Novice vegetable growers do not know that onion seeds of the required variety can be grown on their own plot. A healthy and unpretentious vegetable that does not require much attention or effort. It is grown in both biennial and annual crops. Using a number of simple agrotechnical techniques, you can grow not only sets for planting in 1 season - nigella onions can produce a full harvest by the end of summer.
Black onion: planting
Growing onions from seeds in one season is becoming increasingly popular.This is a fast and cost-effective method. The Strigunovsky variety, which is distinguished by its rounded shape and yellow scales, depending on the method of growing from seeds, can be used to obtain a full onion harvest, as well as for growing sets.
There are many varieties of annual onions:
- spicy: Chalcedony, Mayak, Globus, Lugansky;
- semi-sharp: Rossa de Ferencé, Amphora;
- sweet salads: Russian size, Exhibition and others.
You can get seeds for planting yourself by planting mother bulbs on your site.
Preparing the bed
Beds for sowing chives in open ground should be prepared in the fall. The soil is dug up, carefully removing the roots of the weeds. If this is not done, then in the spring the weeds will choke out the fragile shoots. Weeding the beds at the beginning of the growing season is difficult, since most of the seedlings can be removed along with the weeds.
Onions prefer loose, fertile soil, so during digging it is necessary to add humus or peat to the ground at the rate of half a bucket per 1 m². It is impossible to use fresh manure instead of humus, as young shoots will get burns, get sick or die outright. On dense, heavy soils, it is advisable to add sand.
Ribbon ridges should be marked on the prepared area. It is most convenient to make them 1 m wide. Carefully level the soil with a rake, breaking up lumps. Cut shallow furrows with row spacing of at least 20 cm. In order for the burning vegetable to please you with a high yield, it must be grown following a number of rules.
Sowing
Sow nigella in early spring, when there is still enough moisture in the soil. The seeds have time to hatch and begin to grow before the dry period begins. It is advisable to start sowing in the February and March thaws so that the onion heads have time to form.A bulb grown in an annual crop from seeds weighs approximately 80-120 g.
Before sowing, you can mix nigella with crushed chalk - this technique makes the work easier and reduces the consumption of planting material. To make it easier to care for the seedlings, you need to throw a lighthouse seed (for example, radish, lettuce) into the furrow every 10-15 cm. They will sprout much earlier than the onions and mark the rows.
After planting, the furrows are covered with a small layer of moist soil (1.5-2 cm), compacted and mulched. Vegetable growers solve the question of when to plant nigella in different ways. Many people successfully use winter crops. Nigella seeds are not afraid of the cold, and with the advent of the first warmth they grow together.
Black onion: cultivation
Growing onions from seeds during the summer without seedlings is not difficult. The correct selection of zoned annual varieties and competent agricultural technology will allow you to get a large harvest of healthy vegetables by autumn.
The specificity of cultivation lies in winter or early spring sowing and the use of seedlings in the northern regions.
In order for annual onions to be stored well, it is necessary to dig them up only after lodging and yellowing of the feather, making sure that the neck of the vegetable is completely dry. After harvesting, dry the onions thoroughly in the sun.
Growing annual varieties of onions from nigella
Beginning vegetable growers are not always able to grow a good crop of onions from nigella in one season. The main mistake is choosing the wrong variety. Only annual varieties and hybrids are suitable, such as Lugansky, One-year Siberian, Karatalsky, Albion F1, Daytona F1 and others.
Using special agricultural technology, you can get a full-sized head of onion from a seed in just 1 season, which is much more profitable than growing onions in a two-year crop. Annual varieties are suitable not only for autumn and summer consumption, as they are stored well in winter. When removing nigella from the garden, pay close attention to ensure that the neck of the plant is completely dry. Only in this case can the onions be considered suitable for winter storage.
Onion seedlings
In the northern regions, nigella does not have time to go through all stages of development in a short summer period. Even proven annual varieties do not always demonstrate excellent ripening in unfavorable conditions. In such cases, they resort to growing through seedlings.
You can sow seeds as early as mid-February. Boxes (12 cm high) are filled with a mixture of turf soil and humus, or a ready-made mixture is used for seedlings.
Before sowing, containers with the mixture are disinfected. You can pour boiling water over them from a watering can or take them out into the cold for 2-3 days. Even if you collected onion seeds yourself, you need to disinfect them in a solution of manganese or ash. After treatment, the seeds can be soaked in warm water until sprouts appear or immediately planted in moist soil.
Close up the nigella to 1-1.5 cm. The soil is slightly compacted and mulched. For rapid germination, the containers are covered with film, which is removed when shoots appear. From mid-April, seedlings can be planted in a permanent place. Before planting, the roots and stems must be shortened so that the finished seedlings are no longer than 15-20 cm. The distance between plants in a row should be 7-10 cm. Planting and care in open ground are carried out according to the usual pattern.
Seedless growing method
If you know how to grow onions correctly, you can grow a full-fledged crop in 130 days (the growing season of annual varieties). It is necessary to sow seeds in open ground during the February and March thaws. An even more reliable and easier way is winter sowing.
The beds are prepared in October, furrows are cut and they wait for the first frost. Nigella seeds are sown in frozen soil and sprinkled with soil or humus. The growing season begins at the end of March. In moisture-saturated soil, onions will sprout quickly and vigorously. Care consists of regular weeding, thinning and watering of plants. If you allow the plantings to thicken, you can get small sets instead of a full-sized head.
Black onion: obtaining seeds from your own material
You can grow high-quality seed material yourself. To do this, in the spring, large, beautiful bulbs of the variety you like are selected, disinfected in a manganese solution and soaked for a day in warm water. Then they are placed for germination at a temperature of +10… +15 °C.
Mother bulbs are planted in the garden in the same way as onions, only the distance between the heads should be at least 15 cm. The neck of the bulb is located above ground level. The bulb shoots out a powerful stem, at the top of which a large cap with seed pods is formed. By the end of summer, the seeds ripen, and the film on the boxes begins to crack.
To prevent seeds from spilling on the ground, it is necessary to cut off the stems with heads and place them for ripening in a dry, ventilated room. When the heads are dry, they need to be thoroughly kneaded in your hands to remove the ripened seeds. Store nigella in a dark, dry and cool place.
Caring for mother bulbs involves timely watering and control of diseases and pests. For preventive purposes, disease-resistant varieties should be selected, and onions should not be grown for more than 2 years in one place. Next to the onions, it is necessary to plant dill, carrots, and marigolds, which repel the onion fly and other pests with their smell.
When to remove from the garden?
Harvesting begins in mid or late August. The signal to start harvesting is lodging and yellowing of the tops. Before you start harvesting, you need to make sure that the neck of the plant is well dried. It is advisable to carry out cleaning on a clear sunny day so that you could dry the bulbs in the sun.
