It’s hard to find someone who wouldn’t like spring onions. People are so used to this ordinary vegetable, which grows in almost everyone in the garden and is present in the kitchen of any housewife, that they take it for granted.
Only in winter, when the abundance of greenery disappears from our tables, and the body suffers from a lack of vitamins, we give it its due. After all, green onions, the feather of which reminds us at this time of year about spring, strengthens the immune system, protecting against colds, and improves the general condition of the body.
Useful properties of green onions
The healing properties of this plant are widely known throughout the world, and the grown onion on the feather is more useful than onions.
Due to the huge number of volatile products that form in it, onion is considered the No. 1 remedy in the fight against many infections and pathogenic microbes.
Since green onions contain iron, salads from it increase hemoglobin well. Onions are rich in potassium, which makes it possible to support the heart and strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
Vitamin content
Chives contain vitamins C, A, essential oils and B vitamins.
That is why its regular use provides a high level of nutrients, so necessary for the human body.
Types of onions
Growing onions on a feather is very popular. The following types are best suited for this:
- Leek, also called pearl. He does not have a bulb, but there is a rather thick whitish stalk, which is its most delicious part. Wide leaves also have a pleasant, delicate taste. The feathers are a bit like garlic. The yield of this species is 20 kg / 10 m 2 .
- Onion-batun, which has other names - sand, Tatar and duduk. It also has no onions, but compared to other types of onions, it contains twice as many useful vitamins and minerals. Onions for feathers in perennial varieties of this species can be cut up to three times during the growing season, and for annuals - once. Productivity from 10 m 2 reaches 20-30 kg.
- Shallot. This onion surpasses turnip on the number and taste of green feathers, while it is completely unpretentious in cultivation, but its yield is up to 40 kg / 10 m 2 .
- Chives, or chisel. The value of this species is that the feathers of a narrow shape reach a length of half a meter. They are very fragrant and remain tender for a long time, and the average yield is 20 kg / 10 m 2 .
- Onion slime. This is probably the most delicious onion, with a slight aftertaste and the smell of garlic, with delicate broad leaves. In addition, compared with other species, it contains significantly more vitamin C and iron. In greenhouses it grows well throughout the year, and in open ground it stops growing only with the onset of severe cold weather. Early ripening and very frost-resistant appearance, besides having a high yield.
- Onions are tiered, better known as Egyptian or Canadian. This species has the highest frost resistance, does not freeze even in severe winters, does not require any special care.
Varieties of onions
The most popular varieties that give a large crop and allow you to get an excellent onion on the feather are considered Trinity, Amber, Spassky, Arzamassky, Black Prince and Bessonovsky.
Growing Benefits
The variety of species, taste and beneficial properties contribute to the fact that the cultivation of onions on the feather becomes a mass phenomenon. After all, why not provide yourself with a tasty vegetable and a reliable protector against colds, growing it not only in the garden, but also in the greenhouse or just in your windowsill, having this storehouse of vitamins on hand all year round.
Planting onions at home in small portions, namely in the conveyor way, you will constantly have fresh fragrant greens to the table and recharge the body with useful substances and vitamins.
Probably every housewife knows how to do this, even inexperienced. You just need to put the bulbs in a pan and pour water so that it covers the roots, and periodically add water as it evaporates. Or fill a small container with a third of the earth and drop the bulbs into it.
If you are interested not only in providing yourself with onions, but also, for example, to organize a profitable family business that brings constant income, then you should start growing onions on a feather in a greenhouse. This can be done from October to April. And then from May to September to grow in the garden.
Outdoor cultivation
Despite the fact that onions can be of different types, the method of cultivation for them is exactly the same.
For planting, take a multiglidean onion sample, the bulbs of which in diameter should be no more than 4 cm. You can plant them in open ground either in the autumn, before the first frost, or in early spring, as soon as the snow completely melts.
Preliminarily, the bulbs should be soaked for a day in water slightly above room temperature. And after that, cut off the upper part from them using a conventional secateurs.
This is done so that oxygen gets into the middle of the bulb, and the onion for growth of the feather goes into growth. Thanks to this, the whole growing process is much faster, and the yield compared to the usual one is increased by 50–70%.
In addition, you need to remove excess husk from the bulbs and sort them by size. Such sorting is done because the timing of the pasture of greens in bulbs of different sizes is different. That is why in order to obtain a full crop, it is necessary to select the planting material of the same size as much as possible.
