An early ripening onion variety with a rich red hue - “Red Baron”

The variety of onion varieties is impressive. They differ from each other in the shape of the fruit, their taste, concentration of nutrients, color and other characteristics. Red Baron is one of the most popular varieties of red onions.

We will talk about its features, planting, nuances of cultivation and care in this article.

Description of the variety

The exquisite taste and unique properties have made Red Baron famous throughout our country. Experts say that Red onion varieties, unlike light ones, contain several times more antioxidants, they more actively help the body fight infections, resist aging and cancer.

Origin and development

Red Baron onions – variety bred by Dutch breeders for cultivation in different climatic zones. It thrives both in warm climates and in regions with cold weather conditions.

Chemical composition and beneficial properties

The chemical composition of the red vegetable is characterized by a high content of ascorbic acid and sugars; it contains many flavonoids, which help the proper functioning of the body and increase resistance to many diseases.

Useful properties of the Red Baron variety:

1. Onion gruel relieves spasms and inflammation, swelling and pain, and helps with muscle strain.
2. Doctors often recommend this variety to people with diabetes mellitus and excessive salt deposits. Onion broth removes water from the body well.
3. Regular consumption of red onions slows down or prevents cancer processes.
4. Used as a dietary product, reduces weight.
5. Improves heart function, relieves stress, is useful for the prevention of atherosclerosis, and reduces cholesterol levels.
6. Grated onion effectively gets rid of warts.
7. Increases stomach acidity, recommended for gastritis with low acidity.

Red Baron onions have the most useful upper juicy scales - they contain the most useful substances and microelements.

Ripening period

Red Baron considered a mid-early variety. Harvesting begins approximately in the second half of July, when 80-100 days have passed since germination.

Productivity

It has high productivity. When sowing seeds from 1 sq. m harvest up to 3 kg of onions, and with 500 g of sets, an average of 10-15 kg of large red heads comes out.

Disease resistance

Red Baron has increased resistance to fusarium, peronospora and root rot with good soil drainage and regular loosening.

Characteristics of the bulb, description of appearance, taste

If you look closely at the bulbs of the Red Baron variety, you will notice that they are more likely not red, but purple with a reddish tint. The inner scales are juicy and dark red.

Characteristic features include the following:

• The shape of the bulb is round, slightly flattened at both ends;
• leaves are dark green, with a faint waxy coating;
• the scales are difficult to separate and fit tightly to the bulbs, which facilitates long-term storage;
• powerful root system, capable of growing even in dry weather;
• the average weight of one vegetable is 60-150 g, with proper care it reaches 200 g;
• the taste is slightly spicy, pleasant, without bitterness.

For which regions is it best suited, climate requirements?

The variety is almost universal in its growing region.. It is recommended to grow it in the Central Black Earth and Central regions; it is suitable for the Volga-Vyatka District and the North Caucasus; it will be possible to grow an excellent harvest in the Ural climate and in the North-West of Russia.

Not tied to a particular climate. Cold-resistant, but does not tolerate frost. In open ground it will withstand temperature drops down to +2°C.

In hot weather, when the thermometer shows above +30°C, it needs abundant watering.

The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The variety has more advantages than disadvantages.

Among the advantages:

1. Precocity. The harvest will be high even in areas with cold climates, without loss of taste.
2. Rich color that does not disappear during long-term storage and does not stain other products when preparing a dish.
3. High-quality ripening after harvesting, attractive presentation.
4. Long-term storage, subject to the necessary conditions, does not lose its quality until June.
5. Resistance to a number of diseases and pest attacks.
6. Unpretentiousness to soil and climatic conditions.
7. High transportability.

Minuses

Experienced vegetable growers The disadvantage of the variety is considered to be the cultivation of onions mainly by seeds, and not by planting seedlings. It is quite problematic to buy good quality Red Baron varieties without mis-grading.

