Onion is a healthy, tasty and popular vegetable, striking with a variety of varieties: early and late, sweet and spicy, red and white, prone and high-yielding. Even the smallest personal plot cannot do without it. In order to get an excellent crop of this crop, it is necessary first of all to select a variety with suitable qualities: taste, ripening period, stability, yield and shelf life with minimal losses.
Variety of varieties
Depending on the region and growing conditions, onion varieties are conditionally divided into two groups:
- For the northern regions. Such varieties are distinguished by a pronounced pungent taste and excellent keeping quality.
- For the southern regions. Such onions are not too sharp, but not stored for long. Most often these are salad varieties.
White onion is also widespread. It differs from the usual sweeter and more delicate taste. This is a salad look. Its disadvantage is the short shelf life and low instability to diseases and pests.
Depending on the ripening period, varieties are distinguished:
- The early ones. Vegetative period up to 100 days.
- Medium onion varieties (100-120 days).
- Late. Ripen in more than 120 days.
Bulb size is:
- small - up to 50 g;
- average - 50-100 g;
- large - 100 g or more.
Early ripe varieties
Almost all early varieties of this onion are spicy. They have good keeping quality, long shelf life and are distinguished by a large amount of essential oils and sugar. Their disadvantage is low productivity. Almost all early varieties of onions are suitable for cultivation in any region. But in the south they can be planted as an annual crop by sowing seeds for seedlings and get a rich harvest already in the same year. Consider the best early varieties of onions, description, reviews.
Heroic strength
An early variety, characterized by amazing large-fruited. the bulbs are beautiful, round, one-dimensional. The weight of 1 onion can reach 500 g. This variety of onion is undemanding to the soil, but it needs organic top dressing. Due to the sweet, mild taste, it is grown mainly for salads. You can grow by sowing seeds, getting a good harvest already this season.
This onion grade received the best reviews. Marked:
- large-fruited;
- consistently high productivity;
- the taste is sweet and delicate;
- good keeping quality.
Carmen
This red onion variety is bred by Dutch breeders. You can start mass harvesting approximately 80-85 days after planting the seed. Productivity is quite high. With 1 m 2 you can collect up to 1.5-2 kg of onions. Plant height up to 30 cm. Average weight - 70 g. The shape is round-flat, the density of the pulp is average. The inside is purple. The taste is not very sharp, even slightly sweet with a pronounced aromatic aroma. Red onion contains a lot of useful substances. This is a rich source of vitamin C. It is considered an excellent tool for raising immunity, as well as for the prevention and treatment of many diseases. It is recommended to use for people with high cholesterol. Red onion prevents the appearance of malignant tumors, slows the growth of cancer cells.
This variety of onion has gained popularity due to its usefulness and excellent taste.
Red Semko F1
Dutch early hybrid. Ripening period is 3 months. It can be grown as a one-year crop or from sevka in areas with medium or short daylight hours. The onion variety Red, the description of which we are considering, is one- or two-germ, single-nested. The shape of the bulbs is round, weight - 80-100 g. The upper dry scales are purple, the flesh is white, fairly dense, dark red stripes are clearly visible. The taste is peninsular. Productivity - 5-5.5 kg / m 2 . Onions are suitable for long-term storage.
Grade reviews are mostly positive. Onions are early, the form is quite beautiful, the shelf life is long, the yield is high, the taste is sweet.
Centurion
This hybrid belongs to the best varieties of onions. It was bred by Dutch breeders. Thanks to its superior qualities, it has gained worldwide popularity and distribution.
Centurion is able to grow equally well in both regions with a cold and a warm climate. The bulbs are neat, slightly elongated, of dense structure. The weight of one head can reach up to 100 g or more. The husk is bright straw. The pulp is white. From planting to harvesting takes 90 days. This variety is resistant to many diseases, does not produce arrows. The taste is slightly spicy.
Centurion is grown for personal use and on an industrial scale. Shelf life without prejudice to appearance and taste - up to 8 months.
Grade reviews are the best. Onions are productive, give a lot of seedlings, the shape is always good, the shelf life is long.
Stuttgart Riesen
The variety was bred by German breeders. Today it is very popular among gardeners and summer residents. The culture is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to weather conditions, due to which it can be grown in different regions. This is an early ripe variety. Ripening period is 95-100 days. Bulbs are quite large, flattened, weight - about 130-150 g. Onion variety Stuttgart Riesen is suitable for cooking healthy salads, canning, freezing. It has a juicy flesh that tastes good. Superficial husks are milky, brown-yellow or yellow. The onion has white flesh, juicy enough, pleasantly sharp. Stuttgart Riesen is resistant to downy mildew, so there is no need to treat it with chemical agents, which is important for amateur gardeners.
Summer residents love the variety for their high yield, good bulb size, excellent keeping quality and a decent presentation.
Let us further consider mid-season onion varieties, description, photos, reviews.
