Planting onions in the winter: all options and their effectiveness

Cultivation of onions per head with traditional planting in early spring can be fraught with some difficulties - abundant shooting, pest damage. Planting onions before winter will help to avoid most problems. This technique has not yet become widespread, but an increasing number of gardeners are evaluating the advantages of winter sowing through their experience.

What does planting onions give before winter

Applying the autumn version of sowing onions, the summer resident gets a lot of positive moments:

• saving on planting material - the smallest specimens of onion sets are planted before winter, the cost of which is minimal in autumn;
• getting an early harvest - you can pull out ripe heads already at the end of June;
• mass shoots of onions appear before the development of weeds and onion flies, which facilitates the care of crops;
• a fully ripe vegetable does not contain much moisture, which guarantees its long-term storage.

What species are planted

Winter planting is suitable for most varieties of this vegetable plant. This applies to both sowing seeds and obtaining a full harvest of turnip onions. Before winter, it is advisable to plant the following types of onions:

• Nigella - seeds formed by peduncles, used to grow sets, green onions on a feather, small heads;
• sevok (wild oat) - a small fraction of planting material that can give a full-fledged turnip by the middle of summer;
• batun is a perennial plant species that can provide gardeners with lush vitamin greens in early spring;
• shallots are a frost-resistant variety, in which one bulb gives up to 10-15 different-sized heads.

Perennial crops grow successfully, the seeds of which are sown before winter - this applies to multi-tiered (Egyptian) onions, leeks.

The best varieties for winter planting

To obtain a good harvest of onions planted in the fall, it is important to choose those varieties that have established themselves as cold-resistant and early. For planting, it is recommended to pay attention to zoned species that are adapted to local climatic conditions.

• The F1 radar is a Dutch hybrid that can easily withstand temperatures down to –23–25 ° C under conditions of snow. Differs in early ripening (end of May-June), good keeping quality and large fruit size (up to 300-350 g).
  

  Radar F1 onions have a peninsular flavor

• Shakespeare - due to the tight fit of the scales, winters well when the temperature drops to -18 ° C. The taste is semi-sharp, medium-sized heads weighing up to 100-120 g. Full ripening occurs 2.5 months after the emergence of friendly shoots.
  

  Shakespeare onions have denser scales compared to other varieties.

• Stuttgarter risen - onions of German origin, flat-rounded heads, average weight 120-150 g. Vegetation period - 3.5 months. The variety is not susceptible to typical diseases: neck rot or powdery mildew. With proper care, you can collect up to 5 kg from 1 sq. m, is distinguished by high commercial qualities and the degree of keeping quality.
  

  Stuttgarter Riesen onions contain a lot of vitamin C

• Red Baron is a red onion with excellent flavor characteristics. Marked as a particularly frost-resistant early ripening variety (85–90 days). The yield is 3 kg per 1 sq. m, head weight - up to 250 g. Safety - high (subject to temperature conditions), the variety is suitable for growing in any climatic zone. Resistant to diseases and pests.
  

  The Red Baron onion variety is annual

• Sturon - elliptical heads in 110–120 days reach a mass of 200–220 g. A Dutch variety, the fruits have a bitter-sharp taste and a pungent specific smell. Characteristic qualities: unpretentiousness to growing conditions, cold resistance, good preservation (up to 9 months). Suitable for cooking.
  

  The predecessor of the Sturon variety is the Stuttgarter Riesen

• Panther F1 is a frost-resistant hybrid of Japanese origin, able to successfully winter at temperatures as low as –28 ° C. The bulbs are single-pitched, the neck is thin. The growing season is up to 135 days, the heads of the correct shape weighing 170-200 g.
  

  Panther F1 onion prefers fertile light loams or loamy chernozems, does not tolerate acidic soils

Good results with podzimny sowing are given by classic onion varieties: Strigunovsky, Bessonovsky, Arzamassky. To determine the most fruitful and liable variety on a particular garden plot, it is advisable to use several varieties of culture in order to select the most suitable one based on the results.

When to plant onions before winter

The timing of planting winter onions is determined based on local climatic conditions.

As a general rule, the planting of a vegetable crop should be completed 14 days before the onset of stable subzero temperatures.

A set planted before winter should put up good roots, but in no case should green sprouts appear. Therefore, you should not sow the onions too early - the best time is the weather, when the temperature is kept at 4-5 ° C for several days. A delay in planting will lead to the fact that the onions will not have time to create a root system, and when frost sets in, the seedlings will simply die.

An additional source of information can be the lunar calendar, which indicates specific dates for planting onions before winter.

Onion planting dates by region

In the southern regions of the country, it is permissible to plant onion sets in the last days of November - early December. The planting material will have time to take root and will not give high growth. With timely snowfall, wild oat winter safely and in early spring will give massive shoots.

Landing rules

From mid-July, watering onions must be stopped

Podzimny planting is acceptable for all types of bulbous crops, except for leeks, which are planted in early spring. Seeding techniques for vegetable varieties have their own characteristics.

Nigella

Seeds can be planted at the onset of freezing temperatures - in late November or early December. Landing order:

1. Prepare the beds in advance in a sunny place.
2. Mark the furrows 2–2.5 cm deep, keeping a 25 cm distance between them.
3. At the onset of frost, sow nigella in a continuous strip.
4. Sprinkle with soil prepared in advance, the soil layer should be 1.5–2 cm.
5. Spill the beds, mulch the crops with sawdust, pine needles or peat in a layer of 2.5–3 cm.
6. After snow falls, create additional snow cover to insulate the beds.

In winter, it is recommended to add snow (when it melts) and mulch in order to avoid freezing of crops.

Sevok

For winter planting of turnip onions, it is necessary to select the smallest onions - their diameter should not exceed 10-15 mm. The sevok of a larger fraction will go well for greens, but quickly go into the arrow, so a high-quality head will not grow out of it.

Algorithm of actions for podzimny planting sevka:

1. Calibrate and prepare the oatmeal - place it in a hot solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate), then transfer it to a cloth bag and keep it near the battery for 2-3 days.
2. Make a bed and mark the grooves at a distance of 25 cm.
3. Plant the seedlings at a distance of 5-10 cm to a depth of 6-8 cm.
4. Sprinkle with earth, slightly compact the soil.
5. Cover the bed with mulch - coniferous litter, humus, straw, dry tops.

In the central and southern regions, where there are snowy winters with mild frosts, mulching of onion beds is not necessary. If the shelter was made, then from the onset of the first spring days it should be removed so that the earth on the ridges warms up faster.

If some bulbs are not ripe and have a thick neck, it is better to eat them immediately.

When mass shoots appear, it is recommended to thin out densely planted onions. For this, weak and prone to shooting shoots are removed from the garden - they can be used as early greens. To grow onions on a turnip, the distance between the plants must be at least 10 cm.

A correctly chosen area for winter planting of onions is a sunny, high place without stagnant water with loose soil.

Video: tricks for planting onions in winter

To get a rich and healthy harvest of onions, winter planting should be carried out correctly, focusing on the characteristics of each variety and climate in a particular region.

Related entries:

Growing family onions, description and photo of varieties

Onions turn yellow in the garden: we solve and prevent the problem

Onion varieties for sowing in the Moscow region