Yalta onion is one of the most beloved varieties, known for its many nutritional properties and unique taste. We offer to understand the features of this variety and how to get the vegetable as close as possible to the original at home.
Grade Features
The only place where the original variety grows is the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula. Weather conditions and nutrients, which are rich in soil in this part of the Crimea, allow you to get onions without bitterness. Finding this variety at the point of sale is not an easy task. Difficulties in choosing arise due to the existence of several dozen outwardly almost identical varieties, as well as due to unscrupulous sellers presenting their goods under the Yalta brand.
It is important to know exactly what color of the husk and scales of such an onion, as well as other characteristic signs:
- flattened fetal shape;
- the average size;
- purple or pink hue;
- lack of a pungent odor (tearing does not cause tearing of the eyes);
- sweet taste without bitterness;
- in the section thick scales are clearly visible, tightly adjacent to each other;
- inside the bow is white or pale pink, but not blue;
- the edging of the scales has a slight purple tint;
- the number of flakes does not exceed 7 pieces.
Important! Bulb flakes should be difficult to separate from each other. If this is not the case, then they sold you a fake.
Choosing a place to grow
It is possible to get the real variety of the onion in question in the greenhouse or in the apartment, but the result will not be completely analogous - the product will to some extent lose its characteristic sweetness and juiciness, the taste will become more acute. In order for the difference to be minimally noticeable, it is necessary to approach the selection of the site with responsibility.
Lighting
A guarantee that your bow will not be bitter is the good illumination of the beds during daylight hours, so choose a sunny outdoor area. When cultivated in the house can not do without sources of artificial lighting. Electric lamps will extend the daylight hours.
The soil
The culture should be planted in the most fertile soil. In advance (at the beginning of spring) properly feed the earth with ammonium nitrate and potassium salt.
Predecessors
Recommended precursors for the presented vegetable garden are potatoes, tomato, cabbage, various greens. Planting Crimean onions is strictly prohibited after any other varieties of onions.
Did you know? The world leader in the amount of onions consumed by the population is Libya. According to the UN, on average, every citizen of this country eats more than 33 kg of vegetables per year. Second place — Senegal, where this figure is 22 kg. A British person eats about 9.3 kg per year on average. But the French, whom the British call "onion eaters", this figure is a modest 5.6 kg per person.
Site preparation
Planting territory is being prepared since the fall. Remove all weeds from the site, dig up the soil to a depth of 40 cm. Finally, level the site, while getting rid of plant debris. All listed works must be completed before November. If the time frame is not respected, the probability of overdrying the soil is high, which will affect the quality of the crop. With the onset of spring, once a week, harrow the land. The procedure will make the soil even more fertile for onions - it will fluff and soften the earth after winter.
Self-growing seedlings
Before planting onions on an open bed, pre-growing seedlings is required.
Optimal timing
The best time for sowing seeds for seedlings in the greenhouse space is the period from February to March (but on the condition that you live in the southern regions). If you live in the north, follow similar deadlines (preferably in March), but cultivation should be carried out in a house or in a heated greenhouse to ensure proper lighting.
Did you know? Onions are saturated with more natural sugar than apples and pears. The composition of the vegetable includes 6% sugar. When sautéed or stewed, caustic substances evaporate and the onion becomes sweet.
Capacity and soil
Any container available on the farm will do. The selection of the substrate must be approached more carefully. Mix in equal proportions of turf soil and humus, then add 50 g of mineral fertilizing. The thickness of the soil mixture poured into the container should not be less than 15 cm.
Seed preparation
Seeds require disinfection. To do this, soak it in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 40 minutes. After the procedure, thoroughly rinse the material, then soak in a biostimulator according to the manual on the package. Then drain the liquid and dry the seeds thoroughly.
Germination conditions
Transfer the container with seeds sown into the substrate into a warm room with a temperature of about + 25 ° С. Favorable humidity is about 60%. In addition, make sure that the container is located under good lighting. As soon as the sprouts appear, choose a cooler room for the container with an air temperature not exceeding + 15 ° С. At night, a reduction of up to + 10 ° C is allowed. Such conditions will help draw seedlings.
Important! Stop irrigation of the garden 20 days before the planned harvest.
Seedling Care
Keep the soil surface always moist. During the cultivation of seedlings, carry out two feeding procedures. After 15 days, add minerals by dissolving 10 g of superphosphate, 5 g of urea and 3 g of potassium chloride in half a bucket of water. After 20 days, soak the earth with nitrate, dissolving 1 g of the substance in 1 liter of water.
When young plants grow up, thin them so that they are located at a distance of no more than 1 cm from each other. In the winter months, use artificial light sources. Before transplanting seedlings into the ground, it is useful to harden them - for one week, take the plants outside and leave for the whole day, and bring them into the house at night. In addition, it is necessary to gradually reduce their watering.
Planting seedlings on the site
When the seedlings get stronger and grow a little, you can start transplanting to a permanent place.
Optimal timing
The recommended period for planting young onions is the beginning of April. If you are late with a transplant, the yield of the variety will be significantly reduced.
Landing pattern
Perform Crimean onion planting using the following technology:
- Form grooves in the ground.
- Moisten the area well.
- Plant seedlings in a wide-row way. The row spacing is at least 40 cm. An acceptable distance between seedlings is about 10 cm, i.e., about 35 plants should be placed on 1 m².
- Plant the seedlings and immediately cover the ground with their roots.
- Press lightly, then moisten the soil under each plant.
Care Features
To achieve high yields, care of the beds should be systematic.
Watering
Water the onions must be timely and plentiful. Enough for one or two treatments per week. Initially, 1 bucket of water per 1 m² is required. Next, reduce the amount of fluid a little. The drip irrigation system in the case of Crimean onions will be most preferred. And the desired temperature for irrigation water is +14 ... + 18 ° C.
Weeding and loosening the soil
To guarantee plantings access to sunlight, once every 7–8 days, loosen the soil while removing weeds. Unplanned loosening is required after every heavy rain, as soon as the surface of the soil is slightly dry. When working on beds with onions, be especially careful not to harm the plants.
Top dressing
Yalta onions react very positively to nutrients, so try to make top dressing on time - once every 10 days until August. The first time after planting, fertilize the onions with diluted mullein (1 part of the product in 5 parts of water) or chicken droppings (1 part of the substance in 10 parts of water). In the future, use complex potassium-phosphorus top dressing, diluted according to the instructions. For example, potassium chloride (20 g) and superphosphate (40 g) are mixed with a bucket of water.
Harvesting and storage
The time for harvesting root crops falls at the end of August or the beginning of September. The leaves of plants should have time to lie on the ground. The collection technology consists in carefully picking up the fruit with a pitchfork or carefully digging the ground with a shovel and pulling the onion with your hands. Unfortunately, the fruits of this variety have a short shelf life - a maximum of 4 months.
And storing the crop in the refrigerator will cause the onion to deteriorate even faster, therefore it is more advisable to keep the product in a cool, darkened room with a temperature of no higher than + 15 ° C and humidity up to 50%. An excellent solution would be weaving bulbs into braids with their further suspension. Regarding what to make from the harvested crop, the vegetable can be added to a variety of dishes to improve palatability.
Due to the sweet taste, it can be eaten without salt and pickling, using as a component of salads or snacks. As you can see, Crimean onion is an original and tasty variety. To please your family with a large harvest of this culture, organize the proper conditions and do not neglect the advice of specialists.
