Recommendations from experienced gardeners: is it possible to sow nigella onions before winter and when to do it?

There are two ways to sow onions. It is grown from sets or seeds called nigella. While markets sell mainly bulbs for sowing, seeds of different varieties are available in specialized stores. To get healthy planting material for the desired plant, it is better to use nigella.

Growing the crop from seeds is complicated by the fact that turnips take two seasons to develop. Pre-winter sowing will help speed up the process. In this case, large vegetables will be ready for harvest in the fall. Is it possible to sow chives before winter, how and when to do it, read on.

Advantages and disadvantages of winter sowing

Growing nigella in this way has a number of advantages:

1. If you plant seeds in the spring, then by autumn you will be able to collect only the sets. In this case, you will have to wait another year until a full harvest is obtained. With pre-winter sowing, large bulbs will appear next autumn.
2. The onion turns out to be stronger and more resilient, and suffers less from diseases. It manages to adapt to the composition of the soil and climatic conditions of a particular region.
3. The seeds, unlike sets, are small. Therefore, you don’t have to clear and prepare space for them in the basement or attic.
4. In spring, the soil will be moistened with melting snow and precipitation. The gardener will not have to waste time watering.
5. Nigella germinates after the first warming. Sown before winter, it will grow much faster than crops planted at the usual time.
6. In the spring, the gardener will not have to look for time to sow onions - it will be freed up for growing other crops.
7. Most varieties of the crop are suitable for sowing before winter.

The only drawback of this method is that the seeds are planted in frozen soil, so you will have to work with cold soil, which is not always pleasant.

Is it possible to plant chives before winter?

Nigella is the common name for onion seeds that form on onion shoots after ripening. Many gardeners practice sowing seeds before winter, taking advantage of the obvious advantages of this method of growing onions. Among onion varieties, nigella seeds are more diverse than onion set varieties. When choosing nigella seeds, it is easier to decide on the chosen variety and not be disappointed when collecting when the sowing does not give the expected varietal result. Black onions never bolt because they do not have time to gain the required leaf size to form a peduncle.

Obtaining planting material

You don't have to buy Chernushka. Onion seeds are easy to obtain yourself. For this purpose, the largest and healthiest turnips are selected from last year's harvest.

Selected material is planted in autumn or spring. In mid-summer, the plants will shoot arrows. The inflorescences contain many dark brown or black seeds.

They ripen unharmoniously. Therefore, after the first black seeds appear, the umbrellas are wrapped in gauze or stocking so as not to lose part of the planting material. When the seeds are ripe, they are collected, laid out on paper and allowed to dry for several days.

Some vegetable growers use another method: they cut off the umbrellas with still green seeds and leave them in the sun for 10–14 days. During this time, the material will fully ripen.

Attention! To obtain planting material, the largest and healthiest turnips are used, which were not sick during cultivation. Their seeds are characterized by increased germination, high resistance to diseases and negative environmental factors.

Variety selection

Most crop varieties are suitable for planting in late autumn and early winter. However, for the northern and central regions of Russia it is better to choose winter-hardy plants.

The varieties described are resistant to cold snaps and can withstand even the coldest winters.

Preparing for sowing

To grow strong and healthy onions, it is important to properly prepare the planting material. First, make sure of its germination:

1. The seeds are sorted and divided into groups according to size. Large specimens germinate a week earlier than small ones.
2. Several seeds from each batch are laid out on gauze, which is used to cover a saucer. It is moistened with water, the material is covered with another layer of fabric and put in a warm place. Moisten with warm liquid as it dries.
3. When the seeds germinate, count the number of sprouted specimens. If more than 30% germinated, the batch is suitable for cultivation.

The remaining seeds that were not germinated are prepared for winter planting . For this:

1. The seeds are immersed in water. After an hour, the specimens remaining on the surface are collected and soaked for another hour, and those that float are thrown away. Nigella that sank to the bottom during the first and second soaking is suitable for planting.
2. Planting material is disinfected by soaking for 2 hours in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.
3. Nigella is immersed in water at a temperature of +50°C for half an hour. After this, soak for another 2 hours in aloe juice, diluted with an equal amount of water.
4. The prepared seeds are dried, spread out in 1 layer in a warm place.

