Features of growing shallots

Ashkelon onions, charlottes, shallots, and even Old Believers onions are just a few names for shallots. First, he appeared in the restaurant industry, then in every supermarket, and now also in the gardens. Because it is tasty, healthy and, from a decorative point of view, appetizing even externally. But in how to grow it so that the harvest is enviable, it is worth understanding in detail.

Fortunately, the family onion (and this is another common name for the crop) is considered a cold-resistant plant. He will calmly endure temperature fluctuations, and therefore there are usually no problems with planting onions in open ground. In principle, as soon as the snow melted in the spring, it can be planted. In the southern regions, this is done even at the end of February, and in the north – not earlier than the end of April. There are many benefits to planting early. For example, an onion fly – a dangerous pest – simply will not be able to lay larvae in the neck of a root crop at the end of May.

By the way, experienced vegetable growers assure that it is better to distinguish between onion plantings, which are grown for greens and exclusively seasonal use, and onions, which are harvested for the upcoming season (for storage) and for planting as well. Because, for example, to obtain a large head, you cannot regularly cut off the feathers of a plant. And picking greens for salad and other dishes, it will not work to grow a large onion itself.

Those who know little about the Ashkelon onion and consider it a copy of the onion will probably be surprised by the following information: shallots always grow in nests, and onions grow singly. A shallot head is a few cloves resembling garlic. Finally, this onion is more tender, its flesh is more pleasant, and the aroma is also more delicate. It is not so demanding, it can be planted earlier, and it ripens faster. And, importantly, by storing onion heads at room temperature, you can not worry – they will not fade. The same onion is much more capricious.

Choosing a suitable site for growing shallots is already half the battle. The place should be well lit: warming up with the sun’s rays is extremely important for the future harvest, in the shade this plant bears fruit so-so. The best predecessors for this crop are cucumbers, legumes, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes and potatoes. But you can’t grow shallots where garlic, corn, beets, carrots and various representatives of the onion family grew last season.

Growing shallots next to onions is a bad option. Plants are easily crossed, and for yield indicators this is a significant minus. It is good if carrots grow nearby, because in the commonwealth of culture pests are qualitatively repelled. Cucumbers, radishes, lettuce (different types) and strawberries are considered good neighbors.

Onion soil needs moderately moist, loose, with weak or neutral acidity.

Of course, the soil is prepared in advance. If it is planned to plant a crop in the traditional early spring period, it will be necessary to prepare the land in the fall. The beds are dug to a depth of 25 cm, all weeds and plant remains are removed from the soil, and then fertilizers are applied.

Fertilizer recipe for 1 square meter: 30 g of superphosphate, 3 tablespoons of wood ash, 20 g of potash fertilizer, 3,5 kg of compost / rotted manure and 1 teaspoon of urea. And in the spring, it will be necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizer (25 g per 1 square meter) to the already formed beds, and then mix it with the soil.

Future planting will be useful to protect against diseases, and also to stimulate the growth of culture. This is all considered seed processing. And the seed is either bulbs or seeds.

Learn how to prepare for planting bulbs.

• First you need to sort them.. The best samples are heads of 30 g, reaching 3 cm in diameter. It is they who will form the multi-onion “family”. If you take larger specimens, they will give many heads, but small ones. And if you use very small onions, they will be low-yielding, and you will have to enjoy a delicious vegetable later than usual.
• A week before planting, the selected seed is dipped in warm water for 8–10 hours. Its approximate temperature is +40 degrees.
• Before planting, the neck of the onion sets must be cut along the “shoulders”, this will stimulate the rapid growth of greenery.
• Sevki are soaked for 25 minutes in a manganese solution or fungicide. This disinfects the material well.

If the main task is to obtain an early harvest of greens (namely feathers), already sprouted onions are planted in the ground.

It happens that it is decided to take seeds for sowing. But this is usually done to update the planting material, that is, they are planted in the spring, and the onion grows by the beginning of autumn. In order for the sevok to be of high quality, the seeds must be germinated: 1 or 2 days in a damp cotton cloth or gauze. And so that the moisture does not leave, the seeds are constantly sprayed with warm water. Then they are dried and scattered in the garden.

Planting is even easier than preparing seed.

We will tell you how to plant shallots in open ground.

1. Observe the distance between the rows of at least 30 cm (you can also 40 cm).
2. The interbulb distance in a row is 20–30 cm.
3. Between seeds (if grown from seeds) the interval will be 8 cm.
4. The bulbs are planted to a depth of 2-3 cm. If the laying is deeper, the growth of greenery will be delayed, and the yield of the variety will drop. If the depth, on the contrary, is lacking, the heads of the plant will stick out from under the ground.
5. If seeds are planted, they are planted 12 cm down with the bottom. If the area is southern, the maximum depth is 10 cm.

