High-yielding and cold-resistant onion variety Stuttgarter Riesen

Stuttgarter Riesen is a proven onion variety that has been pleasing amateur summer residents and professional farmers for about 25 years. It ripens quickly, is easy to care for, high-yielding and versatile in use.

Description of the variety

Stuttgarter Riesen produces large bulbs with a medium-sharp flavour. Vegetables are suitable for fresh consumption, preparing salads, drying, freezing and canning.

Origin and development

The Stuttgarter Riesen onion was bred by breeders of the German company Zamen Mauser Quedlinburg. In 1995 it was included in the State Register of Russia.

Composition and beneficial properties

Every 100 g of onion contains:

• dry matter - 14.9–15.2%;
• sugar - 7.0–7.2%;
• vitamin C - 10.6–11.7 mg;
• protein - 1.6%.

Due to the high content of ascorbic acid, the vegetable is especially useful for colds, as it effectively fights germs. Onions have anti-inflammatory, tonic, expectorant and anthelmintic properties. Strengthens the secretory activity of the stomach, reduces blood pressure.

The vegetable contains vitamins A, E, group B, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and a number of other substances.

Ripening time and yield

Early variety: when planting sets, the harvest is harvested in 66–73 days, when using seeds - in 3.5 months.

With minimal care, marketable yield is 3.5–5 kg per 1 m2. Compliance with all requirements allows you to harvest 5–8 kg of vegetables from the same area.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The Stuttgarter onion variety is resistant:

• to powdery mildew;
• fusarium;
• Alternaria;
• onion fly;
• root mite.

The crop is susceptible to downy mildew and susceptible to neck rot.

Characteristics

The bulbs are round, slightly flattened at the top and bottom, covered with brown-golden husk. The average weight is 50–94 g, but there are also specimens up to 200 g.

Reference! Vegetables reach their maximum size when planting winter onion sets Stuttgarter.

The pulp is white, has a pleasant, moderately pungent taste and characteristic odor.

What regions is it suitable for?

The variety is recommended for cultivation in the Central, Volga-Vyatka, Middle Volga and East Siberian regions of Russia. It adapts well to various climatic conditions and is successfully cultivated in all regions of the country.

Main advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the variety:

• consistently high productivity;
• ease of care;
• early maturation;
• universal use of vegetables;
• good keeping quality;
• resistance to bolting and most diseases.

Flaws:

• the risk of developing downy mildew and neck rot during rainy summers;
• inconvenience when peeling and cutting onions due to their flattened shape.

Differences from other varieties

A comparison of Stuttgarter onions with other varieties and hybrids is presented in the table:

Features of planting and growing

Stuttgarter Riesen is cultivated from seeds or sets. Both methods have their advantages and some differences in fit.

Preparation

First of all, choose high-quality planting material. There should be no damage to the set, no signs of mold or rot. The large fraction is more suitable for spring planting, the small fraction - for winter planting.

Seeds or sets are soaked in water with salt and potassium permanganate for a day to disinfect and protect plants from diseases and pests.

Reference! To improve germination, growth stimulants are added to the water: Epin or Kornevin.

The site has been prepared since the fall. The soil is dug up, organic fertilizers (rotted manure or humus), dolomite flour or ash are added to it if the soil is too acidic. If these requirements are met, the soil is then only dug up again and beds are formed.

Soil requirements

This variety grows well in any soil, the main condition is that it should not be acidic. The maximum yield is obtained by cultivating onions in light, fertile soil with good moisture permeability and aeration. The best option is black soil or loam.

Predecessors

To get a high-quality harvest and minimize the risk of disease and pest attacks, it is important to follow the rules of crop rotation. Onions are planted after tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and legumes. Bad predecessors are carrots and greens.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

Seeds are planted in the spring, in mid-April, or in the fall, before the onset of frost.

Planting pattern:

1. Prepare the beds at a distance of 20–30 cm from each other.
2. Make shallow furrows in them and plant seeds every 1–1.5 cm, deepening them by about 2 cm.
3. Lightly compact the soil and mulch it so that a soil crust does not form.

When 2 leaves are formed on the sprouts, the seedlings are thinned out so that the distance between them is at least 2 cm. After 4 leaves appear, thinning is repeated, maintaining intervals of 5-6 cm.

Sevok is planted in the spring, when the soil warms up to +10...+12°C, and before winter. In the latter case, the risk of bolting increases, but it is minimized by choosing the smallest bulbs for planting.

Scheme for sowing:

1. Make furrows 5 cm deep in the prepared beds.
2. Place the bulbs in them, deepening them to a maximum of 4 cm from the bottom and maintaining a distance of about 10 cm between them.
3. Sprinkle with soil.
4. Insulate the beds if onions are planted before winter.

