Among vegetable crops, onions are in great demand: they are added to vegetable dishes, preparations and salads. Among its types, Hercules onion stands out, which is distinguished by its beneficial taste.
Description and characteristics
Hercules was bred by breeders from Holland. Time has passed since then, and the vegetable has gained fame and popularity. It is considered a mid-early plant with a growing season lasting up to 80 days.
The Hercules onion has a height of about 40 cm. It belongs to the yellow variety. The onion is large in size, the bulk is 160 grams.It has dense scales in 4 layers, a medium-sized neck.
The vegetable has a sweetish taste, with a slight spiciness, but without bitterness. What’s interesting: even after cooking, it does not lose its spicy aftertaste.
Hercules is considered a biennial plant. First the seeds are sown get small onion sets. The next year, a large onion will already ripen.
The food has one distinctive characteristic - high yield. From one square meter you can harvest up to 8 kg of onions.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the variety?
It is not for nothing that Hercules was bred by breeders; it is considered the standard for other types of onions.
This vegetable crop has a number of advantages:
- It differs from most varieties in that it stores well. The main thing is to remove it in time, wait until it is completely ripe, and then dry it in the sun. Another attractive thing is that during long-term storage, Hercules retains its nutritional values and taste.
- Hercules is characterized by high productivity.
- Any housewife will love the taste of the vegetable, its juiciness, even after long storage.
- Onions are practically not susceptible to disease and are not attacked by pests.
- It is easy to care for; there is no need to water frequently, since Hercules has a powerful root system that protects against drought.
However, the vegetable has two disadvantages:
- Sevok Hercules is dear.
- Since this is a hybrid, it is impossible to obtain the seeds yourself.
Planting sets
The peculiarity of onions is that the sets can be planted in late autumn or spring. When planting in autumn, small bulbs are used, which then over the summer catch up with large plants planted in the spring. A good harvest is obtained from this set.
The peculiarity of planting before winter is that the bow will not produce arrows, especially since this is not necessary, since seeds are not collected from hybrids.
In the spring, try to plant bulbs the size of a hazelnut or larger. You need to choose the right time, which is the end of April and the beginning of May. It is important that the earth warms up to 10 ° C, since onion variety classified as heat-loving plants.
The landing of Hercules is based on the following recommendations:
- Prepare the beds. To do this, it is better to choose a sunny place. Dig well, add a little compost and mineral fertilizers.
- To grow large bulbs, furrows should be drawn on the bed, at a distance of 25–30 cm from each other.
- The sets should be planted at a depth of 5 cm, the distance between the bulbs should be about 10 cm.
After planting, time will pass and the onion will first begin to grow roots, and only then green feathers will appear.
Features of care
After green tops appear, it is recommended to ensure that the soil between the rows is loose and free of weeds. To make caring for onions easier, it is advisable to mulch the soil with straw or sawdust. This will protect the plants from weeds.
It is important to remember about fertilizing: it is best to use complex mineral fertilizers.
To speed up the growing and ripening of the bulbs in August, it is necessary to open the heads, lightly raking the soil to half the bulb. This will allow them to be better ventilated and the sun's rays will reach them.
It is necessary to harvest the crop on a dry and sunny day.
It is advisable to remove it before it rains. It is recommended to dig up the onion a little with a shovel, remove it from the soil and lay it out in rows on the ground or cardboard.
The onions will need to dry for several days.As soon as it dries, you need to remove dry leaves and dry roots.
Should be stored in a dry place, at room temperature.
Gardeners' opinions
Everyone who planted the Hercules onion variety writes in their reviews that the description of the characteristics and advantages of the vegetable correspond to reality. Farmers are especially pleased, because the vegetable requires almost no care; it is not even necessary to water it often. The harvest is large due to the fact that the bulbs grow in large sizes.
Most gardeners are pleased that it can be stored for a long time and does not spoil, especially if it is dried and the onion is ripe.
Most often, there are enough onions until the next harvest.
If you manage to purchase Hercules onion sets and follow the growing recommendations, then you can get a large harvest. As a result, in winter you won’t have to think about vitamins.
