A guide to growing and caring for heirloom onions for beginning gardeners

Family onion is the popular name for a multi-bud onion, in the nest of which four to eight bulbs are formed. The culture is characterized by strong immunity, long shelf life and early ripening. When planted in April, the harvest is harvested in early July.

In this article we will talk about the features of heirloom onions, their cultivation and care.

Description and characteristics of the family bow

Family bow (lat. Allium ascalonicum) has been grown since ancient times. This type of onion is considered the most delicious and productive. The plant has other names - kushchevka, magpie, kvochka.

The most popular variety is shallot, with small oblong bulbs of white or white-purple color, delicate taste and aroma.

Main characteristics of the culture:

1. Family onions differ from ordinary onions in structure - a nest with 3-12 small heads is formed from one onion. In some cases their number reaches 20 pieces.
2. Average weight - 15-60 g.
3. The shape is varied: oblong, cuboid, pitcher-shaped, round, ovoid, elongated.
4. The color of the scales is golden, red, purple, bronze.
5. The center on the cut is white, pinkish-violet, reddish.
6. The greenery is dense, the leaves are softer and thinner than those of a turnip, with a slight waxy coating. Feathers can be cut or pulled out with the bulb 2-3 weeks after planting. They do not become rough and remain tender throughout the season.
7. The height of the ground part is 30-50 cm.
8. The taste is semi-sharp and does not leave a sharp aftertaste or bad breath.
9. The heads ripen in 50-80 days depending on the variety.

In the photo you can see what a family bow looks like.

Features of growing in open ground

Family onions are frost-resistant and not subject to bolting, therefore, planting is carried out starting from the second ten days of April, subject to favorable weather conditions.

Long daylight hours and active snow melting are the best period for plant growth and development. The bulbs are literally saturated with melt water. Suitable air temperature is +18…+20°C. Seeds germinate quickly in soil heated to +4°C.

To get a large harvest Choose bulbs larger than 3 cm.

To prevent spread in the area onion fly Rows of onions alternate with rows of carrots.

When growing heirloom onions It is not recommended to apply fresh manure, otherwise you will end up with thick, tall greens instead of large bulbs.

To get large heads, it is important not to thicken the plantings. and control their number in the garden bed. To do this, the earth is raked and excess specimens are twisted out. They can be used for food. The remaining bulbs get enough space to grow and develop.

In the greenhouse

Planting material less than 2 cm in size is used to force early greenery into the heifer. Planting is carried out in January, taking into account the long dormant period characteristic of the plant.

The best varieties of heirloom onions

When choosing a heirloom onion variety, experienced gardeners It is recommended to focus on varieties adapted for cultivation in a particular region.

The table shows the main characteristics of the best varieties.

Correct fit

Family onions are grown by seeds - to renew planting material, and by heads - to produce large bulbs and greens. Spring planting is carried out throughout Russia in April-May. In the south it is possible to plant onions before winter.

Planting dates in regions

Timely sowing is the key to successful growth and development of the plant, the formation of a nest with a large number of bulbs. Considering the cold resistance of family onions, in most regions of Russia they begin planting in the second ten days of April. Greens tolerate frosts down to –7°C.

In the south, spring planting is carried out in early April, winter planting - at the end of October.

In the Urals and Siberia, the dates are slightly shifted. Planting of family onions is carried out taking into account weather conditions - in late April-early May. Pre-winter planting is rarely carried out due to the risk of losing more than half of the crop.If warm weather persists longer, heirloom onions are planted before winter in November, covering the beds with a thick layer of mulch (about 10 cm).

According to the lunar calendar

To obtain large bulbs, planting is carried out on the waning moon, for forcing greenery - onto growing ones.

Favorable days for forcing greenery according to the lunar calendar for 2020:

• April: 2-7, 24-29;
• May: 1-6, 23-29.

Favorable days for receiving heads according to the lunar calendar for 2020:

• April: 9-14, 16-22;
• May: 8-13, 15-21.

There is an opinion that it is better to complete the planting of family onions before May 5th. Popularly it is Luke's day, or Lukov's day.

Preparation of planting material

Medium-sized seeds are best for planting. They form an average number of large bulbs. Large seeds produce a large number of small specimens.

Bulbs are peeled to reduce the risk of infection fungi and disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, salt (50 g per 2 liters of water), the drug "Maxim".

Then rinse with clean water and soak in nutrient solutions (optional):

• 50 mg of boric acid per 1 liter of water;
• 1-2 g of succinic acid per 1 liter of water;
• 1 g of potassium bromide per 1 liter of water.

Before planting, the material is dried on open air.

The seeds from the bag are pre-soaked in water for 48 hours., changing it periodically. Then the material is dried until it flows and is sown in furrows at intervals of 8-10 cm. The width between the grooves is 15 cm. 2-4 small bulbs are formed from one seed. This makes it possible to grow family onion sets, which can be used for planting next season.

If there is not enough material to fill the prepared area, planting is carried out in halves or quarters.For large bulbs with a diameter of 3 cm and weighing 30-50 g, cut off the dry scales and the bottom to the roots. The bottom is covered by a hard part, popularly called the “heel,” which must be carefully cut off. This stimulates the appearance of roots.