Mid-season varieties
The growing season of such crops reaches 100-120 days. Through planting sowing, cultivation in various regions is possible. Mid-season varieties are well-stored, suitable for transportation over long distances. Harvest can be pickled, pickled and consumed fresh. Consider the most popular varieties of onions, photos, description.
Bessonovsky
One of the oldest varieties grown in Russia. Bulbs are small, flattened or rounded, weighing up to 60 g. Scales are tight-fitting, golden yellow. The taste is quite spicy. Shelf life is long - up to 9 months. Besson's bow has a good presentation. Productivity is average. From 1 m 2 beds you can collect 1.5-2 kg of onions. The variety is not very resistant to disease. May be affected by downy mildew and decay. For the prevention of planting, it is recommended to spray with drugs against pathogens.
According to reviews, this is a budget variety that has good characteristics: good keeping quality, average yield and a sharp taste.
Hercules
The onion variety Hercules is very popular among summer residents. It is characterized by a fairly high yield (they collect up to 7-8 kg with 1 m 2 ), unpretentiousness in care and a long shelf life. With proper storage, onion rots very rarely and does not lose its beneficial qualities throughout the entire period. Bulbs have a pleasant mild taste and aroma. The onion variety Hercules, the description of which we are considering, is resistant to pests. It grows well in open ground and in the greenhouse. Can be planted in the winter.
The Hercules onion variety, the description of which we examined, received the best reviews. Good yields, undemanding conditions of maintenance and care, and good adaptation to an arid climate were noted.
Sturon
Dutch variety loved by many farmers and gardeners. Onions received wide recognition due to their unpretentiousness and long-term storage. The technical maturity of the bulbs occurs after approximately 115 days. It can be grown in regions with a warm and temperate climate. Cultivate onion sets can be either annual or biennial cultivation.
Bulbs are large, weighing up to 220 g. The shape is elongated, which is very convenient when slicing it. Upper husk tan. The taste is moderately sharp. The onion variety Sturon, the description of which we are considering, is distinguished by excellent keeping quality: it is remarkably stored throughout the winter, without losing its taste. Due to this characteristic, it is often grown for commercial purposes. Productivity is average. From 1 ha of land, an average of 29 tons of crop is harvested. The variety is resistant to many diseases, which allows you to get a crop without the use of chemicals. It is grown both in open ground and in greenhouses for greenery.
The onion variety Sturon, the description of which we examined, received good reviews. He is not inclined to shoot, tolerates frost well, is disease resistant, is not demanding in care, is distinguished by excellent keeping quality.
Chalcedony
Brought a grade of the Moldavian Institute of Horticulture. The pulp is white, quite juicy. The shape of the bulbs is round or oval, the taste is sharp, but not caustic. Weight - up to 90 g. Chalcedony gained popularity due to a fairly high yield: from 1 m 2 you can collect 5-7 kg of onions. The outer scales are bronze with a brown tint. A feature of the variety is that during the growth of the bulbs are above the ground, which accelerates and facilitates their ripening and harvesting. Despite the fact that the bulbs are quite large, the yield largely depends on the fertility of the soil and climatic conditions. Chalcedony contains a large amount of vitamins, folic acid, carotene, essential oils. According to reviews, this vegetable has a beautiful appearance and excellent spicy taste. Valued for long storage without loss of vitamins and palatability.
Let us consider later onion varieties, description.
Late grades
The growing season in late varieties is an average of 120 days. They have a long shelf life, have excellent taste and have a universal purpose. Consider the best varieties of onions.
Bamberger
New variety recommended for feather and turnip cultivation. Inside, the color of the onion is milky white, the upper dry scales are yellow. Bulbs are small (70-80 g), elongated. The taste is soft, sweet, so onions are often used to make salads.
Among the reviews of gardeners, there are no descriptions of any shortcomings of this variety. Most often, he is praised for his very pleasant taste, juiciness, crisp flesh, unpretentiousness, convenient shape, long shelf life, resistance to fungal diseases.
Globo
Late-ripe variety of salad purpose. From planting seeds to harvesting - 165-170 days. Refers to the budget option. It is popular due to the ability to grow bulbs from seeds. It is recommended to grow through seedlings.
The bulbs are very large, weighing up to 600-700 g, the shape is widely elliptical, dry scales have a rich yellow color. The taste is sweet enough, the flesh is juicy, without a pungent onion smell. It can be grown in different regions of Russia. The variety is resistant to disease. Productivity is high.
Gardeners love the variety for its sweet juicy flesh and the absence of a pungent onion. It is ideal for salads and other dishes.