What is the difference from other varieties

Red onion variety Red Baron, in addition to color, has a number of other characteristic distinctive features:

1. Red Baron does not have the bitter taste characteristic of yellow and some white varieties of onions.
2. When cooked, it does not turn the skin of your hands or vegetables in salad red.
3. Dessert varieties, to which Red Baron belongs, do not take root well in the northern regions, and even if they produce a harvest, they lose their taste and color. Red Baron grows excellently in cold climates and retains all its unique properties.
4. Contains a greater amount of dry matter, antioxidants and ascorbic acid compared to other varieties.

Features of planting and growing

Red Baron onion can be grown by seeds or using sets. Let's consider both options.

Preparing for landing

Before sowing It is recommended to immerse onion seeds in a warm, weak solution of potassium permanganate for twenty minutes. Then put it in a damp piece of gauze and put it in a warm place for several days. Some gardeners use the growth stimulator "Epin". The seeds are sprayed with it just before sowing.

The dry upper tail of small bulbs is cut off before planting., trying not to touch the so-called growth point, then soak in warm water with potassium permanganate for 12 hours. If you didn’t have time to do this, then dip it in a solution of copper sulfate for 8 minutes.

Soil requirements

The best harvest of Red Baron onions is obtained on clay-sandy, loose, light soil. But loamy and acidic soil is best avoided.

It is necessary to prepare the soil for planting onions in the fall.. To do this, choose a dry, well-lit place, dig it up, adding humus or compost at the rate of 3 kg of fertilizer per 1 square meter. m. According to the rules of crop rotation, onions need to be planted in the same place where tomatoes, cucumbers or cabbage grew.

In the spring, the area is carefully weeded and, if necessary, dug up again with a glass of wood ash per 1 square meter. m. This should be done two weeks before planting seeds or sowing.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

Onion seeds are sown in the first half of April into grooves 3-4 cm deep, evenly distributing and watering with warm water. Then sprinkle with earth and lightly compact. The distance between the rows is left approximately 5-7 cm.

Bulbs are planted in the ground at the end of April, the depth of the hole should be 6-7 cm, the row spacing should be wider - 14 cm, the distance of the heads from each other is on average 10 cm. You need to lower the bulbs into the hole so that one-fourth of the head sticks out of the ground.

Important! If you want the onions to have large, juicy feathers, fertilize the ground with potassium nitrate before planting. If you want strong, large bulbs, add superphosphate. Use one or the other at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. per 1 sq. m.

Features of cultivation

Any vegetable crop requires mandatory care. Onion Red Baron is no exception, after landing he will need:

1. Regular weeding is mandatory so that the still unformed root system of the planted seeds is not clogged with weeds.
2. As soon as the seeds germinate and rise a couple of centimeters, the first thinning is carried out. This is done as needed so that ultimately the shoots are spaced 10 cm apart from each other. There is no need to thin out the planted seedlings.
3. Abundant watering is necessary for both seeds and small bulbs as they grow and develop.

Nuances of care

Red Baron is easy to care for, but there are three main points, without which this onion will not give a rich harvest: weeding, watering and loosening the soil - that's all you need to know about the nuances of caring for a red vegetable.

Watering mode

In abundance watering Red Baron most needed in the first half of the growing season and in dry weather, and 15 days before harvesting, they stop watering it. Plants are watered at least once a week - 10-12 liters of water per 1 square meter. m.

Loosening the soil and weeding

Another mandatory point in caring for Red Baron onions is loosening the soil. It must be done after watering or rain.so that a dense crust does not form on the soil, interfering with the breathing of the root system.

Timely destruction of weeds will not only enable onions to grow and develop better, but will also protect them and other vegetable crops in the garden from a number of pests. Many parasites settle and rest after a “meal” on weeds.

Top dressing

Growing Red Baron onions also includes timely feeding. This must be done at least three times per season.. The first fertilizing is carried out two weeks after planting seeds or planting seedlings in the soil.

