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The onion harvest next year depends on the quality of the onion sets. Sets are obtained from nigella seeds. Many gardeners buy it in the store, but you can grow this crop yourself. The yield of onion next season depends on how accurately you can determine the period for collecting onion sets.
85–95 days after sowing, the onion set ripens. However, this does not mean that after this time it should be dug up. When to remove onion sets from the garden? This will be discussed in the article.
Stop watering
In the middle zone, it is better to stop watering onion sets in the last ten days of July. During this period, the above-ground part of the vegetable should already be formed, and due to the lack of watering, bulbs will begin to form. The underground part of the onion may stop growing even due to rain. This is due to the fact that in moist soil, the onion set directs all its forces to the growth of greenery, while the bulb is at rest. In dry soil, the underground part will begin to grow again.
Onion harvesting
How to determine when to dig onions? To do this, take the average ripening period of onion sets, which is 70 days.If we determine by month, then the ripening of onion sets occurs in August - September. Two factors influence when the crop will be harvested: the characteristics of growing the seed and the time of planting.
Summer residents manage to slow down or speed up the ripening process of onion sets. Of course, when calculating the ripening period of a vegetable, it is important to take into account the climatic conditions of the region.
For example, in the Urals and Siberia it is impossible to predict what the weather will be like in the summer. In dry and hot climates, onions ripen faster, while in cool and wet climates they will take longer. You need to dig up onions after the first frost, and they occur at different times in different regions. Also a good sign that the harvest needs to be harvested is when the green mass of the vegetable dries out.
When the above-ground part of the crop falls to the ground and its neck becomes thinner, the collection of sets begins. And here you should not delay it so much, as if you miss just a week, the plant will grow new roots, which is why the collected bulbs will not be stored well in the winter. Well, on the other hand, if you start harvesting onions ahead of time, before signs of ripening appear, then scales will not form on the bulbs and the neck will not have time to dry out. As a result, it will not be possible to save planting material. Unripe vegetables should be harvested only at the onset of the rainy season.
According to the lunar calendar
Some gardeners believe that the best way to determine harvest time is the lunar calendar. Thus, the most favorable phases of the moon are determined in order to dig onion sets and other plants.
If you don't have a calendar, you can harvest on the full moon. According to statements, at this time the fruits have the greatest nutritional value.
Preparing for cleaning work
If you follow all the rules during the harvesting process of onion sets, they will be stored in storage until spring and will save all the beneficial substances. To do this you need:
- Place the above-ground part of the vegetable on the ground if it is not drooping.
- Stop systematic watering.
- Harvest on dry and warm days. The fact is that due to dampness and moisture, rot forms in the bulbs, as a result of which the entire crop may die.
- Harvesting onion sets is painstaking work that requires patience and delicacy. Mechanical shocks and sudden movements damage the bulbs, so extreme care is required during the harvesting process.
- The harvested crop should be dried. In dry weather, you can leave it to dry directly on the beds. If the weather is not pleasant, then the collected onions can be laid out under a canopy or in a well-ventilated area.
Features of digging up seedlings
How you dig up the onion set will determine how well it will be preserved until spring. Bulbs damaged by garden tools will deteriorate very quickly. Therefore, this issue should be taken seriously.
There are a number of rules by adhering to which you can carefully harvest the entire crop without damaging it:
- The best time to dig up onions is in the morning.
- A tool that minimizes the likelihood of damaging bulbs is a fork. Using a shovel can ruin the entire harvest of seedlings. Damaged bulbs should be used for cooking on the same day they were removed from the ground.
- After digging the bulbs, they need to be thoroughly dried.
If you pull it out of dry soil, there is a high probability of the stem breaking.As a result of such actions, the collected onions will not be stored well.
Drying sets
After the harvesting work, the onion sets begin to dry. This usually takes 14 days. This time is enough for the bulbs to absorb nutrients from the green mass of the plant and dry well. To do this, lay the onion on a dry surface, and the layer should be thin. To ensure even drying, it is recommended to stir the scattered onions from time to time.
Next, it needs to be moved under the roof, to the veranda or attic. The main thing is that the drying area is ventilated. The bulbs dry well in a draft.
Poorly dried bulbs are susceptible to various diseases, including neck rot and downy mildew. After two weeks after the start of drying, you need to trim the leaves from the bulbs, leaving a neck of 2-3 cm. Then you need to cut off the roots under the heel of the bulb, but do not touch it.
For further drying, the onions must be moved to a room with an air temperature of 25–30°C. At the final stage of drying, it is advisable to increase the air temperature to 40°C. In this case, the crop will be stored better, since all pathogenic bacteria will die in it. But here, too, it is important not to overdo it; overdried onions will begin to peel off their scales, which will shorten their shelf life. Well-dried onions have a husk that is solid and quite dense, rustles in the hands and does not have any foreign odors unusual for onions.
Storage Features
Once you have determined when to pick onions, it is important to understand what conditions should be for storing vegetables so that they last until spring.So, the storage location should be dry and fairly warm, with no access to sunlight. As a rule, the harvest is placed in nets or wooden boxes. The level of humidity and temperature in the room affect the safety of the seeds.
Bulbs that will be used for food are stored at a temperature of 1–3°C. Sevok can be stored in a room where the air temperature reaches up to 20°C. The optimal humidity level that will not lead to spoilage of onions is 70–80%. With higher humidity levels, the bulbs will begin to sprout.
Before storing onions, check each bulb for damage. Otherwise, the entire crop will rot long before planting. Check the bulbs from time to time to promptly remove any that have sprouted or withered. By following the recommendations outlined in the article, you will be able to remove onion sets in a timely manner and store them until planting. We invite you to expand your knowledge on the issue of growing onion sets by watching the video material accompanying the topic:
