Perennial onion with thick feathers. Perennial onions - types

Plants that contain special chemical substances— phytoncides, have disinfecting properties. These include various onions, garlic, and katran. Phytoncides kill many pathogenic microorganisms and have a therapeutic, antiseptic effect on the human body.

The most common types of onions in our country are onions, shallots, baton, and garlic. The range of these vegetables can be expanded to include perennial onions. They grow well and have valuable nutritional and medicinal properties slime, chives, multi-tiered, oblique, wild garlic, leek, fragrant, etc.

Onion

They are called differently: sandy, pipe-shaped, winter, Tatarka. This is a perennial winter-hardy plant. It contains many different vitamins (C, B1, B2, PP), sugar, salts, magnesium and iron. It does not form a true bulb, but it intensively produces fistula-shaped leaves.

The batun is grown on loose, weed-free, fertile soil. Batun is sown in early spring (until mid-May). Plants have time to develop well before winter and are more productive.

The greens are ready for harvesting in the second or third decade of May. To get it at the end of April - beginning of May, in the spring, when the snow melts, the onion plantation is covered with film, stretching it over the arcs placed in the fall.

The largest harvest of batun is obtained in the second year of life, before the plant begins to bolt. If necessary, greens are harvested in the fall of the year of sowing.

Chives

Otherwise, chives are called rezanets, skoroda. This is a perennial frost-resistant plant. The leaves contain up to 100 mg of vitamin C. They are thinner and more delicate than those of the batun, grow during the summer, and regrow well after cutting. Propagated by seeds and division of two to three year old bushes.

Chives are decorative and are planted in flower beds.

The best: Pink K-1669 and Siberian K-1670. Sow seeds in early spring (1.0-1.5 g/m²). In the first year, the plants grow slowly, reaching high commercial quality by the autumn of the second year.

They grow chives for 2-3 years. It grows faster under the film, while giving gentle and long leaves in an earlier period.

In autumn, perennial bushes are fed by scattering 10-15 g of ammonium nitrate, double superphosphate and potassium salt per m². The leaves are cut off in May-June, when they reach a length of 18-20 cm. The harvest is obtained until the flower shoots appear. In the spring of the third year, onions are completely removed from the garden. From one m², gardeners have 1.5-2 kg of two-year-old onions and 3 kg of three-year-old onions.

If desired, every gardener can get chives seeds if he thins out the crops and does not cut off the leaves. Seed germination lasts up to two years.

Slime bow

Slime is also called glandular, drooping. It is fragrant, perennial, with flat light green leaves up to 3-4 wide and up to 40 cm long. They contain a lot of iron salts and vitamins. It is used for salads.

Slime onions are propagated by seeds, seedlings and dividing bushes. Sowed early in spring. Up to 1.5-2 g of seeds are consumed per m²; for seedlings, up to 10-13 g. When dividing, two- to three-year-old bushes are dug up. Individual plants are planted in May in deep (up to 15 cm) furrows with a three-line tape with a distance between lines of 30, and in a row - 5 cm.

During the summer, they monitor the cleanliness of the crops (plantings), and water them in dry weather.

This type of green onion grows in early spring. Leaves are cut off when their length is 15-25 cm. Plantings are used for 3-5 years. 4-6 kg of green leaves are removed from one m².

Plants covered with film grow faster in spring and produce juicy, tender produce 7-10 days earlier than without covering. Slime shoots in the second year and blooms from late June - early July.

Multi-tiered onion

Multi-tiered onion (Egyptian) - frost-resistant, perennial. Does not have a dormant state, grows quickly. Young leaves are more nutritious than those of batun. They contain various vitamins (C, A, B1, B2, PP), sugars, essential oils and other substances. This onion grows in one place for 4-5 years. The best variety is Gribovsky-38.

It is propagated only vegetatively - by root bulbs and aerial bulbs (bulbs). Aerial bulbs appear in the form of 2-4 tiers. Tubular leaves are most suitable for nutrition at the beginning of their regrowth.

In the spring, overwintered basal bulbs are usually planted, and aerial bulbs are planted in the fall (in August-September, immediately after harvesting).

An area with fertile, loose soil is allocated for multi-tiered onions. When planting in one row, the plants are spaced 20 cm apart. 50 cm are left between the rows. When planting three lines on greens, the distance between lines is 30-35, and in a row between plants - 3-4 cm.

Gardeners use planting material depending on the size of the bulbs. The aerial bulbs are not the same: larger (up to 3-5 g) on ​​the lower tier, small (up to 0.5-1 g) on ​​the upper. Before planting, they are calibrated and each fraction is planted separately. Basal bulbs are usually large (20-30 g). In the first year there are only two of them in the nest, but later up to 4-8 appear. The leaves are cut up to three times during the summer, 5-8 cm above the neck of the bulbs. For getting planting material(aerial bulbs) are chosen by shoots of plants in the third or fourth year of life.

For planting in spring, the bulbs are stored in the cold, placed in a trench 35-50 cm deep, when a steady cold snap occurs. The top of the trench is covered with straw and a layer of earth up to 15-20 cm.

Oblique bow

This onion is also called vinegar or garlic. Its leaves are flat and long. The bulb is oblong with leathery reddish-brown scales. The plant tastes, smells and even looks a little like garlic, but is larger in size.

In Russian conditions, an inflorescence is formed on a long arrow (up to 1.5 m), in which seeds are formed and ripen well. The plant can replace garlic when pickling vegetables, as the leaves have a pleasant garlicky smell.

Onion is an excellent spice for meat dishes. Greens can also be salted.

Seeds are sown in autumn or early spring. It grows in one place for several years, but it is more advisable to use the site for no more than three years.

Angular onion

A perennial plant with succulent flat leaves and a pleasantly fragrant inflorescence. Has an intensive growth of new buds, provides vitamin greens up to late autumn. Plants are placed in three-line strips 20 cm apart. Leaves are cut once or twice during the summer, collecting 2-3 kg per square meter.

Leek

Biennial plant. Prized for its high content essential oil, vitamin C, sugars and potassium salts. The false stem (leg) 15-35 cm high and 5-7 cm thick and young leaves are used for food. Leeks are consumed raw (in salads, side dishes), boiled and stewed - for making soups and as a side dish for meat and fish dishes.

For the middle zone, the Karantansky variety is most suitable. He winters well. It is grown through seedlings. At the beginning of April, 1.5-2 g of seeds are sown in a seed box and up to 300 seedlings are obtained within 30-40 days.

IN open ground carried in the first half of May. Before planting, the leaves are cut to a quarter of their length, and the roots to 2 cm. The seedlings are planted in a well-rooted bed in three rows with a distance between plants of 20-25 cm, somewhat deeper than they grew in boxes.

During the summer, the plants are regularly watered and hilled two or three times. Selective harvesting of leeks begins at the 4-5 leaf stage and continues until late autumn. Store it in the basement at a temperature of 0° or buried in a greenhouse.

Shallot

Shallots (scallions, magpies) are a biennial plant, a type of onion. It reproduces vegetatively, forms a large number of bulbs in the nest (from 3 to 10-12). It is distinguished by early ripening. Stores relatively well. Sometimes it shoots. This is usually facilitated by long-term decreases in temperature (up to 2-10°) during storage and at the beginning of regrowth.

Of the shallot varieties, the most famous are Russian Violet, Kuban Yellow, and Kushchevka Kharkovskaya. The Pervomaisky variety is good for greens.

Shallot plants are cold-hardy, not afraid of temperatures dropping to -4°, -5°, but cannot tolerate excess moisture. Planted in early spring in light, well-fertilized organic substances soil.

The distance between the bulbs in a row is 10-15, and between the rows 20-25 cm. 150-200 g of bulbs measuring 3-3.5 cm are planted per m². Caring for shallots is the same as for onions.

In addition to the usual turnip, you can often see unusually useful perennial onions on the plots of domestic gardeners. It is this variety that opens the vitamin spring season, releasing its green leaves almost the very first in the garden. The features of perennial onions include, first of all, ease of care and high yield.

General characteristics

There are several types of perennial onions. Of course, all of them, like any other garden crops, require watering, loosening and fertilizing. However, in general, caring for them is practically no different from caring for ordinary onions. related, and in fact there are not so many differences between them. Turnips and other annuals are grown mainly for their large, juicy bulbs. Perennials are planted in the garden for their leaves - for greenery. The latter is usually cut 2-3 times per season.

