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Any owner of a personal plot will take care of growing onions, because, even if the plot is small, it is nice to have fresh onion greens always at hand. Yes, and some attractive varieties of onions do not always work out on the market in the form of sets, but they can be grown from seeds, the variety of which is full of counters of any garden store in the autumn-spring period.
Especially popular in recent years is the method of growing onions from sets by planting before winter. Previously, for some reason, it was believed that this was possible only in the southern regions of Our Country with mild winters. But it turned out that this is not the case at all – in almost the entire territory of Our Country, except for the most northern and eastern regions, planting onion sets before winter makes it possible to get a good harvest, and even 3-5 weeks earlier than usual. But to get a guaranteed result, it is quite important to choose the right variety of onion sets for planting before winter for a particular region.
Onions: criteria for choosing a variety
It is possible that for beginner gardeners, onion varieties can differ only in color and in sharpness of taste. In fact, there are quite a few criteria by which one can distinguish and choose one or another variety of onion. Therefore, before thinking about which variety is best for winter sowing, you need to familiarize yourself with them.
Maturation period
By maturity, onions are usually divided into:
- early ripening (or early ripening) varieties – the growing season usually does not exceed 90 days;
- mid-season – the time from the appearance of leaves to the full ripening of the bulbs is about 100-110 days;
- late – bulbs ripen at least 120 days from the start of the growing season.
This can be beneficial if you grow onions for sale.
The nature of the branch
On this basis, all varieties of onions are divided into small-nested, medium-nested and multi-nested. In the first group, during the growing season, only one bulb is most often formed from the set, a maximum of two. In varieties of the second group, from two to four bulbs can be formed. Finally, multi-cell varieties of onions often form five or more bulbs in one nest. A typical representative of such bows is the Pechorsky variety.
This criterion does not particularly affect the choice of varieties for winter planting. The most common varieties are small nested onions, but no one will stop you from planting other varieties.
bulb size
The size of the bulbs grown often makes a difference, especially for those who grow onions for sale. There are varieties in relation to which it is useless to apply various agricultural practices – in any case they will not grow large. Most often, the weight of one bulb does not exceed 50 grams. Usually these are multi-nested varieties of onions.
The weight of a ripe bulb of medium-sized varieties ranges from 50 to 120 grams. And large-sized onion varieties differ in weight more than 120-130 grams.
The size of the onion also does not affect its planting, rather it is a matter of habit and taste of the one who is going to grow onions.
Varieties of long and short days
But this criterion is one of the most important when choosing a suitable variety of winter onion sets. Varieties that need long daylight hours for good growth are unlikely to be suitable for your purposes, since they will already be in full growth, while daylight hours will still be quite short.
But for winter sowing, varieties with medium and short daylight hours are ideal. Already from the beginning to the middle of April, they will begin to develop intensively and by June they will be able to practically ripen.
Bulb flavor and color
This criterion does not at all affect the choice of a variety for planting before winter, but it is very important for the gardener himself, since it is these characteristics that often determine a person’s attachment to one or another variety of onions.
To taste, onions are spicy, semi-sharp and sweet. But as for the color, they usually distinguish:
- Onions with yellow scales;
- White varieties of onions;
- Raspberry or red onion;
- Onions with brown scales.
It is worth mentioning that there are varieties of onions that can be grown only from seeds or even with the help of seedlings. Such, for example, is the famous Exhibition bow. Of course, this onion is completely unsuitable for winter planting, as it is a heat-loving plant.
The best winter varieties
Despite the fact that Dutch onion varieties are considered the best for planting before winter, some of the best varieties will be mentioned in the following review. As a rule, they are in no way inferior to their Dutch comrades in winter hardiness and have been grown in various regions of Our Country for several centuries, and this is quite enough for them to be the most reliable contenders for planting for the winter.
Arzamas
The old variety belongs to medium-nesting and mid-season. The taste is spicy. The scales are dark yellow with a brown tint. It is perfectly stored and withstands frosts, but it is unstable to peronosporosis and the onion fly loves it.
Bamberger
Variety of German selection, medium late. The bulbs themselves are small, elongated, have yellow scales and a semi-sharp taste.
Danilovsky
The old onion variety belongs to mid-season and small-nesting. It has good yield and good keeping quality. The color is red-violet, the shape of the bulb is rather flat. The size can be attributed to the average, grows up to 150-160 grams. The taste is semi-sharp, with sweet undertones.
