Content
The name “family bow” evokes emotion and misunderstanding among many. This onion crop looks like an ordinary onion vegetable, but at the same time it has a unique taste and health benefits. Shallots, the heads of which are slightly smaller than the usual onions, are called family or simply family. They quickly produce dense greens and ripen. During the growth process, such onions do not form shoots, and the harvested vegetables can be stored for 2 years without loss of quality. Another feature of the crop is resistance to freezing, and therefore many farmers are interested in whether it is possible to plant family onions for winter. But by actually planting the plant in the fall, it will be possible to speed up the process of obtaining green feathers and turnips next year, and thereby protect the crop from parasitism by the onion fly. However, it is very important to choose the right time for planting and observe some features of the event.
It's time to sow onions
In the fall, after harvesting, the gardener has free time, which can be spent on sowing onions.Planting before winter allows you to get the first green feathers for salad in early spring and increase the yield of the crop as a whole. The thing is that during the spring melting of snow, onions accumulate moisture in the soil and rationally distribute nutrients. As a result of this effect, the yield of family onions increases by 15-20% due to an increase in the mass of each vegetable.
The ripening period for family onions is only 50-60 days, but the plant, before intensifying its growth after planting, remains in a dormant phase for a long time. Therefore, it is possible to grow two crops of this crop in one season only if it is planted in the fall before winter.
It is recommended to plant family onions in the fall 40-50 days before the onset of stable frosts. During this period, daytime temperatures can vary from 0 to +50C, at night there may be a slight “minus”. With such indicators, the soil temperature will be positive and the onions will have time to take root. When planting in autumn, the most important condition is that family onions are highly resistant to freezing, only if there is a developed root system.
Selection of planting material
For planting a family onions for winter you can use seeds or sets. Seeds must meet their expiration date. If stored correctly, small grains will sprout first in mid-autumn, take root well and successfully overwinter. You have to choose the seeds more carefully:
- Large bulbs with a diameter of 5-7 cm often bolt and form a nest of many small bulbs, which are of low commercial quality.
- A bulb with a diameter of 1-2 cm is the most suitable planting material, which will produce 10 large, full-fledged bulbs next year.
Planting material must be healthy. There should be no signs of pests and diseases on its surface.
Not all are suitable for winter planting heirloom onion varieties. Some of them shoot when spring arrives. To prevent this from happening, you need to grow varieties and hybrids “Sprint”, “Seryozhka”, “Garant”, “Debut”, “Krepysh”.
Soil preparation
It is recommended to grow heirloom onions in sunny areas of the land, without excess moisture. It is necessary to plow the soil and add fertilizer to it a month before autumn planting. For every 1 m2 soil you need to add 5-6 kg of humus and 60-80 g of double superphosphate. Wood ash can be used as a source of phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizers should be applied to the entire area of the site so that the root system can independently supply itself with minerals during development. If there is a lack of fertilizers, nutrients can be supplied using the nesting method, which is less effective in this case.
In autumn, it is important to maintain a high level of soil moisture. If necessary, the soil should be irrigated before and after sowing onions until frost occurs. A sufficient amount of moisture will allow the family to grow a powerful root system and successfully overwinter.
Two ways to plant onions in autumn
The method of growing family onions depends on the choice of planting material, so we will consider the work on autumn planting of sets and seeds separately.
Shallot sets
Before planting, it is recommended to treat the seedlings with a light solution of potassium permanganate and then with a growth stimulator. The use of these drugs will disinfect the surface of the bulbs and speed up the germination process by an average of 2 weeks. Under the influence of humic substances, onion resistance to diseases and pests also increases.
It is recommended to plant family onions in rows, the distance between which should be at least 25 cm. The depth of planting material should be 3-4 cm. You should not place the sets tightly together in one row, since each onion forms large nests. The optimal distance is 25-30 cm between the bulbs in one row.
You can create the best conditions for wintering onions using mulch from straw and humus. In the northern regions, with the appearance of snow, it is recommended to create additional protection against freezing by throwing a cap of snow. Next year, with the arrival of warmer weather, the mulch should be removed from the ridge so that the soil warms up faster.
Shallot from seeds
Before sowing, onion seeds must be soaked in water with the addition of growth stimulants. Seeds, like seedlings, need to be sown in rows located at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Onion seeds should be buried 1-1.5 cm. When sowing, try to carefully place the planting material in the furrows at a distance of 15-20 cm. After sowing, the soil on the ridges must be compacted and mulched. When sowing seeds at the end of August, by mid-September it will be possible to observe the appearance of onion greens.At this time, the seeds form the same set, which will naturally take root, successfully overwinter and give a good harvest next year.
Many gardeners fail to grow heirloom onions on their plots year after year. The most common reason for this is that the planting is too dense. Closely located heads interfere with each other, trying to get more sunlight, moisture, and nutrients. As a result of such cultivation, the owner will receive a meager harvest of low quality.
Conclusion
More interesting and important information about winter planting family onions can be found in the video:
The specialist will give advice that will allow you to choose the right planting material and successfully plant onions in the winter. A visual demonstration of the planting process will help every gardener cope with the agricultural task of growing the most useful and productive onions.
Family onions are very useful and productive. For a season from every 1 m2 of land you can collect up to 10 kg of this vegetable. However, such amazing results can only be achieved if the rules of planting and growing are followed. We tried to tell you in as much detail as possible about planting a family before winter. We hope that following our recommendations will be an excellent start towards obtaining a rich harvest of good vegetables.