The only distinguishing feature of perennial onions from ordinary ones is their increased demands on soil quality. Such crops are most often planted on loamy and sandy loam soils. in this case it should be close to neutral. If this indicator is 5.5, lime needs to be added to the ground.

Sometimes perennial onions are planted on sandy soils. However, on such soils, plants produce a lot of flower stalks and do not produce a very good harvest of leaves.

Perennial onions usually grow in the same place for 2-4 years. Then it needs to be replanted as the quality of the greenery begins to deteriorate. The feather not only becomes smaller, but also loses its characteristic rich taste.

Varieties

Unfortunately, very few varieties of perennial onions have been developed. But there are simply a huge number of its varieties. Today, more than 600 of them are known. But, of course, not all of them are grown in gardens and gardens. The most common and popular types of perennial onions are:

• batun;
• multi-tiered;
• chives;
• fragrant;
• slime

Onion

This variety has gained popularity in our country quite recently. The homeland of batun is China. In this country it is still found even in wildlife. This perennial onion is very popular in Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam. It is also called “winter”, “sandy”, “falty”.

The best predecessors for this onion are tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and cucumbers. Batun is usually planted on moist soils (without stagnant water). Before planting, the soil is dug up onto the bayonet of a shovel.

This variety can grow in the same place for one, two or three years. In the first two cases, onions are planted in the spring (as early as possible). For three-year cultivation, the beds are sown from mid-summer until October.

How to grow onion

To speed up germination, the seeds of this crop are usually soaked for 24 hours. During this time they have time to swell well. When soaking, change the water 2-3 times. After swelling, the seeds are removed from the saucer and dried.

Growing

Like most other varieties, slime onions prefer moist, neutral soils. It can be planted both in well-lit areas and in partial shade. It reproduces vegetatively or by seeds. In the first case, perennial onion is planted in early spring or at the end of July. The seeding depth is very small - about 1.5 cm. Leave 70 cm between rows, 20 cm between plants. Cabbage, lettuce, parsley, and dill are considered the best predecessors for this crop.

This onion is fed in the same way as all other perennial varieties: in the spring and after cutting the leaves. The crop is harvested 3-4 times per season.

Chives

The main distinguishing feature of this variety is that they are very thin and not too long. tubular leaves. In the second year after planting, it begins to branch and produces up to 50-100 shoots. Both the leaves of this plant and its succulent false bulbs are eaten. In our country, Altai or Siberian chives (frost-resistant perennial onions) are most often grown. The varieties Bohemia, Chemal and Medonos are among the most popular.

Features of cultivation

Unlike most varieties of perennial onions, chives are completely undemanding to the composition of the soil. It does not grow very well only where the soil is very clogged with perennial weeds with a well-developed root system. It produces few seeds, and therefore is most often propagated vegetatively. In this case, the bushes are simply divided into parts, leaving 8-10 bulbs in each. Plants are planted in rows with a distance of 30 cm between them.

Seeds are sown in early May or July. To speed up germination, they are first soaked and then slightly dried.

This perennial onion is grown for greens using very simple technology. All that is needed to get a good harvest is periodic watering and fertilizing, as well as loosening and thinning. This onion is usually fertilized once per season - in mid-summer. Distinctive feature The species is moisture-loving. Therefore, it should be watered quite often. Otherwise, the leaves will become coarse and lose their pleasant properties. taste qualities. Moisten the soil under this plant 3-5 times during the growing season.

Chives are thinned out starting from the first year of planting. Leaves are not cut off from those bushes from which seeds are supposed to be taken. Otherwise there will be very little planting material.

How to grow perennial onions for winter greens

All the varieties described above are excellent for forcing in the cold season. The feathers of perennial onions contain a lot of vitamins. In this regard, as well as in taste, they are superior even to onion. They are planted with sods. That is, they dig up a bush and divide it into several parts, leaving as much land as possible. There should be about 30 bulbs in the chives sod; other perennials should have 3-5. Leaves, if they have not yet withered, are cut off. Sods prepared in this way are stored in a cool place until November-December. At this time, they are transferred to prepared containers. Pots for forcing perennial onions should have a height of at least 15 cm. Light nutritious soil is poured onto their bottom in a layer of 10-12 cm. Then the sods themselves are installed and lightly sprinkled on top.

