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In winter, the human body already suffers from a lack of sunlight, and then the foods included in our daily diet contain insufficient vitamins. It's no secret that the longer they are stored, the more nutrients they lose. The jams and pickles carefully prepared by housewives for the winter also cannot provide us with vitamins. Buying them is expensive, and no tablet can compare with fresh herbs.
Of course, supermarkets can supply any food to our table in winter. But is it worth buying there? greenery Luke? It's not just about the price. You don’t know where and how it was grown, how much chemicals were used to fertilize it, how long, and under what conditions the greens were stored before they came to the table. But the longer the onion’s journey from producer to consumer, the fewer nutrients it contains. Perhaps we are purchasing an “empty” product, in which, apart from a dubious taste, there is nothing left. Growing onions at home is so simple that even children of primary school age can do it.
Growing onions for greens
Who among us hasn’t put a sprouted onion in a container of water in winter so that it sprouts feathers? There is probably no such person. But at the same time, I remember the lack of space on the windowsill and the disgusting smell that comes from the water if it is not changed regularly. After this, the desire to independently replenish the diet with fresh vitamin products often disappears.
We will tell you how to grow green onions at home so that they cause a minimum of trouble and do not take up much space. Of course, you can just put the turnip in a container of water and wait for the feathers to appear. But, firstly, it is unproductive, secondly, it takes a long time, and thirdly, after eating green onions once, you will wait a long time for a new batch to grow. Let's do things right from the beginning.
Preparing onions for planting
First you need to prepare planting material. Select healthy, strong onions with a diameter of about 2 cm, soak them in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes to kill pathogenic bacteria. Then fill it with warm water (about 40 degrees), put it in a warm place for a day.
You can first dissolve a tablespoon of ash with a liter of liquid, an ampoule of Epin or any fertilizer according to the instructions. This needs to be done right away, since we won’t continue to feed the grown onions - they will go to our table, there’s no need for extra chemicals. In addition, turnips contain enough nutrients to provide greens with everything they need.
Before planting the onion, remove the outer scales and cut off the top. Sometimes it is advised to remove 1-1.5 cm.But if you trim so much from a turnip with a diameter of 2 cm, what should you do with it next? Just throw it away or peel it and eat it right away! Trim off the dry top and some of the pulp underneath, the larger the onion, the more.
Onions for greens grown in water
The easiest way to grow onions for greens is by placing them in containers with water. For these purposes, you can use any glass, metal or plastic container. If you don’t need enough green onions, just to decorate dishes, you can take small jars or cups of such a size that the turnip rests on their edges with its hangers, and only the bottom is lowered into the water. Place the container on a bright windowsill and wait for the feather to grow. Don’t forget to add liquid and change it from time to time to avoid a putrid smell.
If you are going to grow a lot of onions for greens at home, jars and cups will get in the way on the windowsill. Yes, and monitoring the water level will be troublesome.
It is most convenient to grow onions hydroponically to produce greens, using a special installation that can be purchased in the store. It consists of a container for water, a tray with holes and a compressor that creates an air-water environment. Due to the fact that the bottom of the onion does not come into contact with water, it does not rot for a long time. But you will have to pay money for such an installation, and not everyone is ready for this.
To avoid unnecessary expenses, you can take a plastic egg container and use it to make an excellent device for growing green onions at home.
- Cut the container along the fold.
- Make holes in the bulges of one half.For the other, remove the protruding fragments so that the parts can be inserted into each other.
- Pour some water into half of the container with the bulges intact, place wooden skewers on top to create a gap, and cover with the container with holes.
- Place the onions in the recesses so that the bottom is directly opposite the holes.
The roots will be drawn to a source of moisture, and in two weeks you will receive fresh, vitamin-rich greens at your table.
But what if this is not enough? How to grow onions for a large family, what should those who like to eat greens three times a day do? To do this, take wide, shallow containers and place the turnips there with their bottoms down very tightly to each other. Fill with water so that it covers no more than 1/3 of the onion. Don't forget to add fluid and change it.
