Onions are popular and indispensable in the kitchen, because they give most dishes an aromatic taste. If you have the opportunity to plant onions yourself, you can cultivate the undemanding tubers without much effort.
The cultivation of onions is usually successful
Where are the onions best grown?
The best location for an onion bed must meet the following requirements:
- slightly sandy soil
- humus nature of the earth
- plenty of nutrients
The soil must be well loosened and free of weeds. After the harvest in autumn, you can already fertilize for spring planting. The onions do not tolerate fresh fertilization. It is better to work in mature compost when preparing the bed in spring.
Bulbs can also be grown on the balcony in sufficiently deep pots and flower boxes (€16.99). The soil should also be fresh, loose and full of nutrients.
Cultivate onions properly
Onions can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
Cultivation by seeds
The seeds are planted in the ground in autumn. Sow thinly in rows about 25 cm apart. The bulbs can then develop over the winter period. It can be harvested as early as late spring of next year.
Culture with onion sets
Cultivation via onion sets is more popular and starts at the end of April when night frosts are no longer to be expected. The small bulbs are planted in rows about 25 cm apart in the loose soil. An onion set is planted so far into the ground every 15 cm that no more than a third is sticking out.
care measures
Since the bed was fertilized during preparation or in the fall, there is no longer any need to add fertilizer.
Onions love moderate moisture. However, they should only be watered sparingly during dry periods. It is important to ensure that there is no waterlogging. She rots the onions.
Harvest and store onions
Once they have formed a nice tuber, the bulbs prepare for winter time and send all the nutrients into the tuber. The green receives little nourishment and slowly turns brown. When the stems snap, the bulbs are ripe and can be pulled out of the ground.
However, they still have to dry sufficiently before being stored. To do this, you can store the harvest in airy boxes in a dry place or tie the bulbs together in several bushes and hang them up in an airy place.
If the onions dry flat, they must be turned over from time to time.
As soon as the outer onion skins are dry, the bulbs can be stored in a dark, airy and dry place. Before doing so, shake off the excess soil, shorten the roots and cut off the stem to 5 cm.