As soon as sprouts appear on the surface, the pot of onions is transferred to the windowsill. It is not necessary to water your plants too often. They feed perennial onions, growing which on a windowsill is a simple procedure, several times during the winter with a weak solution of urea (1 g per 1 liter of water). This allows you to get a bountiful harvest.

As you can see, this crop is very unpretentious to care for - a perennial onion. Even a completely inexperienced gardener can probably grow it in summer or even winter. After all, all that is required to obtain a good harvest of this useful plant is timely watering, fertilizing and loosening.

In this article we will indicate certain varieties of onions that are planted in winter.

In the field of modern gardening, there are 4 species that are considered perennial and are planted under the snow:

• batun;
• slime;
• multi-tiered.

Having indicated the most popular types, we will consider each of them.

Batun

This type is the most popular among gardeners.

There are three names for this variety:

• winter;
• Siberian;
• Russian.

In the first year of life, the batun forms a shrub with up to 5 branches. In the next 2 years, their number grows to 60 pieces. After onions reach the age of 3 years, their growth can go in the opposite direction, and the stems go into the arrow, which makes this species unsuitable for further growth.

Leaves or, as they are called, feathers of the batun appear after the carpet of snow melts. Maximum amount the harvest that can be harvested in favorable conditions is 3-4 times. The leaf length is from 30 to 40 cm.

Before the shoot starts, the leaves of this variety are very tender, soft and tasty, which makes it special.

If feathers are cut off in the early stages, they can be restored by loosening, watering and proper care.

In the process of following all the rules for caring for this onion, the cut feathers will become identical to those that did not go through the early cutting process.

The next important stage in caring for the variety in question is stopping flowering. When a flower appears on the onion stems, it must be cut off.

When considering the batun bulb, it is worth pointing out that the described variety does not form a classic bulb. Instead, your attention is presented to the false part of the plant, which has the shape of a regular thickening.

Before wintering, onions on which arrows have formed must be removed and the arrows cut off to reduce the risk of carrying pests of this plant.

Disembarkation rules

There are two ways to plant a trampoline:

• onion;
• seeds.

The batun does not have full-fledged bulbs

In the process of planting the onion variety in question using the first method, several rules must be followed:

1. It is advisable to plant onions in specially prepared beds, located at a distance of 15 cm from each other. The onions are planted as deeply as possible so that the head goes completely underground, and only part of the leaves remains at the top.
2. Hill up the plant about 3 times per summer.
3. Water with a mixture of herbal infusion or a mixture of other special products.

Special solutions are needed to protect the plant from pests and reduce the risk of unwanted shoots appearing.

During the sowing process, it is also necessary to follow certain rules:

• make a special bed for sowing;
• arrange the beds at a distance of 30 to 40 cm;
• deepen the beds to 2 cm;
• sow seeds in summer, but no later than August.
• maintain a temperature of 10 to 12°C.
• water thoroughly, as onions love a lot of water;
• It is advisable to frequently loosen and fertilize.

In case of sowing in early spring, it is advisable to:

• choose dry seeds;
• soak them;
• germinate until the first shoots.

Important! If you want to plant onions for a period of 3 to 4 years, it is not advisable to sow them in early spring, as there is a high risk of large quantity plants with arrows.

Interesting! The spring onion is the most frost-resistant: it can withstand temperatures down to – 40°C.

A significant part of the harvest is harvested in the first 3–4 years, then productivity decreases. This species can live up to 10 years, justifying its name as perennial.

Harvesting

In the case of planting as an annual, onions are planted in the spring, and the harvest is harvested in the same season a year later around March.

In the case of planting trampoline as a perennial plant, the first cutting of the tops is carried out in the spring, the second - in the fall. After cutting, the leaves grow up to 25 cm in length.

Benefits of the plant

The batun contains several useful microelements, including the following:

• iron;
• potassium;
• magnesium.

Storage

It is advisable to store onions in a cool place. During storage, it is better for it to be rolled into a ring.

Pests

Like any representative of the flora, onions are susceptible to diseases and attacks various types insects

The first disease we note is dew. It is expressed by a white coating on the leaves. To combat this disease, it is necessary to treat the plant with a special solution containing:

• a mixture of chloride and copper, of which the mixture contains 1%;

Second disease rust. It is expressed by a dirty yellow coating on the leaves. The plaque hardens over time and the leaves dry out.

