Bulb is a versatile vegetable that is used both for food and for planting

An onion is not only an edible part of a plant obtained by cultivating a crop, but also a planting material. Therefore, each ogrodnik need to know how to properly store onions in winter, which heads are suitable for planting and how to produce these works with maximum success.

Meaning of the word

Bulb is a shoot that is underground and shortened. He has juicy, colorless, scaly leaves, which are attached to the Donets. At the top of the onion head is the main kidney, and in the scales of the scales - lateral ones, from which new fruits will grow.

Soil preparation

Bulb - this is a pretty capricious planting material, and despite the fact that it is recommended to plant this culture in the spring, it is customary to prepare the soil in the fall:

1. First you need to decide on a place for future planting. It is best to use the land on which cabbage, tomatoes, legumes or herbs have grown before. In no case can not land onions in the ripies in which cucumbers, garlic or carrots were grown. In addition, such a root system does not tolerate the presence of fresh manure in the soil, so the places where this fertilizer was applied should also be excluded.
2. Bow loves the sun, so it is worth staying in high and well-lit areas.
3. The soil must be neutral. In autumn, it should be dug up and rendered humus (5 kilograms per square meter) or ash (1 kg per 1 m²). Mineral fertilizers should remain in the upper layers, so that the roots of the plant can immediately get access to useful substances.

Preparation of planting material

The bulb is not only an edible part of the plant, but also the material used for planting, it is called the nestling. The diameter of such fruits does not exceed 3.5 centimeters.

First you need to sort through all the bulbs and weed out the damaged, dried, sprouted or blackened specimens. They have already lost all their useful properties, and their planting will not bring any result.

Directly before the work of the sowing itself, it is necessary to warm up around the battery, the temperature of which should be 35-40 ° C. You can also dip the bulbs in hot water for 15 minutes. Then the planting material is placed in a container with a complex fertilizer. The time of the procedure should not be less than 10 hours, after which the sowing must be washed and thoroughly dried.

Planting bulbs

For planting the best time is considered to be the beginning of May, that is, the period when the earth warms up to a temperature of 10-12 ° C. It is best to use the following scheme:

• The distance between bulbs should be no more than 10 centimeters, and between rows - not less than 20.
• Then the planting material is deepened into the soil by about 3-5 centimeters.
• It is best to plant bulbs, starting with the smallest and ending with large specimens.

Harvest preparation for storage

To answer the question of how to keep the bulbs until the spring, you need to pay attention to the preparatory work, which will help the crop to lie as long as possible.

Onions should be harvested in mid-August, preferably after the 14th. In this case, it will be fully ripe. The presence of this factor is said to be dried feathers and dense peels. Experienced vacationers recommend giving the bulbs completely dry, leaving them on the beds for 5-10 days after digging.

If this is not possible, the crop is dried under a canopy or directly in the room. The main condition will be good ventilation and purging.

Then it is necessary to trim the ponytails, leaving an appendix of 3-5 centimeters. If it is planned to braid onions in braids, then they should not be cut off.

Methods of storing onions

Each onion bulb can be stored for a long time when using the following auxiliaries:

• Boxes. They can be purchased at the store or manufactured independently. Suitable as plastic and wooden samples. The main condition is the presence of holes for ventilation. Also, boxes significantly save space, because they can be stacked on top of each other.
• Cardboard boxes are handy and the most accessible means. For such purposes, tight specimens will fit in which special holes will be made.
• Baskets. It is best to use several baskets not more than 10 centimeters deep. Otherwise, the bulbs lying in the middle will quickly decay and deteriorate.
• Tissue bags. They must necessarily be made of natural materials, such as linen or cotton.
• Packages of heavy paper. One package should be designed for a bow portion of 4-5 kilograms, otherwise the vegetables can deteriorate.
• Grids made of polypropylene. They are the most common way to store. Such material is well ventilated, and in the event that one onion starts to rot, it can be seen and cleaned without having to go through the whole harvest.

Storage space

Many housewives are wondering how to store bulbs. To begin with, it is worth remembering that the optimum temperature for these vegetables is 18-22 ° C. Proceeding from this, the following places are selected:

1. Before the onset of cold weather, the onion can be kept on the balcony.
2. Then it must be moved to the storeroom, it is recommended to avoid neighborhood with carrots, potatoes or beets.
3. You can also store onions in the kitchen, placing vegetables in an empty place.
4. For small volumes, the lower cabinets of the kitchen set or the special compartment of the refrigerator are good.

You can weave a braid and place it on the wall. This method will also be an excellent decoration of the interior.

Bulb is a capricious planting material and at the same time the most common vegetable that is used in almost any dish. Therefore, each landlady must know the rules of its storage.