Planting onions before winter

Almost all gardeners grow onions. Many people encounter the same problem. The bulbs often go into the arrow, which is why the yield suffers. Some decided to grow their own seedlings for planting. However, this is too troublesome. In addition, if the seed is stored incorrectly, the bulbs will still bloom and will not produce the desired harvest. Based on this, some gardeners decided to plant onions in beds before winter. This method is in great demand as it gives excellent results. In this article we will look at all the advantages of such a landing and learn how to plant onions before winter.

Advantages of planting before winter

Everyone knows that the best onions grow from small wild oats. Such bulbs (no more than a centimeter in diameter) can be bought inexpensively at any market. Such seed material is poorly stored. If you plant plants in the spring, then most often the onions begin to bloom. Autumn planting in this case is the best option.

Classification of planting material:

• “ovsyuzhka” – onion with a diameter of no more than 1 cm;
• “selections” – larger bulbs, up to 3 cm;
• first category – from 1 to 1.5 centimeters;
• second category - the diameter of the bulbs ranges from 1.5 to 3 centimeters.

Selections are most often used for growing green onions. But wild oatmeal is perfect for planting in late autumn. Onions are planted densely, maybe in nests of 3 or 4 pieces. This way, even if not all the bulbs sprout, you can still get a bountiful harvest. In the spring, the plants can be thinned out as needed.

The advantages of this method also include a fairly early harvest. Typically, ripe vegetables are harvested in July. Thanks to this, a lot of space will be freed up in the beds and it will be possible to sow your favorite greens or some early ripening vegetable crops.

Onions planted in autumn germinate faster weed. When it comes to weeding the bed, you won’t have to worry about touching delicate plants. They will already grow up well and become noticeable. It’s definitely impossible to pull them out along with unwanted vegetation.

For commercial purposes, it is much more profitable to plant onions just before winter. Early vegetables are usually much more expensive than those sold during the mass harvest. This crop is stored much better, as it is healthier and stronger than onions planted in the spring. In addition, in the spring you have to plant a huge number of plants. So autumn planting will save your time and effort.

When to plant seed

As you know, you can plant onions in beds both in autumn and spring. True, the first method, for some reason, was not in great demand before. Residents of Siberia, the Urals and the Moscow region are most worried about whether it is worth planting onions for the winter. Indeed, not every variety tolerates wintering well, especially in cold climates. Fortunately, many winter varieties have been developed today. They feel great in the ground throughout the winter. Let's find out when to plant onions before winter.

Onions are planted before winter, taking into account the climatic conditions of your region. In warm areas, onions are planted until November. Typically, seedlings are planted towards the end of October. In colder regions, planting takes place before mid-October. Since autumn was cold in 2017, you can plant the seedlings a little earlier than usual.

It is very important to choose the ideal time for planting. By the time it gets cold, the onion should take root in its new location and take root. If the seed is planted too early, the plant may germinate and simply freeze. But this does not mean that it is better to plant the bulbs before the frost itself. In this case, the plant simply will not have time to take root and, most likely, will freeze. Some gardeners believe that it is best to plant towards the end of November. But if in warm regions this is still at least somehow justified, then in Siberia you just have to hope for luck.

After which crop will onions grow best?

Some gardeners do not attach much importance to crop rotation. However, rotating vegetable crops can significantly affect yields. Onions grow well after grain crops (not counting oats). Also good predecessors are cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, cabbage, peas, rapeseed, beans and carrots.

What about the bow itself? Many people wonder whether it is possible to plant it in one bed for several years in a row. This crop should not grow in one place for more than two years. After onions and garlic, the soil must rest for four years. At this time, you can grow vegetables from the list above on it. By the way, after such crops you can get a second onion harvest. At the same time, it must be planted before the end of July, otherwise it will not be possible to reap a good harvest.

Preparing onions for planting

At this stage, you should determine for what purpose the plant is grown. To obtain high-quality greens, take a sample (up to 3 cm in diameter). Such a large onion will most likely go to waste, so it is used only for growing greens. To obtain large fruits, take the smallest bulbs. It is this kind of seed that will allow you to grow onions.

Some gardeners grow several types of onions at once. In this case, you will have to sort the seed. However, you should not cut off the necks of the fetus. Oatmeal and sets are excellent for planting in the autumn season. Over the winter, such fruits may simply dry out and become unusable. Therefore, plants are planted in the fall.

Soil preparation

Autumn planting of onions will be successful only if the site is chosen correctly. The soil for growing plants should be light and fertile. Purulent-sandy, well-drained soil is ideal. Equally important is the location of the site. It should be on the south or southwest side. It is advisable to have plants on the site that will protect the onions from the north wind.