Onions on greens in the ground
Growing onions at home is possible in the ground. This method is suitable if you do not want to waste time monitoring the water level, replacing it and enduring an unpleasant odor, which, unfortunately, can still spread throughout the room.
Planting onions You can use any wide containers, and fill them with:
- garden soil prepared in the fall;
- any purchased soil;
- fine expanded clay;
- sawdust;
- coconut fiber;
- vermicompost.
Of course, you can use hydrogel, but why? It is expensive, but the result will not be better, except that it saves a few minutes a week on watering.
We plant the onions in the ground at a distance of 2 cm from each other, deepening them no more than 1/3. Otherwise, it may quickly rot.It’s very good if you have the opportunity to place the containers on a pallet, then you can make drainage holes in them to drain excess water. No, it doesn’t matter, just water carefully.
Watch a video showing how to make a container for growing herbs from a 5-liter bottle:
Onions for greens from seeds
How to grow onions at home in winter from seeds? Is it possible to do this? Of course, it is not forbidden to sow onion seeds in bowls or boxes, but why?
- You won’t see the harvest soon, in about three months.
- The amount of greenery obtained from sowing cannot be compared with that grown from onions.
- With nigella there will be a lot more fuss; the effort expended does not correspond to the final result.
- Growing onions from seeds is a long process; all this time the window sill will be occupied; it will not be possible to place other greens on it, from which you can get a quick return.
But if that's what you want, please do. Take wide, shallow containers with holes, place drainage at the bottom, and fill with universal soil mixture or soil mixture intended for seedlings. Seed the onion seeds to a depth of no more than 2 cm, water, wrap in transparent cellophane or cling film and place in a bright place with a temperature of about 20 degrees. After germination, the coating can be removed.
Keep the soil moist without letting it dry out. Do not forget to drain the water from the pan after watering.
Sprouted or rotten onions
When you buy a lot of onions for the winter, some of them necessarily germinate.Sometimes we discover this when the head has already rotted and the feathers have become long. They are often yellow or whitish in color, curl, and are not very pleasant to taste. To put it bluntly, it’s a shame to throw away onions. What to do?
Consider whether you have an area that is well lit but isolated from areas where people are constantly present. It is not necessary that it be warm there; above-zero temperatures are enough for green onions. In the private sector, this could be any utility room. In a multi-storey building there is a glazed loggia or balcony, even a window sill on the landing between floors is suitable for forcing onions.
If there is no such place, throw away the heads. Believe me, a little fresh herbs is not worth putting your family through the very unpleasant smell that rotting onions emit. Yes - place the turnip in a plastic container, which you don’t mind throwing away after use, pour water into the bottom and place it in a bright light. Very quickly the yellow feathers will turn green, they will need to be cut off, and the onion along with the container will need to be thrown into the trash.
Collecting onions and caring for a garden bed on the windowsill
In order for greens to grow well, minimal care is needed. There is no need to feed the onion; water it and provide as much light as possible. The best keeping temperature is from 12 to 18 degrees. Each bulb can produce greens for no more than 2 months; it can be harvested when it reaches a length of 15-20 cm.
Of course, there are some little tricks here:
- water the onions with settled warm water;
- do not cut off all the feathers at once, it is better to cut them off one by one, starting from the periphery;
- Germination should begin at a temperature of 25 degrees, when the greens grow 2-3 cm, move the container to a cool place;
- to ensure an uninterrupted supply of vitamins to the table, plant 2 batches of onions with an interval of 10 days;
- Excessive soil moisture contributes to the rotting of the turnips, which shortens the lifespan of the greenery.
Growing exotic onions for greens
In hydroponics, in addition to onions, you can grow shallots and leeks. You can plant perennial varieties in the ground that will delight you with fresh greens all year round:
- soon;
- batun;
- slime;
- jusai (having a garlicky smell);
- multi-tiered;
- chives
True, the batun onion needs to be taken out of the ground in the middle of summer, allowed to rest for 2 months, and then planted again in the container.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is easy to grow onions on a windowsill in winter. And if you show a little imagination, you can provide your family not only with vitamin greens, but also decorate your apartment.