Radar
One of the most popular Dutch varieties for planting before winter, mid-season. The bow radar is resistant to any weather conditions, so it practically does not shoot. Bulbs of large size, flat-round shape with yellow scales. It has a semi-sharp taste.
Red baron
Onions are characterized by early ripeness, ripening in 90 days. The bulbs are very beautiful, red-violet in color, almost round. The taste is semi-sharp, closer to sweet, the size is quite large, reaches 200 grams.
Sense
An early maturing variety of Japanese selection, resistant to bolting and downy mildew. Differs in good indicators of productivity. The semi-circular bulbs with dark golden scales are almost sweet in taste and very fragrant. But it is stored, like most sweet onions, not for long.
Strigunovsky
It also belongs to the old varieties of small nested type. Cold hardy and keeps well. Early maturing and has good yields. The taste is pungent and not always resistant to certain diseases.
Sturon
Dutch breeders, taking the famous Stuttgarter Riesen as a basis, brought out this improved sample. It is resistant to both shooting and various diseases. Good yield and shelf life. The taste is rather spicy, the bulbs are elliptical with dark yellow scales, reach large sizes, up to 190-200 grams.
Timirjazevskij
One of the old varieties, the most suitable for growing in the northern regions of Our Country. Small nested, early ripening, has good yields. Excellent keeping quality, can be stored until spring. The bulbs are small in size, have a sharp taste. Scales are yellowish-grayish.
Troy
Very early variety of Dutch selection, matures in 65-75 days. It is interesting in that it can be planted both in autumn, before winter, and in early spring. Endures different weather conditions and is resistant to shooting. The yield is good, the bulbs are large, flat-round shape with a semi-sharp taste and golden brown scales. Their form can be the most diverse.
Centurion
Hybrid variety of medium early ripening. Shooting does not threaten him. Differs in big productivity, bulbs of sharp taste, a semicircular form, the average sizes. It is stored for a short time, up to three months. The outer scales are golden brown, tightly fitting.
Shakespeare
It is considered the best onion among the latest Dutch varieties for winter plantings. It is very cold-resistant and not afraid of diseases and pests, it also has resistance to shooting. Bulbs of large size and slightly flattened shape are distinguished by a semi-sharp taste. Early ripening onions – the growing season can last as little as 2,5 months.
Stuttgart Riesen
Another variety that can be planted at any time of the year. It is equally suitable for both autumn and spring planting. Since it differs in medium ripening terms and unpretentiousness, it will have time to ripen in almost any conditions. The bulbs are quite large, flattened with golden brown scales. The taste is semi-sharp. The bulbs keep pretty well too.
Ellan
The sweetest onion variety of those intended for winter plantings. It is characterized by early ripeness and cold resistance. This is a typical representative of short-day varieties, and is able to ripen by the beginning of June, when other onions are still far from ripening. It has a good yield, the bulbs are round, with straw-colored scales.
Rules for choosing bulbs and planting
Let’s say you have chosen for yourself the best varieties for planting before winter. But that’s not all. So that your efforts are not wasted, the following rules must be observed when selecting onion sets for planting.
- If you have any doubts about the resistance to bolting of the selected variety, plant only the smallest bulbs, no more than 1 cm in diameter. Moreover, if bulbs of such a small size come to you in any way, then plant them for the winter, do not even thinking about their varietal affiliation. You still won’t be able to save them until spring, but you will get at least some, but a harvest.
- Sevka – your planting material – should not smell of rot, mold and dampness, and it should rustle pleasantly.
- Sevok should not contain traces of infections, stains, scratches and other mechanical damage.
- Immediately spread the seedlings in size and plant only planting material of the same fraction in one place in order to avoid problems with heterogeneous germination in the spring.
- All bulbs should be firm and dense.
Winter onions are planted to a depth of about 10 cm, between the bulbs there should also be about 10 cm, and the row spacing can be increased to 10-15 cm. Planting dates are determined depending on the weather conditions in the region, but 20-30 days after landing.
It is advisable to mulch winter ridges with straw or spruce branches or other organic material.
Planting onions before winter is not at all as difficult as it seems and allows you to save time and effort in the spring, when any gardener really needs them.