Water with mullein solution, diluting it with water in a ratio of 1:15 or superphosphate - 1 tbsp. l. on a bucket of water. The following fertilizing is done once every two weeks - potassium sulfate is added: 1.5 tbsp. l. on a bucket of water.

Important! In order not to harm the root crop, fertilizing should not be carried out later than mid-July.

Disease and pest control

Red Baron is resistant to a number of diseases, but sometimes he is attacked bulb flies. The parasites lay eggs on the leaves of the onion, the hatched larvae feed on the juices of the plant, after 10 days the onion begins to lag in growth and wither. As a result of the attack, the crop shortfall will be about 30%.

Pest control measures are::

• compliance with crop rotation – you can’t plant onions in last year’s place where carrots grew;
• weed control;
• After watering the onions, wood ash is scattered in a thin layer between the beds and over the plants;
• chemical treatment with Karate Zeon and BI-58N.

Harvest and storage

As soon as the feathers turn completely yellow and fall, they begin harvesting.. The bulbs are taken out of the ground and dried.

How and when to collect

Harvest Luka Red Baron starts around mid-August. To keep it better, it is collected in dry weather. You need to dig out the onion with a pitchfork, and not pull it out by the feathers, which will damage the integrity of the vegetable and make it unsuitable for storage.

Then the bulbs are laid out under a canopy and dried for ten days. After the outer husk of the vegetable has dried, the roots and feathers are carefully cut off. Then dry again in a dry room for two weeks.

When the top husk is completely dry, the onion can be stored. It is placed in nets, bags or tied into convenient “braids”.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

Red onion variety Red Baron has excellent keeping quality and in the right conditions it will be able to retain all its qualities until the beginning of summer.

It is important that all bulbs collected for storage are dry and healthy. To make sure of this, perform a sort. Place the largest, driest and hardest onions in one bag, the smaller ones in the next, and so on.

Attention! To prevent onions from going into arrows, the bulbs must be stored at a temperature of 0 to 5°C.

The storage area should be cool and dry, and bags of vegetables should not stand on the floor. Place a thick layer of cardboard or wooden boards under them.

What difficulties may there be when growing

The main difficulty in growing Red Baron onions, according to experienced gardeners, find quality seedlings in the store. Therefore, many people grow it themselves.

Otherwise, this variety is unpretentious and easy to grow; even beginners can cope with it.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Take a few tips experienced gardeners:

1. When pulling out weeds when weeding, try to prevent them from pulling tiny onion seedlings with them.
2. Water the young plants carefully, not directing the stream directly at the vegetable, but trying to use a watering can with small holes.
3. Don't overuse chemicals. It is advisable to spray plants with chemicals only when all other means no longer work.
4. When planting seedlings, do not skimp on land. If the bulbs are planted frequently, they will not allow each other to grow and the harvest will be weak.
5. When drying already harvested onions, do not leave them in direct sunlight - this will damage the bulbs. You will need a canopy.

Reviews of the Red Baron onion variety

Reviews about the Red Baron red onion variety are mostly positive.

Ilya, Naryan-Mar: “For a long time I tried to grow onions in the Arctic. Nothing worked. Last year I bought a set of the Red Baron variety. I planted it in early June. The onions did not shoot, despite the summer frosts, and for three months they pleased us with dense, green feathers and large bulbs. Baron's keeping quality is satisfactory. The spiciness is a little lower than usual, but the taste is pleasant".

Elena, St. Petersburg: “I grew a small bed of Red Baron red onions. Excellent quality, good germination. The bulbs are strong, beautiful, incredibly tasty even raw in a salad. I lay there all winter. I will definitely plant it again this year. I recommend!".

Conclusion

The Red Baron variety of red onion is not only beautiful in appearance - it is tasty and healthy, tolerates long-term storage well and has already become the pride of many gardeners. It is unpretentious, although it can become demanding of watering in hot weather.

It is not difficult to grow - it just takes a little effort and patience. It is important not to neglect preventive measures against pests and diseases and adhere to the recommendations and advice of experienced summer residents. Have a fruitful summer!