You cannot dry nigella on a radiator. Extreme heat will cause the seeds to overheat and not germinate.

How to prepare for landing

Beginning gardeners always have a lot of questions about how to choose seeds, will they sprout, where to make a bed and how to prepare the soil? We answer, preparatory work on the site must be thought through, and some carried out, several weeks before the upcoming planting of seeds.

Preparing the beds

At the beginning of October, you need to dig up the soil and make onion beds on an elevated place. They should be high enough. You need to choose a sunny, well-warmed place for the onions. Garlic or onions should not have grown in this place last year. It would be better if this was a place for planting legumes, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage or radishes. These plants favor the growth of onions.

The soil needs to be fertilized. To do this, you can use wood ash, humus, fertilizers: nitroammophosphate, superphosphate. If the soil is heavy, it needs to be mixed with river sand. When digging and loosening the soil, it is necessary to carefully remove plant roots. The surface is leveled using a rake.

Seed preparation

Usually the seeds come in different sizes. Small seeds may be late and germinate two weeks later than large ones. Calibrating the seeds using a sieve with different cells will help to avoid differences in germination. Nigella onion seeds are sifted and planted according to size.

You can use a jar of water in which the seeds are placed for selection, but this method is more labor-intensive and requires additional drying of the seeds. Properly stored planting material can be planted within 24 months. But gardeners recommend planting fresh seeds.

If you have doubts about the germination of seeds, you can check. Wet gauze with water, put it on a plate, and wrap 10-20 seeds in it. Seal the plate with the seeds tightly with film or a bag. Place in a warm place, check regularly and moisten the gauze. In a week, onion sprouts will appear. If more than 30% of the seeds have sprouted, the batch is good; you can safely sow the seeds in open ground.

Landing dates

Deadlines vary by region. Seeds are planted when the soil has already begun to freeze. This eliminates the risk of their germination ahead of time.

When to plant seeds depending on the region:

• northern regions (Ural, Siberia) - late October - early November;
• central regions (Moscow region, Moscow) - mid-end of November;
• cities with a southern climate (Belgorod, Sochi) - December.

When choosing the time for winter sowing, they are not guided by generally accepted deadlines. It's important to look at the actual weather this year. It is better to sow nigella later than earlier.

Attention! Some vegetable growers prefer to plant seeds under the snow.

When to sow nigella for the winter in 2022 and in different regions

The timing of sowing nigella onions before winter depends on the weather conditions in your area and in the current year. In the fall, the seeds need to be sown in frozen ground that will not thaw. Otherwise, the seeds will begin to germinate and freeze during frosts.

Since the weather is unpredictable, the question of when to plant nigella onions before winter can only be answered roughly:

1. In the Urals and Siberia - from mid-October;
2. In the Leningrad region - from the third ten days of October;
3. In central Russia - from the end of October or early November;
4. In the south of the country, the approximate sowing time is November or even early December.

The lunar sowing calendar in 2022 recommends sowing nigella on the following favorable days:

You will be interested to know: How and when to plant onion sets on a head in the spring in the Urals and Siberia

• from 1 to 5, from 21 to 31 (7-13, 26-28) October;
• from 1 to 4, from 20 to 30 (4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 22, 23, 24) November;
• from 1 to 3, from 20 to 31 (1-3, 5, 6, 20, 21, 29-31) December.

The ideal days for winter sowing of onion seeds in 2022 are indicated in brackets.

Attention! Prepare the bed for planting before winter in advance, in early autumn, while the soil is not yet frozen.

Sowing rules

Growing nigella is not difficult. It is important to follow the basic rules of planting and soil preparation. This determines how high-quality and abundant the harvest will be and how many seeds will germinate.

Soil preparation

First of all, choose a landing site. Garden plots on a small hill are best suited. This will help avoid moisture stagnation and reduce the risk of crop disease. It is important that the beds are well lit by the sun: the feathers of a plant in the shade will be yellow.

The beds on which onions previously grew are not used for planting the same crop for 2 years. Suitable predecessors are nightshade or legumes, cabbage, carrots.

Pre-prepare the soil. This is done in early October, when the soil is still quite soft:

1. The ground is dug up and the remains of weeds and cultivated plants are removed.
2. Fertilizers are applied: per 1 m2 take 0.5 buckets of humus or rotted manure and 1 tbsp. ash.
3. The soil is leveled with a rake and mixed with fertilizer.
4. Form beds 15–20 cm high, make grooves 2 cm deep. A small amount of coarse table salt is poured onto the bottom to prevent the onion fly from infecting the plants.

If the soil is sufficiently nutritious but heavy, river sand is used instead of humus. Pour 1/3 of a 10 liter bucket onto 1 m2.

Landing

It is not difficult to sow nigella. The main thing is to follow the rules:

1. Make grooves at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Their depth should reach 2–2.5 cm.
2. Seeds are poured into the grooves. Since the germination rate of nigella is low, thickened planting is used. Up to 100 seeds are consumed per 1 m2.
3. The seeds are sprinkled with a 2 cm layer of sand, then watered with warm, settled water.

The beds are mulched with humus, peat, hay or sawdust to protect against cold weather. This is especially true for regions where little snow falls in winter.

Important! Seeds no older than 2 years are suitable for planting.

Preparatory work

Before sowing nigella onions, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work, which includes the correct selection of seeds, their processing and preparation of the site for planting.

Seed sorting

Seeds for cultivation can be purchased in accordance with the chosen variety, or you can grow it yourself, using the variety you like for these purposes. The varietal bulb for obtaining seeds is carefully selected. It should be large, without damage or signs of disease. A bulb planted in spring will throw out an arrow with a peduncle, where nigella seeds will ripen.

Important! Nigella seeds remain viable for only 2 years, so it is advisable to use the seed immediately. In the second year, germination rate decreases by half.

It is advisable to tie the peduncle and tie the inflorescence with the seeds with a light cloth so that the seeds do not fall off prematurely. At the first signs of ripening (the seeds begin to fall out), the flower stalks can be picked and placed in a warm, dry room for ripening.

Both purchased seeds and those prepared independently must be calibrated and the largest ones selected for sowing, which will give stronger seedlings. For these purposes, you can use the method of sifting through a sieve. You can place the seeds in water and mix - the floating seeds are considered immature and are not suitable for further sowing. After this check, the seeds must be dried immediately.

Pre-planting seed treatment

The quality of the seed can be checked by germination on a damp surface of cloth or paper. The best indicator of germination is the germination of more than a third of the total number of nigella seeds. At lower rates, the seed material is unsuitable for sowing. Having decided on the quality, you can begin further preparation - disinfection.

The packaging of purchased seeds must indicate disinfection, and seeds obtained independently should be disinfected by soaking:

• for half an hour in a pale solution of potassium permanganate (1%), and then in a saline solution (200 g per 10 liters of water) for 12 hours;
• for half an hour in aloe juice;
• in a fungicide solution according to the instructions.

This treatment will protect crops from infection by stem nematode and onion fly.
After processing, the seed is thoroughly dried. Find out in more detail how and with what to process onions before planting.

Site preparation

Onion crops love loose (not clayey), moderately moist, humus-sandy soils that are well ventilated to prevent moisture stagnation.

The soil for sowing nigella must be prepared in advance:

1. Before the beginning of October for the northern regions and until November for the southern regions, i.e. before the onset of frost, it is necessary to prepare the beds. The site should be located in a sunny place, where there are no trees or shrubs nearby that shade the seedlings.
2. If the site is in a lowland, the beds are raised by 20–25 cm to avoid stagnation of water during irrigation or in case of precipitation. Raised beds will warm up faster in the spring and ensure friendly shoots.
3. The predecessors in the sowing area should be herbs, potatoes, early cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes or legumes.
4. The area is dug up, cleared of weeds and roots, and loosened. You can use the area under fallow or in place of a lawn. In this case, it is enough to remove the top layer of turf, prepare the beds, and leave the passages with grass.
5. A nutrient mixture is added to the dug area for each square meter: compost mixture - 6 kg, superphosphate - 50 g, ash - 200 g, and in early spring it is enough to add 25 g of nitrogen fertilizers per 1 m² of bed. You can add sand or sawdust to heavy soil.

Further care

In autumn and winter, nigella is not watered, but care is taken to ensure that the beds are evenly covered with snow.