After planting, the bulbs must be sprinkled with earth, which is mixed with wood ash in a ratio of 3 to 1. The earth must be watered. Next, the planting is mulched, covered with a layer of peat or humus. The thickness of such a layer is 4 cm. If shallots are planted in autumn, it would be nice to cover the beds with spruce branches, which are removed in early spring.

As already noted, shallots are not afraid of cold weather.. He will even endure -25 degrees. And everything that is even lower, he can no longer overcome: a frozen onion decently reduces its yield.

After sowing, the plant also needs to be looked after. And this is a whole range of activities.

The growing season requires at least three times watering the beds. But without certain clarifications, water can be harmful.

What you need to know about watering shallots in the country:

• abundant watering is necessary for the plant only after sowing, then the soil should simply be moistened, making sure that the earth does not dry out;
• the organization of watering always correlates with the weather – on rainy days, artificial moistening is not required, but if there is a drought, then once a week it is definitely worth watering the garden bed;
• 3-4 weeks before the crop ripens, watering is minimized, otherwise the onion feathers will quickly turn yellow, or even dry out.

During the growing season, top dressing should be at least two times a day. The first is carried out when three feathers are viewed. It can be organic: a solution of mullein in a ratio of 1 to 10 or a solution of bird droppings in a ratio of 1 to 15. 1 bucket of this composition goes to 10 squares of land. You can also take a mixture of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate: 10 to 10 per square. You can also use 1 tablespoon of urea, half a tablespoon of potash fertilizer in a standard bucket of water.

The next top dressing during the cultivation of the plant falls at the time of the bulbous formation, when already 5 feathers will stick out of the ground. The plant needs phosphorus and potassium, which means that a mixture of 10 g of potassium chloride and 15 g of superphosphate for the same bucket of water will be useful to it.

But a month before the harvest, feeding stops: if they are not finished, it will not work to grow large onions – all the forces will be spent on the growth of greenery.

It is imperative to loosen the earth, otherwise the air will not flow to the roots of the onion. The process should be carried out at least once a week, and it is better to set the mode to 2 loosening. This will prevent a crust from forming on the surface of the substrate, namely, it prevents moisture from evenly getting close to the roots of the bulbs.

Weeding is actually inseparable from loosening, because fast-growing weeds must be removed without waiting for them to take over the territory. They clog useful landings. And without weeding it is impossible to imagine a full-fledged fight against pests and viral diseases.

The arrows that appear must be broken off immediately before they have grown to 10 cm. In early July, the shallot nests should also be thinned out: be sure to shake them to throw off the earthen ball, remove all small heads right with the greens, leaving 5-6 well-developed buds. All these features of agricultural technology have one goal – to grow large onions.

Not to say that shallot is a very painful plant. But still, a certain danger exists – to a greater extent for a vegetable growing on the site. The same that develops on the windowsill, these misfortunes do not threaten so much.

What fungal diseases attack the culture:

• fusariosis;
• powdery mildew;
• downy mildew;
• neck rot.

It can already be said that infected specimens cannot be helped. They will wither very quickly. Therefore, it is better to simply dig them up and destroy them so that they do not have time to infect the rest of the seedlings. What is still great will have to be treated with fungicides (“Pentofag” will help, “Mikosan”). It must be remembered that after preparation manipulations, shallots cannot be eaten for some time, the specific period is indicated on the packaging of the remedy.

Find out what pests threaten shallots.

• Onion fly. Active during the cherry blossom season. Fly larvae are the ones that are dangerous for shallots, the feathers of which will turn white and fade. It is worth walking around the plant and the soil around it with wood ash.
• Onion nematode. It bends the bottom of the mother bulb, which can infect the entire planting. Affected plants must be removed immediately, without sparing. Planting material will have to be treated with a four percent formalin solution (soak it in it for a short time).
• Worms. Feathers are watered with saline at the rate of 1 glass of salt per 1 bucket of water – such actions against the pest are usually enough.
• Aphid garden. Occupies feathers and quickly sucks out all the juices from them.

In general, shallots are an unproblematic culture, and in one more season it is able to fall in love with all household members. Because its greens are tasty and healthy, the bulbs make dishes very tender (both when onions are added in raw form and in heat-treated ones). Careful and careful cultivation of shallots is definitely worth it!