To ripen the onion faster, it must be planted before winter. I have often grown winter varieties before, but recently I tried Shakespeare onions - and I liked it. I want to share my observations and tips for growing it.
What is the variety
Shakespeare is grown in a two-year cycle from seedlings. It was bred in Holland, registered in Russia in 2019. The variety is one of the early ripening (maturity on the 75th day after germination) and frost-resistant (calmly tolerates frosts down to -18 degrees). The average yield is about 3 kg per square meter of the garden; in a good year, you can get up to 4 kg.
The bulb itself is rounded, yellow-brown scales, weighing up to 100 g. The pulp is bright white, juicy, the taste is moderately spicy.
The main advantage is immunity. Growing Shakespeare, I forgot about powdery mildew, rust, gray rot and mosaics. You only need to fight the onion fly. In addition, the bow does not shoot.
The only drawback is the short shelf life. The onion is too juicy, does not lie well, it cannot be stored for more than six months.
Where can you grow
Shakespeare is not zoned all over Russia. Its cultivation is permissible in the Central region - that is, Bryansk, Moscow, Kaluga regions, etc. In other regions, ripening is not officially guaranteed, but in reality, according to gardeners, Shakespeare ripens perfectly not only in the south, but even in Siberia with its frosts.
How I Grow It
Landing
I plant Shakespeare with sevk. Bulbs must be healthy, strong, at least 1 cm in diameter. I do not carry out any processing - this variety grows well as it is, you do not need to soak or pickle it. I don't even cut the neck.
I plant Shakespeare in the plots where they grew up before:
- cabbage;
- mustard;
- tomatoes;
- rape;
Good predecessors are also obtained from cereals. But for some reason, if you sow oats with green manure, Shakespeare grows poorly. And, of course, you cannot sow after other varieties of onions, garlic, cucumbers or carrots.
Before planting, I check the acidity of the soil: Shakespeare does not like acidified areas, he needs normal or slightly alkaline soil. If the site is in order, I apply fertilizers. I usually use:
- potassium salts;
- single superphosphate;
- compost;
- ash.
The landing dates for the Central Region are as follows:
- Sevoks are planted on a turnip in early October.
- Seeds for sowing - at the end of August.
In the south, planting can be done a week or two later, in Siberia - on the contrary. You need to focus on the timing of the frosts: the onions should be planted on the turnip at least a week before the first frost.
I always plant Shakespeare, one bulb at a depth of 2 cm. Usually I leave about 20 cm between the rows, and 5-8 cm between the bulbs in a row, then the adult plants do not shade each other. I cover the planted onions with humus. I do not do mulching: it winters in the Central region anyway.
Growing features
Shakespeare, like any other onion, cannot be planted in the lowlands. It grows best in sunny and warm areas. A week before planting, I advise you to sprinkle the ground with ash well and dig thoroughly or, if there is a walk-behind tractor, walk with a flat cutter.
Shakespeare is picky about nitrogen: it cannot be overfed. Still, this variety is grown for a turnip, and not for a feather, and if you give too much saltpeter or compost, the bulbs will hardly grow - all the juices will go to the greens. But potash fertilizers, especially ash, can be used safely.
After the onion is planted, it is not necessary to water it: it will start to grow ahead of time. In the spring, I don't water it either - the melt water saturates the soil well. I start watering in May, when the earth dries up. In hot sunny weather, I arrange watering once a week, about a bucket per square meter of the garden. At the beginning of July, I pour less, no more than 8 liters for the same area, and from the middle of the month to the end of the month, I pour no more than half a bucket per square meter. Three weeks before harvesting, I stop watering altogether.
After each watering, I loosen the soil, but only on top so as not to hurt the bulbs. If the weather is dry, I loosen it without watering, at least once every 2-3 weeks. Well, at the same time - when I weed.
I feed onions three times a season:
- Two weeks after germination. I usually use "Ideal" and urea - 60 g of both for a bucket of water for irrigation.
- Two weeks after the first feeding. A mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate works well - 30 g per bucket.
- A month before cleaning. I feed ready-made mixtures in the form of granules, scattering them after watering or rain.
Disease prevention
Shakespeare has good immunity, but just in case, I water the plantings with a solution of copper oxychloride or copper sulfate at least once - 30 g per bucket of water, the consumption of the mixture is 1 liter per 10 sq. m beds. This helps to avoid harm from powdery mildew and other fungi.
Dusting with tobacco dust is good for onion flies. At the same time, I also plant marigolds or marigolds next to the plot - their smell frightens off a fly.
Cleaning and storage
Usually onions ripen in me two and a half months after germination. I focus on the feather: when it starts to turn yellow and dry, it's time to dig. It is best cleaned on a dry, windy day. For harvesting, I only use a pitchfork: it is easy to chop onions with a shovel. I pry on the layer, and then I choose the bulbs.
For a couple of hours after harvesting, the onions lie on the plot, dry in the sun. I dry it later, already under the canopy, removing the roots and the remnants of the feather. After two weeks, I take the onion to a dry storage room (with a moisture content of no higher than 70%), where it is stored for all its six months.
Read also: Cucumber leaves turn yellow - how to fight?
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