The main care occurs in spring and summer. It includes the following steps:

1. Thinning. Since nigella is sown quite densely, in the spring the seedlings appear close to each other. To get large bulbs and a lot of greens, thinning is carried out in 2 stages. When the seeds germinate, leave 3 cm free between the plants. When 3-4 true leaves appear (this happens 2-3 weeks after the appearance of the first shoots), re-thinning is carried out, leaving 6-8 cm between the plants.
2. Watering. Onions are watered twice a week in dry weather. In case of heavy precipitation, humidification is stopped. Per 1 m2, use up to 1 bucket of settled water at room temperature. Watering is stopped 2 weeks before harvest.
3. Loosening and weeding. After each moistening, the soil is loosened. This destroys the earthen crust, which prevents root air exchange. At the same time, the beds are cleared of weeds: they spread diseases and cause the bulbs to shred.
4. Mulching. Mulch (sawdust, peat, hay or straw) protects plants from cold weather, diseases, slows down the growth of weeds, prevents stagnation and evaporation of moisture, and the formation of an earthen crust. Such beds are not loosened.

Fertilizing is applied three times per season, every 2-3 weeks:

1. After the second thinning, organic nitrogen fertilizers are used. For example, a solution of mullein (1:5) or chicken manure (1:10).
2. The second time, mineral compositions containing phosphorus and potassium are used.
3. The third feeding is made mineral-organic. Add 20 g of superphosphate and 1 tbsp to a bucket with a solution of chicken manure (1:10). ash.

Collection of nigella seeds

You can determine whether nigella is ready for collection by touch - the seeds are dry, black, and easily fall out of umbrellas . To prevent them from scattering on the ground and self-seeding, experienced gardeners resort to this method: they wrap onion umbrellas with thin gauze. Gauze does not interfere with the passage of air and sunlight, dries easily after rain and does not allow moisture to accumulate, while at the same time protecting them from falling apart. This advice may be useful if one bulb of a rare or valuable variety was planted from seed, when it is important to save as many seeds as possible.

If the seed onion is not of particular value and it is planned to collect nigella in large quantities, to prevent the seeds from falling to the ground, the umbrellas are cut off in an unripe state and laid out in a dry, well-ventilated room on paper or burlap. After about two weeks, the ripened seeds are poured onto the spread material by tapping movements; a wooden stick is used to facilitate the process.

Store nigella in a dry room , but you need to remember that its germination rate drops very quickly: next year not all of it will sprout, and a year later the percentage of germination rate will further decrease. Therefore, it is recommended to harvest nigella every year.

Advice from experienced gardeners

For a larger harvest and easier cultivation, follow the advice of experienced gardeners:

1. To make it easier to sow nigella and control the number of seeds per 1 m2, planting material is mixed with chalk powder or light sand.
2. Watering and fertilizing are carried out early in the morning or at sunset with low solar activity. This reduces the risk of burns on plants.
3. The day before fertilizing, the beds are watered abundantly so that the fertilizers do not harm the root system.
4. Purchased planting material is disinfected and calibrated in the factory. This is evidenced by the inscriptions on the packaging. Such seeds are not disinfected at home, but they are still checked for germination.
5. The readiness of the crop for harvesting is indicated by yellowing and wilting of the feathers.
6. If nigella is planted on greenery, then spring thinning is done only once.

For onions planted before winter, extreme warming followed by the onset of frost is dangerous. If the seeds manage to germinate during the thaw, they will die if the temperature drops sharply.

The best varieties and hybrids of annual onions

There are many varieties of onions, both domestic and foreign selection. Below are only the most popular of them, suitable for growing in our latitudes and time-tested.

Hybrid varieties of onions are also gaining popularity, despite the higher cost of seeds. This is due to the fact that hybrids are more resistant to disease, are better stored and produce good yields even on poor soils. The products of Dutch breeders are the most in demand.

Hybrid varieties of annual onions

Growing onion sets

Onions are perhaps the most common crop in our homestead farms, so we will not dwell in detail on growing onions from sets; we will only repeat the main points.

So, if you decide to experiment with winter planting onions on a feather or on a head, prepare the bed in early September, applying the same fertilizers to the ground as when sowing seeds. At the end of the first month of autumn or the beginning of the second, you can start planting.