Third - root rot– the neck of the bulb suffers from it. During the process of complete infection, it softens and acquires an unpleasant odor. To treat this disease, it is necessary to leave only healthy and fully ripened crops during the winter.

The fourth disease white rot. Expressed by fungus, yellowing of leaves. To prevent this disease, it is necessary to plant only healthy plants and well-dried onions.

In addition to the diseases listed, we will indicate a few more well-known ones:

• mosaic– a dangerous virus for onion leaves. It is expressed by white specks and lines. The leaves change, taking on a corrugated appearance.
• black mold- bottom rot. Accompanied by softening and rotting of the bulb and the appearance of a white coating on the bottom of the plant.
• smut- a fungus that appears on the bulb during storage.

Slime

This variety of the onion family is distinguished by its squat location, succulent leaves, characterized by a flat shape and wide size and availability bright flower. It also differs in the mucus released during the cutting of the stem into two parts. According to numerous comments by gardeners, it was this mucus that served as the basis for the name of the described onion.

Planting and care

To plant a slime you need:

• prepare the soil in the fall:
• loosen by 20-30 cm;
• add to soil:
• about 6 kg of humus;
• about 30 g of potassium sulfate;
• in spring about 15 g of fertilizers containing nitrogen compounds;
• sow seeds in open ground from April to May, sometimes in June or July;
• sow seeds in special beds located at a distance of 35 cm from each other;
• loosen;
• water generously.

In the first year of life and subsequent years, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds, loosen and water onions.

During the second year, it is advisable not only to remove weeds, but also to clean away possible other plant debris.

In addition to weeding, the slime needs to be fertilized regularly. Among fertilizers, use potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate in grams.

Before the cold weather arrives and the soil completely freezes, the crop must:

• dig up;
• place in wooden boxes;
• let it freeze.
• after freezing, bring the boxes into a warm space and water them;
• After a month, onions can be eaten.

Important! Frequent cutting of leaves can cause the most tender form, high sugar content and beneficial vitamins.

Reproduction

This process is carried out in April using 5 false bulbs. Parts of the plant are buried to a depth of 35 cm for further growth.

Pests

This onion variety is practically resistant to pests and diseases, therefore, how to deal with them is not entirely known.

This variety is also called Canadian, Egyptian, viviparous, horned.

In the first year of its life, the multi-tier plant resembles the shape of a trampoline with hollow leaves. During the second year, a multi-tiered flower arrow forms on the branches of the onion, usually about 3 tiers. There are small bulbs on the tiers. Similar parts for large size reach 2 cm in diameter. These shoots are located at a height of about 80 cm and leaves up to 15 cm long are born from them. The leaves of the plant are tender and tasty.

Bulbs are the only natural way of planting.

Landing

Harvesting

The harvest is obtained from underground bulbs. Aboveground bulbs are useful only after heat treatment.

Diseases

Multi-tiered grass is often susceptible to disease " false dew" To reduce the risk of disease, it should be watered with herbal mixtures and special solutions. It is also advisable to leave sufficient distance between plants so that they are easily ventilated.

So, we have indicated the most famous onion varieties for planting in winter and examined some aspects associated with them.

Finally, it is worth noting that the advantage of planting in winter is the constant availability of the required species, and, therefore, a supply useful substances. However, the main disadvantage is storage. Since during this process, good fruits can be subject to disease and complete destruction.

Onion is a spicy vegetable plant that we use in preparing most dishes, except sweet ones. Onions are one of the oldest vegetable plants; they were cultivated in Asia more than 4000 BC. Gradually, all the peoples of Europe began to consume onions.

Onions have always been valued among the people not only for their taste, but also this plant was considered healing, as evidenced by Russian proverbs: “He who sows onions will get rid of torment,” “Onions from seven ailments,” “Onions and a bathhouse rule everything.” It has now been proven that due to the rich content of vitamins and phytoncides in onions, eating them increases immunity and the body’s resistance to certain diseases.

Of the 400 types of onions, the most widespread is onion and occupies most of the cultivated areas. However, to obtain green feathers, perennial types of onions are most often grown, which do not form large bulbs and are able to grow for up to 5-8 years in one place.

