How to plant and grow shallots (family): care features

Shallots are a type of onion. It has many similarities, but it also contains its own distinctive features.

To plant shallots correctly, you should familiarize yourself with its most popular varieties, as well as the terms, rules of care and growing family onions.

Shallots = family onions.

What is shallots: its description, what is the difference from other varieties of onions

By most indicators, shallots are practically no different from onions. The most important difference is that the shallot has an increased branching of feathers, an increased number of bulbs that form in the nest and their smaller size.In addition, small splinters are better preserved than ordinary (onion) ones.

By the way! Shallots are also called family onions!

Shallots are a type of multi-nested onion. Its base can contain from 3 to 20 identical torches. The more bulbs in the basket, the less weight they have. So, each head can weigh from 15 to 40 grams. Each head, in comparison with other varieties, has an elongated droplet shape.

Attention! A distinctive feature of the shallot is that it has a finer green structure, it is rounded, and also has a rich green shade and waxy sheen. Each feather reaches from 20 to 45 cm in length. Any bulb contains 8 to 10 leaves when pasturing greenery.

When grown, onions and shallots show some differences. For example, small onion bulbs germinate better in fertile, old-arable lands. At the same time, they should be somewhat heavier than for planting onions.

In addition, shallots are early ripening plants, when planted in temperate latitudes, they mature in 65-80 days. Unlike family onions, onions are distinguished by a long cultivation process. It takes only 25-35 days to cut a plant for greenery from the moment of planting.

The inner flesh of the shallot is dominated by a delicate structure, the taste has no bitterness, but gives off sweet notes. Therefore, the plant is in most cases used to prepare fresh salads, as well as other delicious dishes. First of all, the plant must be grown due to the increased quality of the greenery.

Shallots are well preserved for a long period of time.

Video: secrets and features of shallots

Popular shallots

Shallots have their own varieties. There are a lot of them, and they differ into special groups: early ripening, mid-ripening and late ripening. Gardeners generalize shallots into 2 groups:

1. Ancient - there are varieties that have different ripening periods. They can be late harvest or early. Such an onion is distinguished by various shades of the upper husk. It is often presented with brown, red, yellow or purple rind tones. These plants include Snowball, Miner, Albik, Earring, Star.
2. Bushes - early ripening variety with many rudiments. This type includes species with small and fairly densely spaced heads. The hull tone is predominantly yellow or pale yellow: Emerald, Guarantor, Ayrat, Guran, Banana.

Family bow subdivide in pungency for semi-sweet, spicy and delicate sweet species.

Experienced gardeners identify the most popular among the many different types of shallots. by maturity:

1. early maturing - Belozerets, Vitamin, Emerald, Cascade, Family;
2. mid-season - Andreyka, Albik, Ayrat, Bonilla, Kubansky;
3. late varieties - Ural violet, Siberian amber, Vonsky, Krepysh, Bargalinsky.

Therefore, before planting, it is recommended that you decide whether you need shallots - bitter or sweet, early harvest or late ripening.

How to plant shallots: rules and instructions

Shallots are grown in two stages - in the first year the plant produces only 4-5 small onions, but in the second year the number of heads in the nest can reach 10 pieces or more. The main thing is to choose the right time for planting and the soil. In addition, it is recommended to know what has been planted on the selected site in previous years. It depends on the place chosen how quickly the plant grows, and what kind of growth it will give.

The technology of growing shallots is practically indistinguishable from rooting onions, but in some nuances it has its own characteristics.

Important! Luchins have a rather capricious character. The heads are sensitive to daylight hours as well as watering and placement. To obtain a high-quality shallot harvest, it is important to follow all the recommendations for planting the plant.

When to plant family onions outdoors in 2020

You can plant shallots both in spring and in autumn, but planting onions before winter gives earlier greens, and harvesting begins 2 weeks earlier.

In spring, the shallots can be planted in early April, because onions are not afraid of frost.

On autumn days, it is recommended to sow family onions in mid or late October. The optimal sowing time for shallots in the fall before winter is determined by the fact that from the moment of planting to the onset of a period of persistent frost, about a month must pass for it to take root, but preferably not to start growing.