Disinfect rejected (too small) bulbs in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, dry and place them in grooves 4 cm deep at a distance of 10-12 cm from each other. The uncut neck of the onion should be hidden under a layer of soil at a depth of 3-5 cm, sprinkled with a layer of soil or peat. The ridges are not watered, they are mulched, covered with spruce branches, and when snow appears, they actively throw it on top.

In spring, the shelter is removed, and when 2 true leaves appear, the onion is fed with urea (2 tsp per 10 liters of water). Then care is carried out in the same way as for spring-planted onions.

If you buy onion sets, choose nurseries, garden centers, and specialized stores, since there is a high probability of buying contaminated seed on the market.

Before planting, the sets are sorted, rejecting rotten or sprouted ones, dried in the window for 3-4 days, disinfected in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes and only then planted. The soil for planting onions is prepared in the same way as for sowing seeds. But the seedlings are laid out at a distance of 15 cm from each other and to a depth of 4 cm. Then they are sprinkled with a 2 cm thick layer of soil, pressed lightly and watered generously.

Watering is first carried out every week, then a little less often, depending on the weather, and 2 weeks before harvesting, watering is stopped altogether. A month after the leaves appear, the onion is fed with urea (1.5 tbsp per 10 liters of water) - this solution is enough for 2 square meters, after 2 weeks the feeding is repeated, and after another two weeks the onion is fertilized with a solution of potassium sulfate (1.5 tbsp) and superphosphate (1 tbsp) per bucket of water.

It is important not to forget about loosening, which is often called dry watering. There should be no soil crust on the onion ridge. And do not forget to break out the arrows that appear, otherwise the bulbs will stop developing and will not be stored.

If you sow nigella in the spring, can you get a big onion in the fall?

Olesya

It is possible, provided that it is planted very early, while the soil is rich in spring water and it is rarely necessary to plant. And as the growth progresses, you can get a good harvest in August. Before germination, the beds must be constantly moist and watered until July. It is better to plant in a sunny and spacious place blown by the breeze. If you sow with dry seeds, seedlings appear within 3 weeks. I usually mulch after planting with a thin layer of sifted peat, then there is less evaporation.

Yura Kataytsev

Yes

Fighting Hedgehog

No.

Elena Orlova

exhibition is called in my opinion, in one season it grows before a normal bulb

Yulia Ulmova

No. In the fall you will receive seedlings for next year.

ELENA STRAMOUSOVA

no, only next autumn there will be a good harvest

Olga Gubanova

you will receive bulbs for sowing next year

Tatyana Moiseeva (Ivanova)

The pioneer's head will not grow, but small bulbs will grow. I always plant two or three packs of nigella (I plant it as soon as the ground warms up a little) under non-woven material. I'm filming at the end of May. I thin out food for greens. I dry some of the small ones and plant the rest for food before winter.

Marina Nikolaeva

The varieties Delight, Red Baron, Christina, Oporto, Supra, Fiesta and Chalcedony are positioned as suitable for growing as an annual crop. But I haven’t tried it myself.

ღ•M@rin@•ღ

There is a special variety (I don’t remember the name) that grows in one season, bypassing the sowing stage. Moreover, it was verified that it was so: a bulb from nigella in the fall. Here I found something - “For annual crops, varieties and hybrids have also been created that meet all the requirements. These are onions of the Dutch selection of the Oporto variety, Dutch Red and the relatively new hybrid Duetto F1 with a brown onion weighing up to 150 g with a diameter of up to 9 cm, “

Galina

I planted an onion that was advertised to grow into a good onion, but it didn’t work. An ordinary set has grown. I planted leeks in seedlings and got a good harvest.

Svetik

I bought Exhibition seeds this year. It is written that the onion will grow. I want to try sowing directly into the ground in the spring. Or maybe through seedlings, like leeks. This one already costs me like a little green brush. Last year I sowed my RedBaron seeds and the set grew. I planted it before winter. Let's see what grows. And most likely frozen. Winter is cold. In general, I grow onions from seedlings. It’s more convenient and reliable for me.

I will become Your Angel

nigella is sown on a button (planting material)

Tatiana Tsivilskaya

It’s possible, and what kind!! ! Large. . The same Exobishen grew up in me. 200 each They have already risen...

How to get onion seeds

Do you want to completely switch to your own seed production, but don’t know how to collect onion seeds? Everything is quite simple, although some skills will still be needed.