Onions grown for greens can be divided into two types: those with tubular leaves (spring onions, chives, multi-tiered onions, shallots) and those with flat leaves (slime onions, sweet onions, leeks, wild garlic or broadleaf onions).

All onions are related plants, so the agricultural technology for growing them is approximately the same. To grow perennial onions for greens, take a sunny place with well-prepared and fertilized light loamy soil.

Onion has exceptional winter-hardy and cold-resistant qualities, for which it is often called winter onion, Tatar onion or sand onion. In the first year, the onion produces many hollow tubular leaves, but does not form a real turnip bulb. From the second year of life, the batun produces flower shoots with large spherical inflorescences. Over the years, the onion grows, forming many branches in one nest. After 5-6 years, the onion is rejuvenated so that the yield of green feathers does not fall. Onions are propagated by seeds or by dividing the bush.

Multi-tiered bow just like the batun, it is frost-resistant and in early spring, as soon as the snow melts, its delicate greenery grows. Multi-tiered onions have wide, tubular leaves that contain more essential oil than the leaves of other types of onions, giving them a sharper, more aromatic flavor.

The multi-tiered onion got its name because from the second year of life, the plants develop aerial bulbs or bulbs on the flower shoot instead of inflorescences. In total, up to four or five tiers with aerial bulbs with a diameter of 0.5 to 3 cm can form on a flower arrow over the summer.

Multi-tiered onion bulbs can be stored in an unheated, dry room. Since multi-tiered onions do not produce seeds, they are propagated only by aerial bulbs, which are collected in August after ripening and immediately planted in rows in the garden bed.

Chives forms a powerful lush bush from many branches with thin hollow leaves. Chives are very tender, at the same time piquant, and go great in salads. The plume of chives grows until late autumn and remains as tender as spring greens, while the greens of trumpet and multi-tiered onions become coarser in the second half of summer.

Chives are often grown and how ornamental plant When planted with a ribbon as a border plant, the onion grows quickly with a ribbon, drowning out all the weeds and blooms for about two months. Bright lilac inflorescences decorate thin-leaved greenery almost all summer.

Shallots or family onions has a very delicate feather and by autumn it forms a nest with small bulbs in the amount of up to 10 pieces in the first year and up to 30 pieces in the second year. The bulbs of this onion are considered a delicacy, as they have a sweet, semi-sharp taste, and are therefore highly valued in cooking.

Shallots are considered early ripening, since they produce tender greens in early spring, and in the fall the remaining nests are dug up and the bulbs are collected. Shallot bulbs store well and do not germinate for a long time.

Shallots are propagated by seeds and bulbs. After sowing the seeds in the first year, the plant forms a nest with three to five small bulbs, in the second year the nest grows to 30 bulbs, and in the third year the largest bulbs produce flower shoots.

Slime bow It is distinguished by wide, flat, fleshy leaves filled with thick juice similar to mucus. Its greens have a pleasant taste, with a slight pungency, and go great in salads. This is one of the wild onions grown in cultivation. Slime onion greens remain tender and juicy throughout the summer.

The leaves of the slime onion grow in a radial fan form from the rhizome. From the second year, the onion produces a long flower arrow. Slime is frost-resistant and tolerates winters with frosts down to -40 0 C. This plant is also little susceptible to diseases.

Slime onions are propagated by sowing seeds or dividing overgrown bushes 4-5 years after sowing.

fragrant onion got its name from the pleasant aroma of its flowering umbels, which can also be used in cooking or decorating dishes. The leaves of the fragrant onion are flat, narrow and very juicy. Sweet onions can be grown in one place for up to 10 years, they are exceptionally frost-resistant and grow very early in the spring, providing early greenery.

Sowing onion seeds is done in early spring, summer or before winter. Fragrant onions are also propagated by dividing 4-5 year old bushes.

Wild garlic or broadleaf onion popularly called “bear’s”, it is often collected in the spring in forests and fields. The leaves of the onion are wide, like lily of the valley, up to 25-30 cm long and up to 10 cm wide. Onion leaves have a delicate, slightly garlicky aroma, without a bitter aftertaste. In early spring, lush foliage of broadleaf onions grows, which is immediately cut off, since by the beginning of summer it already disappears. Despite the fact that the harvesting period for broadleaf onions is short, they are valued for their taste and beneficial qualities.

