It is impossible to imagine a garden in a suburban area without onions. Usually this useful root crop is planted in the spring. The fact that it can be grown as winter, is not known to everyone. Meanwhile, this method gives a lot of advantages. The only thing you need to choose the right variety.
Advantages and disadvantages of growing winter onions
All gardeners are well aware of how difficult it is to keep sowing until spring. When growing winter onions, this is no longer necessary. Nothing will rot and shoot arrows. Another advantage of this method is that the heads grow very large, as time for planting in the spring will not be missed in any case. Watering the onion until mid-May is absolutely not necessary, as the soil still retains enough moisture. Freed up time can be devoted to planting and caring for other crops. Winter onion varieties ripen two to three weeks earlier than ordinary spring ones. Onions can be taken on soups at the end of May.
Of course, this method of growing has its drawbacks. The main thing is that the yield of winter onions is slightly lower than that of spring. In addition, it is believed that its heads are stored slightly worse.
Winter varieties of onion sevka: selection rules
For winter cultivation, you can take only hybrids and varieties of short - medium daylight hours. They begin to form a bulb already at 12-14 hours a day. Southern varieties of onions for growing in the winter way are not suitable. Varieties intended for planting in spring are also not recommended. The fact is that they tolerate wintering much worse, and freezing, they begin to shoot. Most often, as in the case of spring onions, varieties of Dutch selection are used for planting winter crops.
Shakespeare
One of the most popular varieties for winter cultivation is Shakespeare. The heads of this onion ripen early enough (grow in 75 days). Their characteristic features include a rounded shape and large size. If we compare winter Shakespeare onions with other varieties, we can note first of all much denser integumentary scales. Thanks to this, it can withstand temperatures of -18 gr. without snow cover. For comparison, most varieties of winter onions begin to freeze already at -15 gr. The color of the scales is brown.
Shakespeare winter onions are distinguished by white juicy pulp. The taste of this variety is considered semi-sharp. His care is carried out in the usual manner.
Variety Radar
Unlike Shakespeare, another promising winter variety - Radar - has an average ripening period. Its popularity is due primarily to the excellent taste of the bulbs and their very good keeping quality. The color of the flakes in this variety is light yellow. Another distinguishing feature is the large size of the heads. Grow bulbs in 150 gr. no difficulty. In some years, with careful care, the heads of the Radar variety can reach 300 g of weight. Harvest onions Winter radar gives more than good.
Grade Ellan
Ellan variety refers to a short-day form. The straw-colored bulbs are rounded. Their weight can reach 80-120 g. The pulp is white, has a sweetish taste. The Ellan variety ripens in June, when the old onion stocks were used up and the spring heads were not yet ripe.
Other varieties
The winter varieties of onion sets described above can be attributed to the most popular. However, there are others that also deserve attention. For example, very often summer residents of central Russia grow Senshui winter onions. You can also plant in the fall such varieties as the popular and well-known Studgarten Riesen, Sturon common in Europe, the early Centurion, lying Kip-Vell and some others.
Landing time
Like winter garlic, winter onions are planted about a month before the onset of frost. In central Russia, this is approximately mid-October. With a landing, do not tighten. Unlike garlic, the dormant period of onions lasts until December - January. So, he will not be able to release the arrows and freeze in any case. Nigella is planted in mid-late August.
Seat selection
Winter plantings of onions feel good in sunny places protected from strong winds. In this case, the bed should in no case be flooded in the spring. Otherwise, the heads will be worn out. You can also not choose for planting those places where before that during the previous five years at least some bulbs were grown. Crops such as beans, potatoes, and celery are also undesirable precursors.
Preparation of beds
A bed for winter varieties of onions should begin to be prepared two weeks before planting. Dig the soil as deep as possible. At the same time, fertilizers are introduced into the beds. Humus is considered the best. You can replace it with an ecofosk (30 g per 1 m 2 ), superphosphate (20 g) or potassium salt (15 g). Higher doses of phosphorus help winter onions to winter well. This culture responds very well to ash. The beds are best done high. This will reduce the chance of freezing.
What should be the planting material
Whatever variety is chosen for cultivation, be it winter onion Radar, Shakespeare or Ellan, do not take sevocs with a diameter of more than 1 cm. Small onions do not give arrows. In addition, the heads grown from them are much better stored in the winter. Of course, the sevc selected for planting should be healthy. Bulbs with spots, damaged or rotten should be discarded.
Planting onions
Before planting, the garden bed must be loosened properly. Bulbs are planted by the hole method at a distance of 10 cm from each other in a row. Between the rows leave 25 cm. Some gardeners plant winter onions more often. However, this should be done only with a lack of space in the garden.
Preparing the beds for winter
In most cases, winter onion plantings for the winter are mulched. This reduces the risk of freezing. It is not recommended to use peat as a mulch. The fact is that the degree of thermal conductivity is very low and in the spring it thaws for a long time, delaying the development of plants. Therefore, it is best to mulch the beds with foliage, straw, spruce branches or tops. This should be done when the soil slightly freezes. Mulch is removed in the spring immediately after the start of soil thawing.
Spring and summer care
Care winter varieties of onions require almost the same as spring. In the spring, after removing the mulch, the bed should be fertilized with urea (10 g per 1 m 2 ). Further, the landing is loosened. You can sprinkle the bed on top with a small layer of ash.
After the plants form about 4 leaves, you need to do another dressing, this time 10 g of potassium fertilizer and 20 g of phosphate. Onions respond best to fertilizers applied in liquid form. Therefore, they should be dissolved in water or in a diluted infusion of herbs. Water the onions as necessary, preventing the soil from drying out. After each watering, the bed should be loosened.