When to plant onion sets ?
The period in which we sow the onion is extremely important. Too early sowing may lead to the infestation of plants by fungal diseases in the event of unexpected cold weather. In turn, too late causes worse emergence and a lower yield.
Onions can be grown from spring sowing, from autumn sowing to early harvest the following year, from seedlings and spring onions.
It is generally accepted that onions should be sown in early April. Germination occurs at a temperature of about 7-8 degrees Celsius.
When grown from seedlings, the seeds should be sown in early March. Properly cultivated seedlings can be planted permanently after approx. 2 months. Plant the spring onion at the beginning of April. Winter onion should be sown in mid-August.
The onion can be grown in full sun, on well-drained, fertile and humus-rich soil. The pH of the soil is of great importance for the success of onion cultivation, so be sure to check the pH of the soil, even with the simplest pH meter, before starting cultivation. Onions grow best in soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. A soil with a pH below 6.0 must be limed.
The fertilizing requirements of onions are quite high with the exception of nitrogen, which it needs little. That is why it is grown in soils fertilized with manure in the fall of the previous year. It is forbidden to fertilize with manure in the spring, just before sowing. Onions respond very well to fertilizing with compost, which should form the basis of your fertilization on the plot.
Growing onions from seedlings makes it easier to fight weeds and also allows you to speed up the harvest by 3 to 4 weeks. We can produce seedlings in a greenhouse, a foil tunnel or an inspection by sowing seeds into boxes filled with a mixture of compost soil and de-acidified peat. The seeds are sown in early spring (usually in March) to a depth of 1 cm.
It is recommended to sow in rows 5-10 cm apart, in the amount of 20-30 g seeds / m² of area. We stop the seedlings as they grow. Plant them in a bed when the plants have 3-4 leaves each. Usually it is late April or early May. You need to start hardening the seedlings about a week before planting.
It is much easier to grow spring onions. Spring onions are small bulbs, ready to be planted, that we can buy at garden stores. The whole process of growing from spring onions consists in the preparation of small spring onions by producers in the first year of cultivation, and then further cultivation, continued in the following year, already on the plot, in order to obtain large bulbs suitable for consumption.
Plant the purchased spring onions in early spring, from March. They should be planted at such a depth that the top is at ground level and can be planted in rows with a distance of 5 to 8 cm between plants.
Regardless of whether you grow onions from spring onions or seedlings, after planting them in the beds, the care is similar. First of all, loosen the soil between the rows and remove the weeds. Top dressing and watering as needed, remembering that the onion roots shallow and is quite sensitive to water shortages. Irrigation is especially necessary during periods of drought. Onions grown from spring onions are slightly less sensitive to water shortages.
When to harvest onion ?
We can start harvesting onions when more than half of the chives on the flowerbed are broken. The ideal date is when 70-80% of plants in the beds have broken chives, but each plant has 3-4 green leaves. Waiting with the harvest longer will significantly reduce the possible storage period.
After digging out the onion, you need to dry it. It is best to harvest on sunny days, so that the onions can dry in the fresh air. Onions intended for storage should have completely dry leaves and outer scales. When selecting onions for storage, discard those with visible damage and a thick neck. Store in a cool and dry room, arranged in boxes, hung in nets or braided in braids.
Onion – medicinal and culinary properties
Nowadays, common onion is widely known and appreciated all over the world. It owes its popularity to its high taste, dietary and healing properties. In our diet, it is an excellent source of mineral salts, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc and vitamins B1, B2, PP, B6.
Onions also contain valuable flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. The most nutrients we find in fresh and short-term onions. It can also be boiled, fried, frozen, dried and used for preserves.
The healing properties of onion can be used by preparing onion syrup with the addition of honey and lemon. For this purpose, chop 2 onions finely and pour honey (about 10 tablespoons of honey) with the addition of lemon juice. You have to set it aside for a day and then strain it through a strainer.
You can drink this onion syrup when you catch a cold. Usually, you give one tablespoon to half a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. Interestingly, thanks to its high iron content, onion syrup will also help treat anemia.
