Onions have long been used in the process of preparing many different dishes. That is why almost every housewife, choosing a culture for growing, prefers to plant several varieties at once. Different types of onions growing in the garden make it possible to cook different masterpieces, as well as improve their gardening skills.
There are many varieties of onions, among which a special place is occupied by lettuce.
Sweet onions are called onions of sweet varieties. It can be either white or red, or classic brownish. Light onion (photo below) is almost completely bitter. It is for this that he got his name, as it is often used to make fresh salads.
Salad Onion Varieties
By taste, such an onion can be sweet or semi-edgy. Sweet varieties include: Exibishen, Yalta, Ermak.
To the peninsulas: Black Prince, Alvina, Albion, Red Baron, Carmen, Zolotnichok, Esaul, Classics, Master, Odintsovets, Retro, Champion.
The color of the onion salad can be white (Exhibit, Albion), red (Yalta, Black Prince, Alvina, Carmen, Retro, Red Baron), classic brown (Ermak, Zolotnichok, Esaul, Odintsovets, Champion, Master, Classic) and green ( Legionnaire, Bahia Verde, Green Banner, Emerald Isle).
Description of Sweet Varieties
Exibishen white lettuce is very sweet and juicy. The ripening period is 130 days. Its turnip is round and very large - it can reach 500 g, however, there were cases when it weighed 700-800 g. The only minus of this variety is its short shelf life (up to 3 months).
The Yalta variety is a sweet salad onion belonging to red varieties. It is very appreciated for its palatability. Turnip matures in 140-150 days. The shape of the bulb is flattened on top and bottom, and the color is with purple tones. Its weight reaches 200 g. The shelf life, like that of Exebishen, is small - only four months.
Ermak is the record holder in terms of ripening speed. Its harvest can be harvested already 75-95 days after sowing. It features a soft and juicy texture. The size of the turnips is average, and it can be stored until the next season. Another plus in favor of this variety is its good immunity to environmental influences.
Description of Peninsular Varieties
The Black Prince variety has dark purple outer scales. The ripened turnip is dense and weighs about 100 g. It belongs to mid-ripening varieties, since the ripening period is 100 days. Differs in high productivity. It has a universal purpose - it can be used for salads, and for main dishes, and for canning.
Another wonderful mid-season variety of peninsular onions is Alvina. Turnip grows flat with outer scales of a violet hue. Full ripening takes 100-105 days. Its mass does not exceed 100 g, however, the variety is characterized by stable productivity.
Such a hybrid as Albion also has all the qualities of salad onions. It is white, sometimes even turning into transparent. From germination to ripeness, 90 to 120 days pass. Outside, this onion weighs 100 g dry, but inside there are juicy scales.
Red Baron - a peninsular red lettuce onion, not picky about external conditions. It gives a good harvest even in dry summers. Red-violet flattened turnips weigh 50-120 g. The bulb is dense and juicy. It is used in salads and in processing.
Green varieties
Green lettuce is most often called unripe feathers of onions, but it also has its own varieties.
It was cultivated a few millennia BC and is actively used to this day. It grows, like ordinary onions, on the territory of all continents inhabited by people.
Often it is grown from onions, but you can use onions and batons or shallots. Given the taste, it is better to collect it in the period, the turnip code is not yet fully ripe.
The following varieties of green lettuce are:
- Legionary. A powerful long-leaved plant of green color, on the surface of which a slight waxy coating is noticeable. When it ripens, the bulb does not form.
- Bahia Verde. This hybrid of onions and onions has a very large feather. Such a breeding move made it possible to significantly increase productivity in comparison with other varieties of green onions.
- Green banner. The earliest variety, from which the crop can be cut after 40 days from the appearance of seedlings. It has a soft, slightly island flavor.
- Emerald Island. Very resistant to storage variety - can be stored for a long time without special conditions. It grows well regardless of when it was sown.
Growing sweet onions
It is impossible to grow onion salad from sevka, since such varieties do not exist. The reason is that almost all varieties of sweet and semi-sharp onions are stored for up to 4 months. Growing real salad onions is possible only from seeds. In practice, the division of onions by taste (spicy, peninsular, sweet) is conditional, since the taste of turnips can change. It depends on where the onion grows.
Onions of salad varieties have medium density and contain a large amount of water, which gives juiciness to internal scales. These varieties are cultivated most often in the south. Onions are very demanding in relation to sunlight. Southern varieties are required for normal growth of daylight hours of 13-14 hours.