1. Select 5-7 large, healthy bulbs of the same variety.
2. In May, plant them in the ground, placing 150 g of compost under each and placing them at a distance of 50 cm from each other.
3. Regularly loosen and hill up the plantings, and apply nitrogen fertilizer to the soil twice.
4. Tie a bow arrow to a stake and protect it from birds.
5. After the onion stalks begin to yellow, cut them off and hang them in a dry, warm place to ripen.
6. Shake the mature seeds out of the flower cap, place them in a paper bag and label them.

Preparing seeds for sowing

Seeds should be sorted by size, as larger ones germinate almost a week or two earlier than medium and small ones.

Sorting nigella

For sorting, we usually use a sieve with different cells or shake it on a cloth. You can also use a container with water, in which all the collected seeds with debris are placed for an hour, shaking while immersing the seeds and after the time has passed, then some of them will settle. Those that float up must be placed again in water for the same time. Thus, after the third time, only debris and unripened seeds will remain on the surface of the water.

The germination capacity of nigella is quickly lost; last year's seeds must be checked. It is better to sow them fresh in the same year in which they were received, that is, in the fall.

How to check the germination of nigella

Before sowing, you can check nigella for germination at home.

1. You need to count out a few seeds from the batch.
2. Prepare several layers of thin paper (napkin or toilet paper) and moisten them with water.
3. Next, place the seeds on a saucer under a couple of layers of damp cloth. To create the most comfortable conditions, the saucer can be sealed with film or hidden in a plastic bag and placed in a warm place.
4. Next, within 4-8 days, you need to ensure that the paper is always wet and observe the emergence of seedlings.

If less than 30% of the seeds germinate under such conditions, the batch is defective, but if more than 30% of the seeds germinate, then the germination rate is satisfactory and the seeds can be planted in the ground.

Growing onions from seeds in one season

For those who don’t want to bother for a long time and dream of growing full-fledged onions from seeds in one season, there is a very real, albeit rather troublesome, technology. Not all varieties are suitable for the implementation of such a plan, but only early ones, such as Borodkovsky, Zolotnichok, Carmen, Odintsovets, Early Pink, Red Baron, Sibirsky, etc.

Growing onion seedlings from seeds on a windowsill

Onion seeds for seedlings are sown in boxes 10 cm deep until March 5-12. For germination, use peat soil with microelements or independently enrich it with wood ash at the rate of 0.5 cups per 5 kg. Sprouted seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm and the containers are left at room temperature, slightly moistened. After the emergence of seedlings, the temperature is reduced to 14-16°C, and the seedlings are thinned out so that there is 2-3 cm between them.

Water the seedlings every other day with warm water and feed them twice with complex mineral fertilizer according to the instructions. By the time of planting, each plant should have 3-4 true leaves.

Planting onions in the ground

In mid-May, seedlings, as a rule, are ready to move to a permanent place. Prepare onions for transplanting as follows:

• water abundantly;
• taken out of the box;
• Leaves and roots are cut by a third;
• Dip the roots into a clay mash.

The bulbs are planted, not deeply buried, at a distance of 8 cm in the row and 20 cm between the rows. Further care is carried out as for ordinary onions, but they are harvested no earlier than mid-August and they try not to store them for a long time.

As you can see, planting onions with seeds in the ground and growing them through seedlings is a very simple task. Try to master this “grandmother’s” technique, and onions will delight you with abundant harvests and high quality every year.

What should you do first?

You will have to set aside a separate area in the garden; when planting a vegetable, you must follow all the instructions, and be sure to figure out where the beautiful and tasty onions actually come from.

As a matter of fact, you initially need to purchase nigella onion seeds. From them you need to grow sets - these are small onions for planting.

Basically, you just need to understand that culture will require some scrupulousness, patience and concentration in action. Chernushka can and should be prepared for planting in the ground.

There are two ways to do this:

• Soak the seeds in fairly warm water for eight hours, after which you will need to mix them with sand. The water temperature should not exceed 40-45 degrees;
• Pour potassium permanganate solution over the nigella and keep it in it for about two days. The color of the solution should be closer to crimson, that is, quite saturated.

The planting site must also be chosen and prepared carefully in order to get a good harvest. It should be well lit by the sun, it is advisable to fertilize the soil. Nigella onions are not planted in the same place for two years in a row - this leads to degeneration. It’s good if beans, potatoes or cabbage grew on the soil before.

