Every gardener tries to grow as many vegetables as possible on his plot; onions are among the mandatory plantings. It is important to know the time when to remove onions from the beds, otherwise the heads will become overripe, begin to crack and will not be stored. Let's consider when and how to start collecting in the Black Sea region and how to prepare the heads for long-term storage.
Determining the maturity of onions
Experienced gardeners determine the maturity of raw materials by external signs. Mathematically calculating the period is problematic for one reason. Weather conditions in the regions differ slightly.This is an important condition for the plants to be ready for harvesting. So, if it is constantly raining outside, then the heads sitting in the ground absorb moisture and the roots rot - such a product is no longer suitable for long-term storage. And, conversely, when it’s scorching hot outside, they ripen faster, the tops dry out and the heads crack, so harvesting needs to be done earlier.
The main indicator of maturity is the fallen and half-dried tops; the scales on the open part of the bulb become dry, amber and dense. The stem located near the head dries out, becomes thin and brown. But not the entire harvest will ripen at the same time. When 70% of the raw materials in the garden are at technical maturity, they are pulled out of the garden, and the rest are left to ripen.
It happens that unripe fruits with green feathers begin to rot from the roots. This indicates excessive soil moisture, in which case the entire crop should be harvested and dried in a dry room under a canopy. It will mature without soil.
When harvesting an unripe crop, the tops cannot be torn off; they are dried together with the feathers so that the necks have time to dry out and the bulbs close. Only after complete closure are the tops torn off and the heads prepared for storage. We will learn later how to prepare the harvested crop for storage, but now we will artificially bring the heads in the garden to full maturity.
How to make onions ripen faster in the garden?
If onions are planted with seeds in a garden bed, they do not have time to ripen on their own before cold weather and wet weather begin. This has a detrimental effect on the future harvest; if such a situation occurs, you need to force it to ripen on its own faster so that the heads in the ground do not fester. To do this, use time-tested methods:
- You need to stop watering the beds, then the heads dry out faster.
- Expose the underground part by about half of the head, then the scales dry out faster in the sun.
- The roots are pruned at a depth of 5 centimeters using a shovel or knife.
- The heads are slightly raised from the ground using a fork, this is done so that the roots come off the ground.
- The beds are watered with salt water - 2 tablespoons are diluted in 10 liters of water and watered.
- They destroy feathers mechanically - they walk around the garden bed or fell the feathers with their hands.
These procedures are carried out provided that the calendar date for harvesting has already approached and weather conditions are worsening, and the feathers are still green and continue to grow.
Calendar date for onion harvesting in the Chernozem region
The bulk of bulbous plants in this region ripen in late August - early September. If the heads have already reached technical maturity: the greens have dried out and stopped growing, and the neck has become thinner, the onions are removed from the beds. For this procedure, choose dry and sunny weather so that the onions can dry in the garden. The heads are pulled out by the roots and left to dry on the beds. To ensure that it ripens evenly, it is distributed throughout the entire area. Can't be lumped together. So the plants spend another two weeks in the beds. If the weather forecast calls for rain, the crop should be placed under a shelter to prevent the heads from getting wet.
Define, Are the onions ready for storage? based on several indicators:
- The tops are completely dry.
- The scales have become amber and the upper scales are easily separated from the head.
- The neck dried up and the turnip closed.
After the onions are fully prepared, they are prepared for storage.
Harvesting winter onions
The Chernozem region and Voronezh region are famous for their mild winters, so many gardeners plant bulbs for the winter. In this case, harvesting begins 2 weeks earlier than with spring plantings.
In winter, early or mid-ripening varieties are sown to obtain an early harvest. The collection of such varieties begins in late June or early July. When planting in spring, onions are harvested approximately two weeks later than winter ones.
Harvest preparation and storage
Gardeners store onions in different ways and, depending on the method, prepare them differently. If you intend store bulbs in braids, then the tops are not completely torn off. You need to leave 20–30 centimeters. Remove easily peeling scales, trim the roots and remove weak tops, which can come off when braiding. After these procedures, the braids are braided and hung for storage.
With the storage method in boxes, tops are not needed. In this case, it is cut off, leaving a distance of 2–3 centimeters from the head, the scales are removed and the roots are cut off. In this form, the bulb should be kept in a dry and warm room for another 2 weeks, and then stored in the cellar. Place for storage in boxes in layers, each layer layered with straw or dry grass.
But it is better to store it in a dry place at a temperature of 20 degrees. Then it will definitely not fester and will lie until spring. It is also important to inspect the crop for rot throughout the entire storage period. If spoiled bulbs are found, they are removed and the remaining harvest is dried again.
If it is constantly raining outside, and the harvest has arrived and needs to be harvested, do not wait for the rain to stop and the sun to come out. During this time, the onions in the beds may fester. In this case, the harvest collected from the beds is prepared differently:
- the tops are torn off immediately after harvesting;
- exfoliate scales that easily fall off;
- cut off the roots;
- in this state, they are left to dry for two weeks in a dry and warm room.
After drying, the onions are peeled again and placed in boxes for storage.
Onion harvesting in other regions
Depending on weather conditions, the speed of ripening of the heads and the growing area, the ripening period varies from 60 to 85 days after planting the plants in the ground. Thus, in the northern regions and central Russia, the period of onion readiness for harvesting is almost the same:
- In the Moscow region, cleaning begins at the end of July or beginning of August.
- In Siberia and nearby regions, harvesting begins in mid-August, otherwise the heads will fester.
- In the southern regions it can be grown until September, provided there is no heavy rain.
But if the heads are technically ripe before the expected harvest date, then it should not be postponed, otherwise the heads will become overripe and crack, the scales will separate from the fruit and the onion will not be stored.
We learned when to harvest onions in the Black Earth Region and other regions of Russia, how to harvest, prepare the heads for storage and store the harvest in the winter.