To obtain feathers, they use seedlings that are not suitable for the main planting due to damage. Lay it out tightly, do not sprinkle it with earth, and cover it with film on top. Such plants especially need watering, fertilizing with urea (20 g per 10 liters of water).

Features of cultivation

For onions, choose a well-lit place where there are no drafts or gusty winds.

One of the main conditions for obtaining a high-quality harvest is compliance with the rules of crop rotation. The crop is not planted in the same place for at least 3 years.

If the soil is too heavy, sand, sawdust or sunflower husks are added to it.

Nuances of care

The Stuttgarter Riesen variety is not demanding in terms of care, but high yields are achieved by meeting the minimum requirements regarding watering, fertilizing, weeding and loosening the soil.

Watering mode

The regularity of moisturizing depends on climatic and weather conditions. Make sure that the top soil layer does not dry out.

The plantings are watered abundantly at the beginning of the growing season, the frequency of irrigation is gradually reduced and stopped completely 3 weeks before harvest.

Loosening the soil and weeding

The soil between the rows is weeded as the weeds grow, which takes nutrients from the soil and depletes it, preventing the onions from growing and developing.

Loosen the soil 2-3 times a week to a depth of 3 cm: this improves access of moisture and oxygen to the roots of plants.

Feeding

Fertilize the crop 3 times per season:

• 3.5 weeks after planting, apply organic fertilizers (bird droppings or manure diluted in water at the rate of 8–10 liters per 1 m2);
• after 15–20 days, add organic matter with mineral phosphorus-containing fertilizers;
• at the end of June, nitrogen-containing compounds are used, in particular ammonium nitrate.

Disease and pest control

The variety is resistant to a number of characteristic onion diseases and pests, but is affected by onion fly and rot.

To prevent the development of diseases and pest attacks, it is important:

• disinfect planting material before planting;
• follow the rules of crop rotation;
• loosen and weed the soil in a timely manner;
• monitor the regularity of watering and fertilizing.

When signs of disease or insects appear, plants are treated with fungicides and insecticides.

Harvest and storage

The readiness of vegetables for harvesting is indicated by drying and yellowing of leaves, drying out of the cervix. It is important to harvest the crop in a timely manner: if it is kept in the ground, it will begin to sprout again or rot after the first rain.

How and when to collect

Vegetables are collected in the second half of summer, on a dry sunny day, carefully digging the bulbs out of the beds.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

The bulbs are cleared of soil and laid out to dry in beds or in a dry, well-ventilated area if it rains.

After drying, the vegetables are inspected and sorted, removing damaged specimens, roots and leaves. Healthy and whole bulbs are placed in wooden boxes with sand and ventilation holes, and placed in a cool, dark room with moderate humidity.

If these rules are followed, onions retain their taste and presentation until spring.

Difficulties in growing

Cultivation of this variety is associated with some problems:

• rotting of an unripe crop when planting onions in lowlands, excessive watering or frequent rains;
• diseases when planting undisinfected material;
• low yield and a large number of damaged bulbs if the rules are not followed crop rotation.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Recommendations from experienced vegetable growers:

• so that the bulbs are larger and ripen faster, the sets are planted before winter;
• Carrots are grown nearby: it drives away pests from the crop;
• Do not plant the variety after potatoes and near dill: the onions will grow weak and often get sick.

Reviews

Gardeners like the Stuttgarter Riesen onion, as evidenced by numerous positive reviews.

Elena, Orenburg: «Stuttgarter bought onion seeds unplanned: she chose others in the store, but these were recommended by the seller. I took 1 bag to try and have been planting only them for 5 years now. The vegetable immediately pleasantly surprised me: it produces an excellent harvest, requires minimal care, does not get sick and is almost not affected by pests. The taste is excellent, moderately spicy."

Alexey, Penza: “When choosing what was best to plant in the garden, I settled on the Stuttgarter onion variety. I liked the characteristics and reviews about it - I decided to try it. The result pleased me: the plants did not suffer from any disease and quickly produced a good harvest.”

Irina, Smolensk: “Last year I planted this variety for the first time.To be honest, I didn’t even try very hard, one might say that I just threw the seeds into the ground. From time to time I watered the crop and fed it. With such a minimum of effort, I didn’t expect a big harvest, but I was surprised: there were a lot of onions, all the vegetables were large, and they also lay in the cellar all winter without spoiling.”

Conclusion

Stuttgarter Riesen is an early ripening variety that adapts well to any climate, which allows it to be grown throughout Russia. It is undemanding in care and has strong immunity to most diseases. It is characterized by high yield and long shelf life of the bulbs.