Onion Carmen: description and characteristics of the variety, cultivation and care with photo

For those who love sweet red varieties of onions, the Carmen onion is on the market. He comes from Holland and has recently appeared in Russia. But gardeners already liked it for its taste, color and ease of cultivation. A detailed description of the variety, cultivation rules and reviews of those who have already grown Carmen on their plots, consider below.

Variety description

The variety has recently appeared in Russia, bred by Dutch breeders and is successfully grown in near and far abroad. It is used by amateur gardeners and large vegetable producers.

The variety is intended for cultivation throughout Russia, but grows better in the central and northern regions. It takes only 3 months from planting small heads in the ground to harvest. In this short time, heads weighing up to 120 grams grow from a turnip.

The onion is two-pronged, compact, the feather grows up to 30 centimeters in length. The bulb is rounded, some heads are flattened, the pulp is of medium density. The color of the scales is burgundy, sometimes purple. The flesh is white with a purple hue, medium density.

The taste of heads without pronounced bitterness, sweetly spicy, with a special taste and aroma. The variety is suitable for fresh use, salads, marinades. Often this variety is used on an industrial scale, as it tends to be stored for a long time.

Positive qualities of Carmen onions

Gardeners appreciate the variety for its positive qualities:

1. high harvest;
2. excellent taste;
3. easy to grow;
4. excellent presentation;
5. keeping quality.

Among the advantages, judging by the description of the Carmen onion variety, resistance to droughts and changes in weather conditions is noted. Onions will easily form in a humid and cold environment and in a warm, dry summer.

Growing onion Carmen

Onions are usually grown in three ways.

1. In two seasons. At the same time, in the first season, seeds are planted on a turnip, in the second - a turnip on heads.
2. Turnip, bought in the store, on the heads.
3. Seeds on heads.

If you intend to plant seeds on a turnip in the first year, then in the fall you need to collect material from last year's bow arrows. In this case, several arrow bulbs are left on the seeds, and then, at technical maturity, they are harvested for further cultivation. If the seeds are purchased at the store, then skip the first item.

Seeds are sown in autumn or spring. To get sevok in the spring, you need to plant in the fall.

Choosing a landing spot

Onions should grow in a sunny place without wind. It is also necessary to provide for the absence of flooding and stagnant water, otherwise the heads in wet soil will rot. Light sandy soils without strong acidity are suitable for planting. If the soil in the garden is acidic, you need to add dolomite flour or lime to reduce the level of acidity. The beds are prepared in the fall by harvesting weeds from the beds, applying compost or manure and digging.During the winter, the soil will absorb nutrients and become more fertile.

Because the weather is warmer in the southern regions, it is possible to grow heads directly from seeds there. In the northern regions - through seedlings. At the same time, seedlings are prepared 65 days before planting at the main place of growth.

Sowing onions

Sowing onions, regardless of the type of seed material, is carried out in warm sunny weather. In this case, the temperature in the soil should fluctuate from 16 degrees and above. If night frosts are promised, then the beds are covered with film material. Film must be removed during the day.

Seeds or sets are planted at a distance of 20 centimeters between plants and 30 centimeters between rows. In the garden, stripes are drawn with a rake to a depth of 10 centimeters, spilled with warm water, seeds are planted, the rows are sprinkled with soil so that furrows are visible. Otherwise it is inconvenient to water.

Planting Care

The characteristic of the onion is such that the plants grow well, you need to do the following:

• Watering - carry out so that the soil does not dry out, otherwise the tender seedlings will wither and dry out. You also need to avoid excess moisture. Two weeks before the expected harvest, watering is completely stopped and the onions are allowed to ripen in dry soil.
• Weeding is carried out during the entire growth of plants. When planting with seeds, the grass will stop the formation of heads and there will be no harvest. Since the arrows during seed planting are very small, weeding must be done carefully so as not to damage the onion plants.
• Harvesting must be done on time, otherwise the heads will overgrow and will not be stored. Onion harvesting is usually carried out at the end of August. But in each region, the collection time is different. Therefore, you need to know when the heads are in adulthood.This is easy to determine: if the arrows stopped forming and fell to the ground, the main part turned yellow, which means that the onion is ripe. If, by the time of harvesting, the onion grows, then it is necessary to artificially accelerate the ripening process. To do this, a layer of earth is removed from the heads, and the roots are cut or gently lifted with a pitchfork and torn off from the soil. You can trample on the onion bed, but this method is dangerous because you can damage the heads.

Crop storage

The harvested crop is dried in the garden for 2-3 weeks. It is important to dry in sunny weather, if rain was reported in the weather forecast, you need to hide the plants under cover. After complete drying, the onion is cleaned of excess husks and tops. When stored in braids, 30 centimeters are left for weaving. If the onion is stored in boxes, then leave 10 centimeters of tops.

Store in a dry, cool or warm place.

Review reviews of the Carmen bow

Onion Carmen has recently appeared on the market, but has already received positive reviews about the variety.

Galina Vasilievna: “Carmen planted through seedlings, in September she took excellent large bulbs. In care, the variety is unpretentious, you need to water and weed the beds, otherwise the grass will stop the growth of the heads. Carmen is resistant to diseases, so it was not necessary to spray it with poison. The heads are medium in size, dense, the taste is excellent, not bitter. I am satisfied with the harvest and now I advise my neighbors to use this variety.”

Gennady Iosifovich: “For the second year I have been growing Carmen on my plot, the yield is high. Onions are stored under the floor in nets. Since it is cool there, the heads do not lose moisture. Next year I want to remove the seeds and try to grow seeds for sowing in the winter at home, and then in the spring I will plant the sowing in the garden.”

Marina: “I always plant two beds of onions, one with a white variety, the other with a red one. Since white salads are too spicy, I use it for pickling or frying. But red Carmen goes well with fresh cucumber and tomato salads. I love this salad, especially when it's made with vegetables grown in my garden.”

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