The prepared material is soaked overnight in water at room temperature., before planting, divide into two or four parts with a sharp knife along the bulb.

Note! The roots of heirloom onions are located unevenly on the bottom, so when cutting, make sure that approximately the same number of roots remain on each part.

Site preparation

For growing family onions, areas are allocated on the south side of the garden, well warmed by the sun, without drafts. The soil should be loose and nutritious. Acidic and clogged soil is not suitable for onions.

The best predecessors of culture - pumpkin, squash, zucchini, legumes, potatoes, rye, flax, lupine. The plant is replanted in the same place no earlier than after 3 years.

If necessary, increase soil fertility by plowing and adding up to 5 kg of humus per 1 m², 200 g of wood ash, 40-50 g of superphosphate.

Heavy clay soil is loosened using river sand - 5 g per 1 m².

Soil temperature at planting should not be lower than +5°C.

Landing instructions

A bed is formed on the site and 2-3 deep furrows are made. Planting material is laid out in a checkerboard pattern. A distance of 25-30 cm is left between large bulbs, 15-20 cm between medium-sized bulbs. If the task is to force greens, the interval between seeds is 10-15 cm.

Planting depth - 5-8 cm, the top is sprinkled with a 3 cm layer of soil for better rooting. When planted shallowly, the root system dries quickly and does not develop.

Small bulbs with a diameter of 1-2 cm are left for winter planting in October. Before the onset of frost, the planting material will take root and overwinter without negative consequences. In early spring, you can cut young greens or leave the onion on the head.

Further care

Rules for caring for heirloom onion plantings:

1. Abundant watering at the beginning of the growing season. Lack of moisture leads to the end of the growing season; the bulbs will not be able to grow to the desired size. Watering rate is 200 liters per bed. Three weeks before harvest, watering is stopped.
2. To retain moisture in the soil beds are mulched with sawdust, straw, dry leaves or peat. This coating inhibits the growth of weeds and reduces the amount of weeding.
3. In the beds intended to obtain large heads, do not cut the greens. If you want to use a green feather for cooking, the ground is raked off and the head is carefully unscrewed from the middle of the nest.
4. At the beginning of July, the nests are unpacked - part of the soil along with the mulch is raked away, leaving the heads ½ in the open air for drying and rapid ripening.
5. If previous crops were not fed, additionally add 10 g of urea, 40-50 g of superphosphate and wood ash.

Disease and pest control

Heirloom onions are less likely than other turnip varieties to suffer from fungal diseases. and is attacked by the onion fly.

Sometimes there is wilting and yellowing of greenery. The culprit of such changes is aphids. To destroy the pest, use infusions based on hot pepper (chop 2-3 pods and pour 1 liter of water), yarrow (300 g of dry raw material, pour 5 liters of water) or wormwood (0.5 g of herb, pour 10 liters of water).25-30 g of liquid or 50 g of laundry soap shavings are mixed into the liquid for better adhesion of the solutions to the leaves. The biological product "Verticillin" is highly effective.

To repel onion flies, fresh wormwood branches are laid out on the beds, tansy and yarrow. Once every 7 days, the above-ground part is watered with saline solution (200 g of salt per 10 liters of water).

If the rules of agricultural technology are violated, the family onion affects powdery mildew, downy mildew, neck rot. Infected plants are removed from the beds, healthy ones are treated with Quadris, Mikosan, and Pentophage.

Preventive measures:

• disinfection of planting material with “Maxim” and “Fitosporin” preparations;
• crop rotation;
• weeding.

Onion nematode bends the bottom of the bulbs. Infected planting material infects healthy plants. For prevention, before planting, the bulbs are treated with a 4% Formalin solution.

Harvest and storage

Family onions usually ripen in the second half of July-early August. Signs that the crop is ready for harvest: withering and lodging of greenery, dry scales on the bulbs, dry necks.

Onion it is undesirable to overexpose it in the soil due to the risk of the nest breaking up into heads. In a humid environment they re-root, resulting in a shorter shelf life in winter.

Harvesting carried out in dry sunny weather: the soil is shaken off, the roots are cut off, the bulbs are laid out on nets for drying, ripening and disinfection under the sun's rays.

In rainy weather, the heads are dried under a canopy, in an attic or in a barn for 10-12 days. The dry feather is trimmed, leaving 10 cm. This is the most convenient way to weave “onion braids.”

Family onions are conveniently stored in a suspended state in the house at a temperature not higher than +20°C.

In the cellar, onions are stored underground, in wicker baskets or spacious boxes. This storage method involves the complete removal of dry feathers. The optimal air temperature is 0…+2°С.

It is not recommended to store heirloom onions next to potatoes., beets, carrots and other vegetables that require high air humidity.

Conclusion

Caring for heirloom onions is not difficult. It is important to provide sufficient watering at the beginning of plant development, mulch the soil to facilitate cultivation of the beds, and periodically thin out to provide free space for the formation of large heads.

An important condition for the successful cultivation of family onions is the choice of medium-sized planting material and pre-planting soaking in water, nutrient solutions, and disinfection with Maxim or Fitosporin. Follow the basic rules of care, and onions will delight you with an abundance of harvest!