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Onions are one of the most beloved food products and, accordingly, one of the most common agricultural crops. Common onions tolerate cool climates quite well, and growing them in any garden is almost not a hassle. The main thing is to know how to do it right and what kind of care will provide an abundant harvest.
Growing methods
There are several ways to plant onions on a turnip: from seeds (growing onions from seeds in one season is quite realistic), from seedlings, from sets. For beginners in gardening, the last method may be the easiest, since there will be less hassle than when growing from seeds. Ideally, growing from sets involves a two-year agrotechnical cycle, in which seeds are sown in the first year and small bulbs up to 2 cm in diameter are grown. But you can also buy ready-made sevok.
Before planting, the seedlings need to be sorted out, soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, and planted in open ground in the last days of April-early May. The main indicator is sufficient soil temperature, in the range of 8-12 degrees, but not less than 7. If the soil is too cold, the bow will go into the arrow.
The bulbs are deepened into the soil by 2-3 cm, at a distance of five to ten centimeters from each other. The distance depends on whether the landing will be exclusively on the turnip, or part of the onion will go to the greens. The distance between rows should be at least 25 cm, in addition, it makes sense to alternate rows of onions with rows of carrots – this is a universal scheme for mutually repelling pests.
Two to three weeks after planting, the onions must be fed with a mixture of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers. The second feeding can be carried out three weeks after the first, but reduce the amount of nitrogen, but increase potassium and phosphorus. Planting care includes loosening, watering, top dressing, pest control.
Growing onions from seeds will be more productive in regions with warmer weather and long summers, and in the Urals, early-ripening varieties should be selected for growing from seeds. Seeds must be soaked before sowing. They need to be planted in rows, planting the seeds one and a half centimeters into the soil, with a distance of about 20 centimeters between rows. After the emergence of seedlings, the rows are thinned out, leaving 2-3 centimeters between young plants. Then the onion needs to be fed.
After about a month, the onions are thinned again, leaving 8-10 centimeters between plants. This distance is the norm for growing quality bulbs. Depending on the condition of the onion and the soil, another top dressing may be needed during this period. Water the onions, depending on the weather, in two to three days. When there are frequent rains, additional watering is not required.
Video “How to plant onions”
A detailed description of planting onions for beginner gardeners and gardeners.
When we sit down
The third way is growing from seedlings, and we will consider it in more detail.
The main thing that determines the success of this method is the quality of the seeds. Seeds for seedlings must be fresh, i.e. collected last fall.
Seeds are usually sown at the end of February, but in any case not later than the first decade of March. The land for planting onions for seedlings is a mixture of garden soil and humus in a ratio of 1 to 1. The prepared soil is poured into boxes with a layer up to ten centimeters thick. Seeds fall asleep in the grooves of a centimeter depth, the grooves are repeated every five centimeters.
The boxes can be stored indoors or in the greenhouse. To get good seedlings, there must be enough light in the room. Also, at first, seedlings are often watered. Until the first shoots appear, the temperature must be maintained at a level of 23-25 degrees, then the seedlings are hardened for several days at a temperature of about 10 degrees.
In the remaining time before planting, the temperature is kept at 15 degrees, you can take out the seedlings for a short time outside. Strengthened seedlings must be thinned out, leaving seedlings at a distance of 2 cm from each other. You can plant seedlings in open ground after one and a half to two months, when young plants have at least 4 leaves. For better engraftment, the roots and leaves of seedlings are shortened by about a third of the length. Further (in the beds) caring for onions from seedlings is similar to caring for onions grown from seeds.
Benefits of winter planting
There is another way – growing the so-called winter onions. It can be grown both on a feather and on a turnip. You can also plant onions for the winter in the Urals, but preference should be given to local frost-resistant varieties. Planting onions in winter occurs no later than the end of October, when the ground has not yet had time to freeze. You can plant both small sets and seeds.
An additional plus for planting seeds is natural hardening. The sevok needs to be selected exactly small, which can dry out and turn out to be simply useless in the spring. The main principle of working with planting material is to do no harm. This means that neither the seeds nor the sets are pre-soaked in case frost hits soon after planting. Dry sevok is able to survive the winter under the snow, and pre-soaked will simply freeze.
The sevok is planted to a depth of 4-6 cm. The distance between the bulbs should be up to 8 cm, between rows up to 20. You can sprinkle the bed with dry peat or sawdust. If frosts come before snow, the bed should be covered with straw or pine needles.
In the spring, when the earth begins to thaw, the straw and the remains of peat (sawdust) are removed – this will allow the bed to warm up. After a few days, the first shoots will appear. Winter onions ripen by July. The advantages of this planting method are that cultivation is ahead of the usual agrotechnical calendar.
Onions give early shoots that will be strong by the time weeds appear, thus facilitating care, loosening and weeding. In addition, winter onions will be sufficiently developed by the time of the mass appearance of pests, which means they will not suffer so much. Turnip in such conditions grows strong and has time to dry well before winter.
The main advantage of winter planting onions, both when planting seedlings early and when laying beds for the winter, is that the plants have more time to develop. This makes them stronger. In fact, the crop is grown by 20-30% more than with standard agricultural technology, and the bulbs are better stored.
Of the optional pluses, the onion planted with sevka for the winter almost does not give arrows, that is, the reliable cultivation of turnips is ensured. You can find more free time to care for plantings. In addition, by harvesting winter onions, you can use this area for growing early vegetables or herbs.
Video “Growing onion turnips without unnecessary trouble»
Video instruction for planting onions and further care for them at their summer cottage.