Shallots and features of its cultivation

Shallot is a unique plant that combines the benefits of feather and onion. Its fruits are used to prepare various dishes and are suitable for long-term storage. Therefore, many gardeners want to plant it in their area.

This plant is popularly known as a family, nesting and Old Believer onion, as well as a bush or kvochka. Shallot is a type of onion. Initially, it was distributed only in the Middle East. In Europe, they learned about this plant in the middle of the XNUMXth century, but then it did not receive much distribution.

Shallot is a biennial plant. Its main characteristics are a short ripening period, high yield and good frost resistance. You can grow shallots both in warm regions and in cold ones.

The root system of this plant is slightly branched. She lies deep. The foliage is thin and light green. In length, it can grow up to 25 centimeters. The green onion looks very nice. Bulbs that form underground resemble garlic heads. Around one maternal bulb, a whole nest of 5-20 daughter specimens is formed. The shape and color of the bulbs depend on the varietal characteristics of the plant.

Having decided to plant shallots in your area, you need to understand how it differs from ordinary onions.

• Foliage. The green feathers of shallots are spreading. Greens begin to form after the formation of the head. Very often, such onions are grown in a greenhouse on a feather. With proper care, you can get juicy greens as early as February.

• Bulb shape. The shape of the turnip in shallots is more elongated. The bulbs are quite small. The color depends on the characteristics of the variety and the place where the onion grows. So, in the northern regions, turnips have a yellowish color, in the southern regions – light purple.

• Taste. Most people appreciate shallots for their taste. Its delicious juicy greens are actively used for fresh salads and soups. Bulbs are used to prepare main dishes and side dishes.

• Smell. Shallots do not have a sharp unpleasant odor. Its aroma is sweet and slightly spicy. That is why shallots are eaten even by those who do not use regular onions because of the smell.

It is recommended to plant shallots after the end of the snow melt. In the southern regions, it is planted at the end of winter, in the middle lane – in the middle of spring.

When choosing a place for onion beds, you should pay attention to the following points.

1. Soil quality. Shallots grow best in areas with fertile and well-loosened soil. Its acidity should not be increased. It is recommended to choose areas with deep groundwater. Otherwise, the roots of the plant will rot.

2. Illumination. In order for the plant to develop well, and its foliage always remains juicy and green, onions should be planted in well-lit areas. Shallots grow much worse in the shade.

3. The all-rounder. If you follow the rules of crop rotation, the plants will be less likely to get sick. At the same time, it will also be possible to obtain a higher quality crop. Shallots are recommended to be planted after legumes. It is in this case that the gardener will have the least problems with growing onions. Representatives of nightshade or pumpkin are also considered good predecessors for him. But after carrots, beets and garlic, shallots are categorically not recommended to be planted.

4. Neighbors. No less important is the choice of the right neighbors for shallots. This plant is usually planted next to carrots, radishes or strawberries. Rows of onions can be alternated with rows of lettuce.

Before sowing shallots, the area must be dug up. This allows you to get rid of the remnants of weeds and eggs of pests. In addition, this procedure saturates the earth with oxygen. In the process of digging the site, manure, compost or wood ash is placed in the soil.

For planting shallots, you can use both seeds and sets.

For planting shallots, you should use high-quality seeds. They must be fresh and not damaged by mold or rot. Before planting, planting material is wrapped in a piece of damp cloth. In this form, it is left for two days. From time to time, the fabric must be irrigated with a spray bottle. She must not dry out.

Seeds prepared in this way are sown in warm soil. The depth of the grooves for planting onions should be within three centimeters. After sowing the seeds, the rows are sprinkled with a thin layer of loose soil.

Sevok before planting is also recommended to sort out. For planting on the site, only healthy and well-dried bulbs are used. They should not be too big, but not small either.

Sevok must be dried before planting. To do this, it is laid out next to heating appliances or directly on the battery. In this form, the onion is left for several days. This allows you to “awaken” the plant and speed up the process of emergence of green sprouts. Instead, the bulbs can also be placed in a container and covered with warm water for a couple of minutes.

Growing shallots outdoors is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Agrotechnics of the plant consists of the following activities.