Growing onions from seeds is preferable than from seeds, since there is no need to deal with various diseases and pests. The reason for this is the spread of downy mildew, white rot, viruses and pathogenic nematodes that threaten the blood cell.
However, planting with seeds has its own advantages: a high level of germination, earlier a powerful assimilation apparatus is formed (as a result, larger bulbs), resistance to weeds growing nearby is developed. It is these advantages that attract when choosing a landing method.
If onions are sown on a small area, and not on a hundred hectares of the field, growing seedlings becomes more profitable.
Growing seedlings
Seedlings can be grown both in the greenhouse and on the windowsill. The best age for planting seedlings is 50-60 days.
Seeds are sown in early spring (mid-March). In the container for seedlings should be a hole in the bottom. Before the soil, a little expanded clay should be poured into it to create drainage. It is necessary to fill it with a composition of 15 cm, pre-heating it and disinfecting it. It is possible to use ordinary peat soil for sowing seeds, however, “live land” should not be present in it.
It is necessary to lay out the seeds on the prepared soil and cover them with a 0.5 cm thick soil layer. The field of this container is covered with a film and placed on the windowsill. As necessary, moisten and fertilize the soil.
The optimum temperature for seeds is 20-25 ° C. After the first shoots appear, the film is removed, and the temperature should be reduced to 16-20 ° C. High temperature causes the sprouts to stretch and weaken.
A month after the first shoots, the sprouts appear secondary roots. At this time, the soil must be saturated with moisture and a weak soil solution. This contributes to the normal growth and development of seedlings. Top dressing should be done once a week.
When the sprouts have matured and are ready for planting, in warm weather they can be left on the street and tempered for 2-3 days.
Transplanting
Planting seedlings is quite simple. Often the soil in the tank is well watered and seedlings are removed (dug up). You need to act carefully so as not to damage the roots of seedlings. It should be noted that the root hairs covering the onion roots quickly dry out, so you should not delay the planting process.
Seedlings can be planted when the soil heats up to 10 ° C. You need to plant it at the same depth at which it grew before, but before that all the roots should be straightened. Aisles should be at least 15 cm. After planting seedlings, it is necessary to irrigate with repetition in a week.
Further care is no different from caring for plants sown directly into the soil. They are mulched with humus or peat. The fertilizer layer should not exceed 2-3 cm. When caring for onions, it should be remembered that its root system is very poorly developed, therefore, an excessive amount of fertilizers can lead to the death of the plant.
Seedling from seeds does not differ in the mode of top dressing from plants grown from seed. Sweet varieties need more potassium, but nitrogen should not be zealous.
Fertilizer plants
The amount of fertilizer needed depends on the soil and weather conditions. Using manure as a fertilizer is not recommended, as this delays the bulb maturation process. In addition, fresh organic fertilizers contribute a lot of weeds.
Aged compost is a good choice as a fertilizer. It is necessary to fill the soil with phosphorus, potash and nitrogen fertilizers in certain quantities.
Growing greenery
Green lettuce is grown in the same way as onion on a turnip. All stages are repeated, but he landed more densely. The method of growing green onions from seeds is very laborious, so it is used less often. Often, green feathers are trimmed from young onions.
The period from seedling to the first cut of greens is 70-80 days, followed by cutting new feathers after 40-50 days. The amount of time before subsequent cuts depends on lighting, soil moisture, fertilizing and air temperature.
The height of a fully ripened green onion depends on the variety, but on average it is from 50 to 70 cm. You can cut the greens earlier, but in this case, young feathers will not have as many useful substances as in mature ones.
In order for the crop to be continuous, the seeds are sown every 2 weeks.
Using Salad Onion in Cooking
Different types of onions are suitable for cooking different dishes. It depends on the taste of a particular variety.
Brown lettuce is very popular among housewives, since it is most common. It is used for cooking dishes of fish, vegetables (including salads) and meat. In addition, it is suitable for decorating salted fish and mushrooms.
White onions are much softer and sweeter than classic brown (yellow). It is stuffed, grilled, stewed, added to salads, sauces and marinades.
Red lettuce is the most fragrant, so it is often used for salads, side dishes, marinades and baking. Also, it is crumbled on top of ready-made dishes. Cooking such an onion is not recommended, since when cooking it loses its color.
Green feathers of salad onions are often used as an additive in salads, meat and vegetable dishes, as well as cold soups. It is added in its raw form to where, due to onions, the taste of the ingredients (for example, cottage cheese) can be distorted.