots mixed with shallots, since the insect does not tolerate the smell of cruciferous. The use of chemical insecticides is highly discouraged. This is due to the relatively fast growth rate. In addition, after chemicals it will not be possible to eat greens.
Sometimes various worms start up in the leaves – the larvae of moths and other insects. You can scare them away with a saline solution. To prepare the remedy, take 1 cup of table soy and 10 liters of water. The finished mixture is sprayed with planting. With insufficient care, shallots can become infected with some plant diseases. In damp and cold conditions, downy mildew and neck rot spread rapidly. Damaged plants must be removed from the garden. The remaining onion is treated with fungicides or a solution of copper sulfate.
Video “Agrotechnics shallot variety”
In the video, you will learn which methods of planting, caring for and harvesting a given crop will bring you the most successful harvest.