According to the lunar calendar in 2020

The calendar, which includes the dates of the location of the moon in one or another phase, is a kind of cheat sheet for the gardener, since scientists have long proven the relationship between the growth and development of plants, depending on the movement of a celestial body.

According to the lunar calendar for 2020, favorable days for planting shallots are:

• in March - 8, 10, 16-19;
• in April - 5-7, 9-15, 17-22, 27-30;
• in May - 2-6, 9, 11, 12, 20-22, 29-31;
• in June - 7-9, 11-14;
• in July - 4, 6, 8-11, 13-16, 27-29;
• in August - 5-10;
• in September - 24-26;
• in October - 3-6, 8-11, 13-15, 18-23, 26-28;
• in November - 5-9, 22-24.

It is not always possible to plant shallots on auspicious days, however, there are dates (days of the Full Moon and New Moon, as well as the period when the Moon is in Aquarius, since this is a barren and dry sign -italicized), according to the lunar calendar, when in 2020 it is completely undesirable to do this:

• in March - 9,19-21, 24;
• in April - 8,15-17, 23;
• in May - 7,13-14, 22;
• in June - 5,9-11, 21;
• in July - 5,7-8, 20;
• in August -3, 4-5, 19, 31;
• in September -1, 2, 17, 27-28;
• in October - 2, 16,24-26, 31;
• in November - 15,20-22, 30.

According to the lunar calendar from the magazine "1000 Tips for Summer Residents".

Choosing a seat for landing

To get a high-quality harvest, it is recommended to pre-select the optimal place for placing the onions. Shallot loves to grow in open, sunny areas of the earth. For planting, soil with a non-acidic pH environment is suitable. Shallots need fertile soil with a neutral reaction. The soil needs to be light, loose and rich in nutrients.

Caution! The acidic soil is not suitable for growing family onions. In such a situation, the feather quickly acquires a yellow tint, and the torch is crushed and loses all its taste.

After which it is better to plant

Before planting, it is recommended to find out exactly which predecessors were planted in the selected area of ​​the soil.

Shallot grows best after planting on the territory of legumes, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage or tomatoes. This is due to the fact that these plants saturate the soil with nutrients and oxygen.

Caution! You should not plant family onions in areas where sunflowers, carrots, corn, beets or garlic have existed for a long time. After these crops, the soil remains depleted with completely sucked out nutrients. After such placement, it is recommended to pre-enrich the soil with cow dung and minerals.

Carrots can be grown next to shallots - they will scare away onion midge, which will provoke the absence of parasites on the foliage of the plant. Strawberries, lettuce, radishes, and cucumbers also have similar properties. But close proximity to legumes, spinach, parsnips, turnips or broccoli is not allowed. they tend to inhibit the plant.

Direct planting with seeds and bulbs

You can grow onion sets both with bulbs and from seeds.

Growing from bulbs

Before planting, the bulbs are recommended to be sorted out and processed in a fungicide, then the plants will have immunity against possible pests and diseases. For planting with bulbs, specimens with a diameter of about 3 cm are ideal.

Distance between rows depends on the size of the planting material: 20-30 cm for large bulbs, 15-18 cm for medium size; 8-10 cm - for very small ones. More often, you should not plant onions, becausethe size of the future harvest depends on the feeding area. Before planting the bulbs, furrows are made about 5-6 cm deep in the beds, which shed well, but do not compact. Planting depth is about 6 cm, while the neck of the bulb should be 2-3 cm in the ground. A noticeable difference between the autumn and spring planting of family onions is that the bulbs are planted a little deeper before winter.

For bulbs it is better to use smaller planting material and plant shallots in early spring. And here to get a pen larger bulbs should be planted in the fall (October).

Growing from seeds

It is recommended to germinate the seedlings before planting. The seeds are pre-soaked in warm liquid, wrapped in cotton cloth or gauze. It is recommended to cover the container with the seeds placed in it so that the moisture does not evaporate. In this state, the seedlings are kept for 24, and preferably 48 hours.

Before planting, the seeds of the family onion are pre-dried, only then they are scattered into the beds.