Cultivation methods
- Bridge way. The bulbs are stacked tightly to each other, while the roots are lowered down, they are covered with a layer of earth about 3 cm thick on top. Usually, about 15 kg of onion leaves on 1 m2 of area. When planting takes place in the winter, another layer of manure or humus about 6 cm thick is made from above. With the advent of spring, this layer is removed and a frame with a film is placed above the bed.
- Tape method. In this case, the bed is divided into rows with an interval of 15–20 cm, and bulbs are planted in them every 3–4 cm. Then, the bed is leveled. Shelter for the winter, as in the previous method.
Growing from seeds in open ground
Onions on a feather are grown not only by planting bulbs. You can also use seeds for this.
This method, although more time consuming, but very cheap. Especially if you take the seeds of those types of onions that are considered perennial. Since the seeds of onion turnips are much more expensive than them.
It is important to use those that are no more than two years old. Better yet, take young seeds. In addition, it is necessary to check their germination ability - it should be at least 80%. To do this, take 20 seeds and put them on a wet cloth. By the number of peckers it will immediately become clear what their quality is.
When decided on germination, the seeds must be processed. First, they are soaked in warm water for a day, changing it during this time 3 times. Then the water is drained, and the seeds are placed for half an hour in a weak solution of manganese.
After this, one more procedure should be done - in a glass of water, dilute two drops of the Epin-Extra preparation and place the seeds in this solution for 15-18 hours. Such treatment in the future will not allow the development of various fungal diseases and will provide a good harvest.
If you want to have fresh fragrant greens by spring already, sowing onion beds on the beds is recommended in the middle of summer. The main condition is that the soil for planting should be well loosened and fertilized. To do this, it is mixed with humus and superphosphate (30 g), potassium chloride (15 g), urea (15 g) and wood ash (200 g) are added to an ordinary bucket of such a mixture.
The loosened bed should be leveled and slightly tamped. Then you need to make a few shallow rows 30 cm apart and plant seeds in full.
After they sprout and they have one stronger leaf, they should be thinned out, namely, leave about 5 cm between shoots. By the end of autumn, feathers will reach about 20 cm in length. For winter, the garden bed must be mulled with peat or straw.
Seedling cultivation
Seedlings can also be grown from seeds. Onions grown from seedlings give a good harvest, and grows much faster. Seeds for seedlings must be planted 2 months before the intended planting in open ground.
Soak the seeds first in warm water and let stand for a day, then drain the water and transfer the seeds to a damp cloth. In this form, hold for another two days, moisturizing the tissue as it dries.
Then you need to prepare containers with soil. The same composition that was used when planting seeds in open ground is suitable.
The soil is poured into containers, grooves are made 1 cm deep and seeds are planted with a small distance (0.5 cm). The earth is moistened with a sprayer, covered with plastic wrap and put the containers in a dark, fairly warm place.
When the first feathers (3-4 pieces) appear on the seedlings, they can already be transplanted into the open ground.
Onions are frost resistant enough. If seedlings are grown on the eve of spring, then in April it can already be planted on beds without fear of spring frosts that may occur at this time of year.
Basic care rules
The cultivation of onion feathers does not require special conditions and special care, but nevertheless, in order to get a good harvest, do not neglect the basic rules:
- Young shoots must be watered often enough.
- Weeds should be disposed of immediately, as they can obscure the shoots, and loosen the soil as needed to provide oxygen access to the root system.
- Periodically, fertilizing should be performed . They are poured between the rows, and then covered a little with earth.
Growing onions in a greenhouse
From late October to early April, it is best to grow onions on a feather in a greenhouse.
For planting take a one-year or two - year onion samples. Landing is carried out only by the bridge method.
Bulbs are presoaked in warm water for 24 hours and then firmly laid in the soil. If the tops of them are cut off, then in the greenhouse there is no need to sprinkle them with anything.
A good crop can be achieved if the bulbs are planted in special containers filled one third with peat, humus or compost. After planting, they are still sprinkled with a thin layer of soil. When the area of the greenhouse is small, such containers can be placed on racks, which will give a greater yield of finished products.
Half a month after the onion was planted to distill the pen, the temperature in the greenhouse is required to be maintained no higher than +20 ° .
It should also be noted that for the entire growing season, onions must be watered at least five times. And remember - the use of chemicals is strictly prohibited!
The collection of the pen can begin when it reaches a length of 30-40 cm.
The article provides various ways of growing onions on a feather. No matter how and under what conditions the onion is grown on the feather, the main thing is to follow the basic recommendations and rules of care, then the reward for hard work will be a good harvest of this useful and irreplaceable plant.