Broadleaf onions are propagated by sowing seeds in early spring or before winter. In the first year, the seeds germinate and produce only two small leaves, and in the second year the greenery gains its mass, and in the third year, a fully grown bulb already produces 6-8 large leaves and a flower shoot.

One of the earliest green vegetables - perennial onions - is undemanding to cultivation conditions, resistant to cold and has high productivity. By choosing the right varieties, you can be provided with valuable vitamin-rich greens throughout the year.

Varieties of perennial onions

The varietal diversity of this crop is great. The types of perennial onions differ not only appearance and taste qualities, but also periods of life cycles - growth, ripening and flowering. Their advantages include simple agricultural technology, resistance to frost, pests, and diseases. When cut multiple times, they produce a stable harvest of green mass for 5-7 or more years in one place. Due to their short dormant period, they can be driven out all year round in protected ground or at home.

Perennial onions are grown for greenery: most species, unlike onion varieties, form a false onion that continuously produces leaf mass. This vegetable is rich in vitamins and microelements, has a positive effect on metabolism, improves digestion and has strong bactericidal properties - its health benefits are invaluable.

Unfortunately, despite the variety of varieties of this wonderful crop, so often in the garden you will see leeks with long flat green feathers, leeks with ribbon-like leaves with a pleasant onion-garlic taste, or vitamin-rich chives. Many names of varieties of perennial onions are not familiar to most gardeners. Knowledge of their characteristics and descriptions would make it possible not only to expand the range of green products, but also to select varieties that are best suited for specific cultivation conditions.

Batun

One of the most popular varieties of perennial onions. Also known as sand, Tatarka, butun, Chinese. Its feather looks like the greens of a young turnip, but is sharper and contains almost twice as much vitamin C. Both the tubular leaves and the false stem-shaped bulb are eaten. The obvious advantage of the variety is resistance to frost and rapid regrowth after snow melts: it produces vitamin products already in April.

It grows in one place for up to 10 years. The variety reaches its peak harvest in the 2-3rd year after planting.

The most popular varieties of onion:

• Russian Winter - mildly pungent in taste, with light green leaves just over 30 cm long and up to 1 cm wide. The variety is mid-season, high-yielding: per season it produces about 3.6 kg of produce per 1 sq. m. meters;
• Tenderness is a variety with juicy, long-lasting, non-coarse leaves up to 35 cm long. The feathers are green, with a light waxy coating and a slightly pungent, delicate taste. High-yielding variety: per season from 1 sq. meter you can get 4.2-4.6 kg of greenery;
• April - an early ripening salad variety with bright green, tender and juicy leaves with a semi-sharp taste. Disease resistant and exceptionally frost hardy.

shallot

This type of perennial onion, known as magpie onion, has small, nest-forming bulbs. Despite their small size, they are also used for food and, due to their delicate taste (contain up to 13% sugars), like the leaves, they are considered a delicacy.

The variety is quickly renewed, and therefore beneficial for cultivation on an industrial scale. In addition, after cutting the greens at the end of the season, the bulbs can be dug up and used as seedlings for the following year.

Disadvantages include the need for soil and the lack of proximity to annual onions (this leads to the gradual degeneration of the variety).

The most popular types of shallots:

• A delicacy - the taste of this early-ripening and frost-resistant variety corresponds to its name; it is not only piquant, but has excellent dietary qualities. Used in any dishes - salads, appetizers, soups and preserves;
• Friendly family is a high-yielding and disease-resistant variety. The bulbs weigh 25-30 g. They are perfectly stored and retain their properties even after repeated freezing during storage;
• Vitamin Basket - an early ripening variety, the period from germination to cutting of a green feather is 19-22 days. Good for forcing in winter and spring in closed ground.

Shallot

Chives

This type of vegetable onion is valued not only for its excellent portability winter period and taste, but also for their decorative effect - the flowers, lilac-violet or white in color, become a decoration for garden beds. Known under the names seedling, skoroda.

The highest yield is achieved in the 4th year of development. The leaves are hollow and green. The most popular subspecies of chives:

• Central Russian - with leaf heights up to 25 cm. It has early yield, but the leaves become coarse quite quickly;
• Siberian - larger in size (up to 40 cm in height) and green growth later, but retaining the tenderness of the feather for up to two months.