When preparing the soil, you should dig up the bed with the addition of humus and mineral fertilizers. Per square meter of plot you will need approximately five or six kilograms of humus, up to 15 grams of potassium salt and no more than 25 grams of superphosphate. You can replace these minerals with ready-made ecophosphate. Directly before boarding When planting seeds, the soil should be sprinkled with wood ash. To do this, take approximately 10 grams of ash per square meter of bed.

How to plant winter onions

Planting onions in the fall is no more difficult than planting in the spring:

1. First you need to loosen and level the soil in the garden bed using a rake.
2. Then furrows are made in the soil five centimeters deep at a distance of up to 20 centimeters.
3. The set must be dry. The prepared bulbs are placed in furrows at a distance of 5 to 7 centimeters from each other.
4. The furrows are filled with dry soil and compacted slightly.
5. Most often, the garden bed is not watered at all. But if it doesn’t rain within 10 days after planting, you can slightly moisten the soil.
6. After the onset of frost, the bed is sprinkled with dry leaves, pine needles or spruce branches. It is advisable to cover the leaves on top with branches, otherwise they will simply be blown away by the wind.
7. In regions with cold winters without snow, you can build an additional shelter for the bed from film.

Caring for winter onions

Caring for this plant is quite simple and quick. First of all, remove the film from the garden bed.This is done as soon as the soil begins to warm up in the spring. After seven days, the mulch will also dry out. This means that leaves and branches can be removed from the garden bed. Then you need to sprinkle the soil with wood ash and lightly loosen the top layer of soil. Ash is taken at the rate of ten grams per square meter of land.

The shelter should be removed as soon as it gets warmer. If you delay, the seedlings may get wet, and the mulch will prevent the sprouts from sprouting. Further care mainly consists of loosening the soil and weeding. This should be done after every rain. If there is no rain for a long time, it is necessary to water the plants, after which the soil must be loosened.

Before fertilizing, it is necessary to thin out the seedlings as needed. Picked young onions can be used for food. Superphosphate (up to 20 grams) and potassium (up to 15 grams) per square meter are used as fertilizer for plants. All this, along with the ash, is dissolved in an infusion of herbs. Organic lovers can use liquid chicken manure to feed plants.

If spring is rainy, then there is no need to water the beds. This is done in dry times and no more than once a week. The main pest in this case is the onion fly. To protect the garden bed from it, calendula or marigolds should be planted around the area. The aroma of these plants will scare away the fly and thereby protect the future harvest.

When to plant winter onions in different regions

The timing of planting and care largely depends on the area.Let's look at how onions are planted in different regions:

1. In the Moscow region, seedlings are planted in the usual way until the end of October. Planting and caring for plants are also practically the same. The only thing that can hinder the development of plants is a cold winter. Temperatures below -15°C can be detrimental to this crop. In this case, you will have to cover the bed with plastic film. This will reliably protect the plantings from freezing. But if a cold winter is accompanied by a lot of snow, then the beds are not in danger. A snowdrift holds heat well and will prevent the onions from freezing.
2. But in the Urals, the basic care and planting of seedlings may differ slightly from the usual method. In this case, they try to plant the plants in the beds before the end of September. If the autumn was warm, the planting period can be extended until mid-October. Here you no longer have to choose whether to cover the bed or not. A shelter must be built without fail. It is also necessary to remember that only hardy, winter-hardy onion varieties can grow in the Urals.
   
3. In the conditions of Siberia, it is difficult to guess the timing of planting. Severe frosts can ruin all your efforts. In this case, planting onions in the fall before winter is possible, but only if certain conditions are met. You will have to choose the hardiest varieties, plant the seedlings in time before the onset of cold weather, and be sure to build a reliable shelter. Then everything depends only on luck. Otherwise, it will be better to plant onions in the spring.

Suitable winter varieties

Planting winter onions in the fall will be successful only if you choose the right varieties for cultivation. So, the following varieties are suitable for planting winter onions:

• "Ruby";
• "Robin";
• "Muzona";
• "Buran";
• "Siberian annual";
• "Black Prince";
• "Tamara F1".

Conclusion

As we have been able to see, planting onions in winter has a large number of advantages. In this way, large onions can be grown much earlier than those grown in the spring. The advantages of winter planting also include saving time in the spring. We also learned when to plant onions before winter. We saw which onion precursors contribute to good growth and development of fruits. Now that you know how to properly plant onions in the fall, you can safely get down to business. We are confident that your work will be crowned with success.

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