Plants should be watered carefully. Do not allow waterlogging of the soil. This can lead to rotting of the bulbs and the development of many fungal diseases. If the weather is rainy, the beds do not need to be watered. In drought, the site is irrigated every few days. Water for irrigation is used soft and separated.

Loosening the site is usually carried out immediately after watering. Thus, the gardener prevents the formation of a crust. In addition, he needs to remove all the weeds on the site. After all, they are able to drown out the bow. Because of this, both greens and heads will be very weak and tasteless.

When growing shallots on a large onion, it is important to thin it out in a timely manner. Excess greens are removed around the middle of summer. Harvested plants do not need to be thrown away. They are commonly used to prepare various dishes.

Shallots are usually fed twice a season. For the first time this is done one and a half weeks after the first shoots appear. At this time, organic fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are usually used. It can be a weak solution of chicken or herbal infusion.

During the formation of heads, the plants are fed with potash fertilizers. Such top dressing has a positive effect on the taste characteristics of onions.

Shallots planted before winter are fed in the spring, after the snow melts.

Shallots are most commonly propagated vegetatively. Bulbs collected after harvesting are thoroughly dried and stored until next year. Using them, you can propagate onions without losing its varietal characteristics.

Seeds are used to breed such plants much less frequently. Collecting them yourself is quite difficult. The fact is that shallots rarely shoot and bloom. In addition, planting material germinates poorly.

When planting shallots in your area, you need to know in advance about the pests that pose a danger to this crop.

1. Onion fly. These insects appear on the site in the spring. At this time, the onion foliage begins to turn white and fade. Noticing this, the gardener should treat the bushes themselves and the soil around them with wood ash.

2. Nematode. This is another pest that poses a danger to most varieties of onions. The activity of this insect causes a rapid curvature of the bottom of the main bulb. In order not to lose the crop, the gardener needs to dig up all the affected plants and destroy them.

3. Aphid. Small insects settle on green foliage and begin to suck juices out of it. Getting rid of aphids can be quite difficult. But for the fight against insects, it is quite possible to use folk remedies. As a rule, plants are sprayed with an infusion of nightshade or a decoction of pepper. If there are too many pests on the site, shallots are treated with Verticillin. Apply it according to the instructions.

Dangerous for young plants and fungal diseases.

1. Powdery mildew. This is one of the most common diseases. It affects not only onions, but also plants in the neighborhood. At the same time, the greens are covered with a dense mealy-white coating. Diseased plants look like they have been doused with lime mortar. To combat powdery mildew, you can use folk remedies. Usually gardeners spray the bushes with a solution of wood ash.

2. Peronosporosis. This disease can kill the entire onion very quickly. It is very easy to spot him. Yellow or brown spots appear on green foliage. Over time, they merge together. Sick plants are recommended to be sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture. To achieve the complete destruction of the disease, it is necessary to spray not only the foliage, but also the soil next to the plants.

3. Fusarium wilt. The reason for the development of this disease is usually high humidity. Onions slow down in development. Its feathers turn yellow and wither. On them you can see bright red fungal spores. Fighting fusarium is very difficult. Affected plants must be removed and destroyed. The site is then sprayed with Fitosporin.

It is worth starting harvesting shallots immediately after lodging of leaves. If you miss the right moment, the bulbs will be stored worse. The harvest of early ripe onions is usually done in July. Mid-late varieties are harvested in August.

After harvesting, the bulbs are cleaned of dirt and laid out on the beds for several days. There they mature and dry. After a couple of days, dry foliage is separated from the heads. Shallots can be stored in a variety of ways.

1. In the boxes. Dried and peeled onions can be placed in boxes. In this form, the crop will be well stored both in the cellar or basement, and on an ordinary balcony.

2. In braids. Dry foliage after harvesting onions does not need to be cut. Leaves can be woven into braids. They are compact in size and perfectly stored on shelves or racks.

3. In a refrigerator. A small part of the crop can be placed in the vegetable compartment. They usually store onions there, which will be consumed in the near future.

4. In the freezer. Peeled onions can also be stored in the freezer. In this case, it is pre-cut and moistened. After that, the onions are placed in plastic containers and sent to freezers. Green feathers can be frozen in the same way. Frozen onions do not lose their beneficial properties.