Before planting, you need to store the seeds in a cold place, for example, a cellar, so that they do not begin to germinate in advance.

Ideally, planting will be done in still moist spring soil, to a depth of no more than 2 cm, the distance between planting tapes is at least 7 cm. The proximity to carrots, as well as dill, is very favorable for repelling various kinds of pests.

Nigella can also be sown scattered, then the onion set will be smaller. Do not forget to constantly monitor the soil moisture and the formation of a crust that will not allow seedlings to break through. Slowly loosen the surface of the beds. This is exactly how planting of the fragrant nigella onion takes place.

How to monitor the growth of a vegetable?

When the first shoots appear, it is necessary to thin out the seedlings. It is advisable to leave no more than two centimeters of distance between the seedlings. After 20 days, depending on the weather, you will need to thin out again, now leaving up to 6 cm of distance. It is advisable to stop the watering process 20-25 days before harvesting the seedlings.

You need to harvest in the fall, be sure to dry before storing and carefully sort:

• Store large ones at a temperature of at least 20 degrees so that the seedlings do not shoot out the arrows of germination;
• Small sets can be stored at a lower temperature, but without freezing.

Subsequently, the set will be needed to grow the turnip itself, in the form in which it is used to be used in cooking, or, more precisely, called an onion.

Preparing the sets

The seedlings are warmed up for a couple of weeks before planting. When the warming up process is completed, the period of preparing small onions begins.

For this:

• soak the seeds for 10 hours in a fertilizer solution;
• then dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate for 10-15 minutes for disinfection and disinfection;
• then washed in running water.

Seeds are planted in warm May soil at a distance of 8 cm; to a depth of 2.5 cm, the distance between the beds should not be more than 15 cm; all subsequent care consists of watering, fertilizing, and loosening the soil.

You will also need:

• watering with water not lower than 15 degrees, keeping the arrows not broken;
• loosen the soil once every two weeks.

When the tops turn yellow, you need to remove the onion and leave it to dry at a temperature of 25 to 30 degrees.

If you did everything correctly, monitored the time and cleanliness of the beds, loosened the soil on time and watered it in sufficient quantities, then the vegetable will grow large, beautiful and tasty.

How to get your nigella

You can also get onion seeds yourself, especially if someone has a burning desire to grow any varietal variety.

All actions should be gradual, do not neglect deadlines and it is advisable to listen to the advice of experienced gardeners:

• Select several strong bulbs, up to 10 cm in diameter, dry for several, but not less than three weeks, transfer them to a room with a temperature of ten degrees. In this case, they will sprout arrows, which is what is required for growing useful nigella onions. Already closer to planting in the soil, they are moved to an even warmer room to speed up the process;
• In the early stages of starting garden work, after disinfecting these uterine bulbs, it is necessary to plant them in the soil at a distance of 25-30 cm;
• Bury the heads only halfway;
• When the seed boxes in the umbrellas begin to crack, experienced owners advise putting gauze “caps” on the heads so that the seeds do not scatter and disappear;
• It is better to harvest nigella onions in early autumn, when the maximum number of seed pods are ripe;
• You need to cut the arrows at a length of 20-25 cm to make it easier to hang out to dry.

This is how the whole process of growing onions and obtaining seeds occurs. The process is year-round, or rather, it involves a clear sequence of actions, as is inherent in all natural cycles. It brings joy when you see that the earth gives us much more than we give it. Harvests depend on diligence and care, good soil and climatic conditions.

Nigella on greens

You can plant nigella onions on fresh greens, which will appear in early spring if everything is prepared. Plant the bulbs, loosen the soil well, be sure to fertilize and water.

You can even cover the planting site with film, further insulating the soil. After waiting for the feathers to grow 30 centimeters, you can collect green sprouts, which in early spring contain vitamins that prevent the development of vitamin deficiency.

You can also plant onions on greens in the fall, but you need to wait until the temperature drops to almost zero degrees, plant the bulbs at a distance of up to 3 cm, and sprinkle about twenty centimeters of foliage on top.

After letting the onions overwinter in this way, in early spring, feed them with fertilizers and collect green sprouts as described above. Wishing you generous harvests!

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