Red baron
Red bulbs are famous for their exquisite taste and special benefits. They have many antioxidants that help the human body fight infections, aging and cancer cells. The variety is suitable for cultivation in different climatic conditions. The pulp is red and juicy, bringing a certain zest to fresh vitamin salads. Bulbs of a rounded shape, homogeneous structure and high density, flakes purple or red. The flesh is crispy, very pleasant to the taste, bitterness is absent. Red Baron is resistant to fusarium, re-sporosis and root rot. Productivity is high. The ripening period is 125 days. Productivity is stable, keeping quality is good.
Mistresses love this onion and often use it in salads. When touched, the red color does not transfer to other components of the dish. According to reviews, Red Baron is well kept.
Excisible
Bred a Dutch breeders. The growing period is long (80-85 days), so the seedling method is recommended. In many regions of Russia, just such a method allows you to get high yields. Bulbs are distinguished by their large size. Subject to the rules of agricultural technology with 1 m 2 you can get a fairly large crop (3 kg or even more). Bulb weight - from 120 to 500 grams. In addition to good yield, this variety has excellent taste. Bulbs are sweet, without bitterness. But they can not be stored for a long time, since they are of salad purpose.
The variety is popular due to its large size and good taste.
Winter varieties
There are so-called winter varieties of onions, which are planted before winter. They are not susceptible to shooting, during the winter they do not freeze. Sews are planted late in the fall. This is done so that in warm weather the pen does not begin to grow.
Radar
This winter variety is easy to care for, resistant to adverse climatic conditions. The foliage is dark green, round bulbs with dense pulp. Weight reaches 300 g. Scales are golden yellow, dry and strong. The variety is resistant to diseases and pests, is not prone to shooting, unpretentious in care. From planting to harvesting - 250 days. It is not recommended to grow in one place for more than 2 years.
Radar is very popular among gardeners. He is loved for resistance to adverse conditions, ease of care and great benefits.
Shakespeare
Winter Dutch variety of early ripening (75 days from planting). The bulbs have a clear round shape, the bottom is yellow, the top is light brown. Shakespeare is not susceptible to shooting. It has a dense, juicy flesh and semi-sharp taste. The variety is resistant to most diseases. Bulbs are large (up to 100 g). The dense cover allows you to tolerate fairly low temperatures (-18 0 C) even without snow.
Leek
This is a two-year plant, although in the south of our country it can be grown as a perennial crop. Bulbs are long silver-white, oblong in shape, the taste is much more tender and aromatic than that of onions. There is a high content of vitamins, potassium. The variety has diuretic properties.
The plant starts quite slowly - the seeds begin to germinate in fragile small sprouts. But after two months, the leek reaches royal sizes, which are atypical for bulbous plants — a height of 1-1.5 m, a food organ (“leg”) weighing up to 400 g.
Flat long garlic-like leaves grow like a fan. The size of the white stem depends on the ripening period and variety. In later varieties, the leg is short but more massive, in early species it is long and thin. Leeks have a long growing season: in early ripening varieties - 100-130 days, in medium varieties - 140-160 days, in later ones - 190-200 days.
Varieties of leeks
Early ripe varieties. To get early production, plant summer or fast-growing varieties. Their cleaning starts in August. A characteristic sign of precocity is a thin stalk, the light part of which reaches a length of up to 50 cm. Early production is mainly used for summer consumption and processing.
The best varieties of leeks:
- Columbus is a Dutch variety with excellent palatability. The adult plant is not tall (up to 80 cm), the stem is up to 20 cm, the diameter is up to 6 cm, the weight is up to 400 g.
- Vesta is a variety of domestic selection. Beginning of ripening - after 120-125 days from sowing. The adult culture is powerful, up to 1.5 m tall, a fan of leaves is light green. The taste is sweet.
- The trunk of an elephant is a variety that forms a false bleached stem up to 30 cm in length. Has a good quality bleached parts, pleasant sweet taste. It remains in the sand for up to several months.
Mid-season grades. Autumn leek varieties form a more powerful and thicker "leg", the length of which is about 40 cm. The leaves are also quite large, green with a waxy gray plaque. If you leave the plant in the ground and cover well, after winter it will grow back and produce seeds for the next year. The shelf life of mid-ripening varieties is up to 2–2.5 months.
The best varieties:
- Casimir is a domestic highly productive variety with a dense, high-quality bleached “leg”, the average length of which is up to 30 cm. It is a tall plant with green, almost vertical leaves. Casimir is quite demanding on moisture and nutrition, it is advisable to grow seedlings.
- Winner - grown as an annual and as a perennial culture. This is a medium-sized plant with gray-green leaves with a bluish bloom. The length of the white part is 15-20 cm, the diameter is approximately 4 cm. The variety is highly frost-resistant, so it can be grown in cold regions.
Medium late and late varieties. Since the growing season of winter varieties is 180-200 days, they do not have time to ripen in the Urals, Siberia and other regions, where the frost-free period is not more than 150 days. Such varieties have a short and thickened bleached part and are characterized by high cold resistance.
The best varieties include: Alligator, Karantansky, Bandit, Autumn giant.