Chives

Slime

This type of perennial onion gets its name from the shape of its bush with flat leaves up to 2 cm wide. The greens are juicy, mildly spicy, with a pleasant garlicky flavor.

In the first year of growth, an underground false bulb and several leaves are formed. The slug throws out the flower arrow in the 2-3rd year.

The most common varieties: Green, Vitamin Glade, Fount of Health, Broadleaf, Leader. They are used fresh in any dish, add flavor, and retain their appearance and shape in marinades and pickles.

Multi-tiered

An original type of perennial onion that, instead of inflorescences on its flower stalks, forms “nests” of aerial bulbs on several tiers above the ground. These bulbous bulbs are subsequently used as sets. Also known as walking, Egyptian, horned, catawissa.

Greens and bulbs are suitable for consumption - both root and layered. The taste of the leaves is sharp and spicy.

All varieties of multi-tiered onions are grown separately from others to avoid degeneration. This bow is not used as a decorative one. Popular varieties are Likov, Odessky winter, Gribovsky 38.

Multi-tiered bow

Features of agricultural technology

Perennial onions take root well and produce high yields in light, fertile soils of neutral or weak acidity. Planting in areas with acidic soils without prior liming is not recommended.

You need to prepare a bed for planting perennial onions on greens in the fall, adding a bucket of compost or rotted manure per square meter of area during deep digging. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are also needed, their amount is calculated based on the instructions attached to the specific type. After the spring snow melts, it is enough to loosen the soil a little and add nitrogen fertilizing.

To ensure that you have vitamin-rich greens with a varied taste and aroma on your table throughout the season, it is enough to choose several varieties with different germination periods. The earliest are batun, chives and multi-tiered. Planted before winter or immediately after the snow melts, in April they are ready for the first feather cutting. Later, the fragrant onion and slime ripen.

Landing

Perennial onions can be sown using seeds or propagated by dividing bushes. The description of how to grow a perennial from seeds is similar to the procedure for growing ordinary nigella onions. The largest percentage of seedlings come from fresh seeds. Before planting, it is useful to disinfect them, for which they are soaked for 20-25 minutes in a pink solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 10 liters of water). After this, the seeds can be mixed with wet sand for more even sifting into the beds.

You can sow onions before winter or spring. The first method is more common in the southern regions of the country. With it, the greenery is ready for harvesting, on average, at least ten days earlier. The mass of green leaves from a bush is also slightly higher when planting seeds in the fall.

Spring sowing is carried out as early as possible, almost immediately after the snow melts. Frost-resistant seeds, once placed in well-moistened soil, sprout quickly. If sowing is carried out later, the seeds are heated in warm water (40-50°C) for half an hour to ensure uniform germination and the area is regularly watered after planting, preventing the soil from drying out. Prepared seeds are sown in furrows and mulched with peat and humus.

Multi-tiered onions reproduce only by aerial bulbs - bulbs. To get an early harvest in the spring, they should be sown before mid-August.

Subtleties of care

Growing and caring for onions does not require much time and effort. From the second year of plant development, regular feeding is carried out: the first in early spring, the subsequent ones after each mass harvest of greenery. To do this, a mixture of 10 g of potassium, the same amount of nitrogen and 15 g of phosphorus fertilizers is added to each square meter.

During the season, perennial onions are cut 3-4 times, the last one being cut before the last ten days of August. If bolting occurs, the shoots are removed and the soil is loosened.

Do not cut greens from plants left to obtain seeds. The inflorescences are collected when the upper bolls open, packed in gauze bags, hung in a ventilated, dry place and dried. After collecting the seeds, the foliage and arrows are cut off.

Preparing for winter

Perennial onions are generally unpretentious and tolerate winters well. Following some rules will help make the wintering process easier:

• 10 days after the last harvest, the plants are fertilized with a phosphorus-potassium mixture with the addition of microelements;
• at the end of October, prune for the winter and remove dry foliage and arrows, unhealthy areas of bushes with curved feathers;
• To prepare plants for winter and protect them from freezing, the soil around them is loosened, slightly hilled, or additionally mulched with sawdust and dry peat.

Small rodents do not spoil perennial bulbs in the ground, but they can make burrows under bushes, so after snow falls it is worth trampling the beds.