When to plant onion sets in open ground in the Moscow region

Onion

Onions are a true treasure trove of health, and a natural and very healthy seasoning that can be used in any dish. They are even grown at home for greens in winter, and it's impossible to find a garden without them.

Let's look at when and how to properly plant onion sets, what kind of soil they prefer and how to properly prepare it, as well as how to care for them to get a more abundant harvest.

Planting dates

It's impossible to pinpoint a precise date for planting onion sets in the spring. It all depends primarily on the region's climate.

In the southern region, this can happen as early as early to mid-April; in the Moscow region, it is advisable to wait until mid-May, and further north, planting should not be done before the end of May or beginning of June.

Important! The soil should warm up to +12 to a depth of 10 cm.

It should be noted that after planting, onions tolerate temperature drops and sudden cold snaps quite well, although development will slow down for a short time and the green part will not develop as actively.

In general, it's best to plant onion sets a little later, once you're confident that the air and soil temperatures are stable. If you rush, even if they develop normally, they'll bolt early and store poorly. This also affects their appearance.

You shouldn't delay planting either, unless your goal is to grow lush greenery at the expense of bulb development. This is exactly what happens if you plant onion sets in very warm soil.

In general, experienced gardeners recommend planting in winter, approximately 14-17 days before the first frost. This is because some bulbs dry out and lose their viability during storage. Overwintering in the soil, they preserve much better, don't bolt in the spring, and produce a higher yield.

In spring, you need to approach planting dates more responsibly.

Preparing for landing

Onions are rarely planted from seeds. It's much easier to use sets. These are small bulbs that can, in principle, be grown from seed. However, this requires experience and skill, as well as sufficient space in the garden. Moreover, you need to not only grow the sets, but also maintain them in good condition until planting time. Therefore, it's much easier to buy ready-made onion sets.

How to choose an onion

If you are not sure that you can store onion sets until planting time, do not buy them in advance, no more than 2 weeks in advance.

When choosing, pay attention to the following characteristics:

Size

Bulbs up to 14 mm in diameter are best for winter planting, but remember that smaller bulbs may freeze and not produce the expected harvest in poor soil. Bulbs up to 21 mm in diameter can also be planted in winter, but are best used for spring planting. Larger bulbs up to 25 mm in diameter are planted primarily for greens. In this regard, they produce excellent results, even for beginners.

Please note! In recent years, onion sets larger than 30 mm have become increasingly common. They are the cheapest and can only be used for spring planting.

Appearance

Onion sets should be uniform in color and free of spots, unevenness, damage, or dents. It's normal for them to be slightly damp. In this case, simply lay them out in a single layer and dry them after purchase. Just don't confuse them with frozen onions. These are soft and have a distinctive musty smell.

How to prepare onion sets

Before planting, the bulbs need some prep work. The first step is to carefully sort them and generously remove any rotten, dried, or damaged ones.

The next step is disinfection. You can prepare a saline solution (2 tablespoons per 2 liters of water) and soak the bulbs in it for 2 hours, then rinse under running water and soak them in a deep pink solution of potassium permanganate for 3 hours. No need to rinse afterward; just let them dry slightly.

A copper sulfate solution (35 g per bucket of water) is also used for this purpose. No rinsing is required afterward; simply let the excess liquid drain.

For the Moscow region and regions further north, additional measures are a good idea. Prepare warm and cold water. Dip the bulbs alternately in one container and then the other for 15 minutes. This will harden the plant. To speed up germination and provide additional protection, you can use special mineral complexes and growth stimulants.

All procedures performed disinfect the bulbs, protect them from pests, and also increase their endurance.

Soil preparation

Start by choosing a site. Onions prefer light, loamy and sandy soils. Heavy clay soils promote waterlogging and are therefore absolutely unsuitable for them, and they also dislike acidic soils.

The bed should be well-ventilated. Ideally, it should be neither too high nor too low to avoid rot.

Take note! You can determine your soil's acidity yourself at home. To do this, spread some soil on a piece of glass and moisten it with 9% vinegar. A large amount of foam indicates high alkalinity, normal foam indicates neutral soil, and no foam at all indicates acidic soil. By the way, it's also possible to regulate this level. To do this, add chalk, dolomite, slaked lime, and wood ash in the fall.

Be sure to improve soil fertility. This should also be done in the fall. Humus or manure are best.

Crop rotation is also crucial for the harvest. Onions can be grown in the same area for no more than 2-3 consecutive years.

The soil that suits it best is after:

cabbage (especially cauliflower and early cabbage)%
cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin and squash;
legumes;
green manure.

Important! Many legumes are themselves green manure crops.

But after lettuce, carrots, turnips and radishes, as well as some herbs, you shouldn’t expect a good harvest.

The bed should be prepared in the fall, with the necessary fertilizers added to the soil. In the spring, all that's left to do is weed it and plant the prepared sets.

Planting recommendations

For onions, it's best to prepare narrow but long beds. This will make tending the plants easier. The height should be adjusted depending on the soil type. For heavy soil, make them tall to allow for better ventilation, while for light soil, a high height isn't necessary at all.

First, make a furrow and thoroughly moisten it. The distance between rows should be 20 cm, and between bulbs within rows 10-12 cm. Don't bury the onion sets deeper than 2 cm. They should only be lightly covered with soil; pressing down is not recommended.

Important! If you plant onions more often, you will have to thin them out.

Care instructions

To obtain a high yield, onion beds require adequate care, which includes the following measures:

Watering once a week. Stop watering 3 weeks before harvesting.
Weeding every 7-12 days. Many people believe that weeds help retain soil moisture, but in fact, they promote the development of fungal diseases;
Mandatory soil loosening is essential. Avoid allowing a crust to form on the soil surface. This will deprive the roots of sufficient oxygen and may lead to rotting.
Timely fertilization. The first application is with urea when the stems reach approximately 10 cm in height. No further application is necessary, unless the stems begin to turn yellow prematurely. You can scatter granules along the rows so that the fertilizer is absorbed by the soil with rainwater or during watering, but a more effective solution is to prepare a tablespoon of urea per 10 liters of water and water the plants with it.

You should also protect your onion beds from pests and take timely measures when signs of disease appear.

Growing onions is not difficult at all, and by following all the recommendations listed in this article, you can get an even larger harvest.