The selected area is cleaned of debris, grass. After that, they dig up well and bring in last year's rotted compost from fallen leaves or cow dung. Having dug up, they begin to form grooves (exactly the same as when planting from bulbs). The sown seeds are slightly added with soil (1 cm). If the layer is too thick, the sprouts will not be able to break through.

Note! As a rule, shallots are planted precisely bulbs due to the low germination of seed.

Video: shallots - cultivation techniques

Features of spring and autumn planting (before winter)

If planting shallots in open ground is carried out in spring, then it is more advisable to carry it out in April or early May. At this time, the plant manages to get enough of a large volume of melt water. At the same time, the torch is not afraid of residual frosts, on the contrary, it gets stronger and gains protective forces.

Attention! When rooting in spring, splinters and feathers grow during the longest light days.

You can also plant family onions in open ground in the fall. The procedure in this case is carried out in October. The weather conditions should be adjusted to stimulate the onion to root, but not to promote its growth. This implies that planting should be done 30 days before the first freezing temperatures. Rooting for the plant is necessary due to the fact that the head in this form overwinters better than when the onion has rhizomes. Luchins can withstand a strong decrease in temperature - up to -20 C. But very often in the Middle lane, in the Urals and in Siberia, during winter sowing, plantings freeze almost halfway, although they undergo natural stratification and increase their own susceptibility to diseases and pests. Therefore, it is better to plant shallots in the fall before winter in southern regions.

How to properly care

In order for the plant to grow strong, healthy, and most importantly, with excellent appearance and taste, it is recommended to take good care of the shallot bulbs. To do this, it is worth watering, loosening and weeding, as well as timely fertilizing the family onions.

Watering, loosening and weeding

Watering the shallot plantings in the first time after sowing should be carried out often, in large enough volumes. When harvesting is planned, then 21-28 days before harvesting, it will be correct to slowly reduce the introduction of nutrient moisture. This is necessary so that the feathers have time to acquire a yellow tone and dry completely.

It is required to periodically loosen and weed between the bulbs in order for the plant to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen necessary for development. Such an event is also necessary so that a dense crust does not form on the surface, which does not allow moisture to uniformly flow to the plants. Periodic loosening should also be carried out in order to eliminate rapidly growing weeds that clog useful plantings.

Fertilization

In one growing season, shallots are usually fed 2 times.

The first fertilization is carried out in the spring, when the first 3 feathers appear on the plant. In this case, the shallot is used as a top dressing urea or urea, spreading 1 tbsp. for 1 bucket of water. It is recommended to additionally add 1/2 tbsp to this consistency. l. potash fertilizer. 

Second feeding for family onions is carried out when the 5th feather appears. During this period, the plant is vital phosphorus and potassium... For this use potassium monophosphate in the amount of 1 tsp. for 1 bucket of water.

Diseases and pests of shallots

Shallots can attack fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, peronosporosis or downy mildew, neck rot and fusarium wilting.

Of pests, shallots are often attacked onion fly... Also on the bow you can find worms.

Shallot can cause great harm onion nematode, which bends the bottom of the mother's bulb.

Green shallot feathers are still very fond of garden aphid.

When to harvest and how to store

The middle of July is mainly marked by an important event in the life cycle of a torch - the cut of a feather. The main thing is not to miss this time, otherwise, when harvesting shallots, you can provoke the growth of torches and the development of green feathers in them.

Note! You can start harvesting shallots immediately after more than half of its feathers have been covered. It is the lodging of onion leaves that is the main sign of its complete ripening, indicating the dying off of the roots at the bottom.

Family onions are harvested using the same methods as for common onions. They dig it in with a shovel, shake it off and let it dry in the sun for a day. Only after complete drying is it worth breaking the nests into separate splinters (or you may not break it).

To send the bulbs for storage, they need trim dry leaves, leaving only a thin neck 3-5 cm high.

Shallots are perfectly stored at a dry, slightly cool temperature, at which the bulbs retain all their qualities for 6-12 months.

Can store family onions in refrigerator (peeled)since frozen shallots also retain their properties.

Thus, planting shallots outdoors in spring and autumn is almost entirely consistent with onions. The main thing is that to obtain a high-quality harvest, you should adhere to the basic rules for growing and caring for splinters of family onions.

Video: shallots - a full cycle from planting to storage