Features of growing onions from seeds

Soil preparation

The root system of the onion is rather weak and does not fit very deeply into the soil. Its bulbs, even in the absence of moisture, can remain at rest for some time. It is realistic to grow this vegetable crop not only with the help of seeds, but also with bulbs or onion sets. If the soil is incorrectly selected and the seeds are deeply embedded in it, then they are often capable of growing roots up.

Specialists and experienced gardeners advise placing beds for sowing onion seeds of any kind in those places of the site where they will be well warmed up by a natural source of heat - the sun. Since vegetable crops such as cabbage, tomatoes, legumes, cucumbers, potatoes perfectly nourish the soil with nitrogen, it is recommended to plant onions after them. The best types of soil for onions are loamy soils, which need to be supplemented with mineral and organic fertilizing.

When digging up a plot of land, you should add up to 3 kg of peat or about 4 kg of compost per square meter of area. The width of the beds, ideally, should be up to 80 cm, their height is planned to be no more than 15. Also, along with the above fertilizers, when digging, add nitrophoska mixed with superphosphate. Their consumption is about 1 tablespoon of each product per square meter.

A garden bed can be called prepared for sowing seeds, on which all the components will be thoroughly mixed and the earth will be leveled from above. The final stage should be watering the earth with a solution of copper sulfate - you should take 1 tablespoon of the product in a bucket of water. Several days before sowing the seeds, the soil prepared in this way is insulated using an ordinary polyethylene film.

Sowing seeds

For sowing seeds in the regions of our country, onion varieties such as Globo, Chalcedony, Strigunovsky, Timiryazevsky, Arzamassky, Odintsovets, Rostovsky, Danilovsky 301, Carmen, Svirsky and some others are best suited.

For example, Globo onion has large bulbs, the weight of which, with proper care, can be up to 700 grams. It has an interesting shape of a wide ellipse; it is characterized by the presence of light yellow scales. Its inner scales are juicy, while the upper ones are dry to the touch. Planting this plant should not be too dense. It has many advantages - it is resistant to possible diseases, it is grown from seeds for one year, it is also possible to grow it from special cassette seedlings. Such onions also have excellent taste and aroma; they can be well stored indoors until the middle of the first winter month.

Chalcedony onion has dense, rounded bulbs and is the result of crossing such wonderful varieties as Strigunovsky and Mako. It is able to grow well on fertile plots of land, sowing is carried out starting from the end of April. Bulbs of this type have white scales inside with a cream shade, which are brown-bronze on the surface.Care requires timely loosening of the soil, weeding, top dressing and watering.

Before sowing, the seeds should be sorted out to select only the largest and most viable ones. A week before sowing, it is advised to soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate. After the seeds absorb moisture well, they are laid out on a cloth soaked in water and left in a warm place. When you see the first shoots appear, the seeds should be taken to the glacier. For sowing, a plot of land is suitable, the width of which is up to a meter. First you need to level the surface of the prepared beds. After that, you need to form about five grooves, the depth of which, ideally, should be up to 3 cm.

Then, when you compact the bottom, the onions need to be sown at the rate of about a gram of seeds per two square meters of usable area. Sowing technology also includes mixing seeds with sand. When the whole procedure is completed, you need to carefully close up the furrows in the bed with moistened soil, and then level them using a regular rake for this. If you correctly carry out all the steps and adhere to the well-known sowing technology, you can expect fast and good onion germination.

If you grow onions from seeds in two stages, then the ripening of the seed will occur about three months after sowing. Thinning thickened friendly shoots is not worth it, since they are able to give a good harvest of small bulbs. When planting seedlings, it is customary to use furrows, the distance between which is up to 7 cm. The care given is almost identical to growing onions in one year, which was described above.

Video "From seed to bulb"

Care

Seed care for onion planting includes steps such as weeding, watering at recommended doses, and controlling diseases and pests that can seriously damage your future harvest.

As for watering the beds, it is recommended to carry out it once a week - this applies to the time from May to June. Only if the weather is too dry can the number of irrigations be increased up to twice a week. Moreover, its norm is from 5 to 10 liters per meter of land. In order not to interfere with the ripening of the crop, in July, you should stop watering the plantings. But if there is an unprecedented heat on the street this year, then you can water the beds a little in order to prevent the appearance of wilted onions. When watering, be careful not to damage the feathers.

When you see small weeds in the garden, you need to start fighting them mercilessly, since they interfere with the normal growth and full development of onion plantings. If you do not do this in time and start weeding already too large weeds, then you can hook the onion root system at the same time. Weeding has two functions - it makes it possible to get rid of harmful weeds and to loosen the soil so that the plants can get enough air.

If you see that the formation of leaves is too slow, you need to fertilize with urea. To do this, stir 1 spoon of the product in a bucket of water and spill the beds in such a way as to use about 4 liters of the resulting solution per square meter of area. Modern preparations purchased in specialized stores help gardeners to fight against the occurrence of diseases of vegetable crops, as well as pests.

Harvesting

To determine if it is already possible to harvest, just look at your garden. If the plant's feathers turn yellow and begin to wilt, it's time to start harvesting. Most often, this important process is carried out from July 25 to August 10. In the event that the onion can already be harvested in time, and its feathers are not yet yellow enough, you can still remove it from the beds and spot it for a couple of weeks on a plot of land well-lit by the sun.After the feathers have dried normally, they are removed, and the bulbs are dried using a conventional oven or other heating devices for this purpose. Such a simple and proven method of drying over the years can become a reliable protection for your crop from powdery flour and prevent the decay process.

After the onion dries out normally, it should be sorted out. At the same time, small bulbs are selected, which will be further used for winter planting. Their diameter is up to 1.5 cm. The remaining bulbs of a larger size are recommended to be stored in boxes or canvas bags, in which up to 15 kg of vegetables are usually placed. They should be kept in a dry and sufficiently dark place, where the temperature is +18 degrees. From time to time, you should visit your store and monitor the stored onions for rot or dried onions, which must be removed immediately.

Video "Growing onions from A to Z"

In the video, you will see a global relationship to such a process as growing a bulb from seed. Learn about some of the secrets and intricacies of the process.