Terms for harvesting onions in the Chernozem region, Voronezh and Belgorod regions

Each gardener tries to grow as many vegetables as possible on his plot, onions are among the mandatory plantings. It is important to know the time when to remove the onions from the beds, otherwise the heads will overripe, begin to crack and will not be stored. Consider when and how to start collecting in the Black Sea region and how to prepare heads for long-term storage.

Determining the maturity of the onion

Experienced gardeners determine the maturity of raw materials by external signs. It is problematic to calculate the term mathematically for one reason. The weather conditions in the regions differ slightly. This is an important condition for the readiness of plants for harvesting.So, if it is constantly raining outside, then the heads sitting in the ground absorb moisture and the roots rot - such a product is no longer subject to long-term storage. And, on the contrary, when it is scorching heat outside, they ripen faster, the tops dry out and the heads crack, so harvesting should be done earlier.

The main indicator of maturity is lighter and semi-dry tops, the scales on the open part of the bulb become dry, amber and dense. The stem, located near the head, dries out, becomes thin and brown. But not the entire crop will ripen at the same time. When 70% of the raw materials in the garden are in technical maturity, they are pulled out of the garden, and the rest are left to ripen.

It happens that unripe fruits with green feathers begin to rot from the roots. This indicates excessive soil moisture, in which case the entire crop must be harvested and dried in a dry room under a canopy. It will ripen without soil.

When harvesting an immature crop, the tops cannot be cut off, they are dried along with feathers so that the necks have time to dry out and the bulbs close. Only after complete closure, the tops are cut off and the heads are prepared for storage. We will find out later how to prepare the harvested crop for storage, and now we will artificially bring the heads in the garden to full maturity.

How to make onions ripen faster in the garden?

If the onion is planted with seeds in the garden, it does not have time to ripen on its own before the onset of cold weather and wet weather. This adversely affects the future harvest, if such a situation occurs, you need to make it ripen on its own faster so that the heads in the ground do not fester. To do this, use time-tested methods:

We need to stop watering the beds, then the heads dry out faster.
Expose the underground part by about half of the head, then the scales dry out faster in the sun.
Pruning the roots at a depth of 5 centimeters - use a shovel or knife for this.
Raise the heads a little from the ground with a pitchfork, this is done so that the roots come off the ground.
The beds are watered with s alt water - 2 tablespoons are diluted in 10 liters of water and watered.
Mechanically destroy feathers - walk in the garden or roll feathers with your hands.

These procedures are carried out on the condition that the calendar harvest date has already come up and the weather conditions are deteriorating, and the feathers are still green and continue to grow.

Calendar date for harvesting onions in the Chernozem region

The bulk of bulbous plants in this region ripen in late August - early September. If the heads have already reached technical maturity: the greens have dried up and stopped growing, and the neck has become thinner, the onions are removed from the beds.For this procedure, dry and sunny weather is chosen so that the onion can dry in the garden. The heads are pulled out by the roots and left to dry out on the beds. So that it ripens evenly, it is distributed over the entire area. Can't be lumped together. So the plants spend another two weeks in the beds. If the weather forecast predicts rain, the crop should be put under a canopy so that the heads do not get wet.

You can determine whether the onion is ready for storage by several indicators:

The leaves are completely dry.
The scales have turned amber and the top scales are easily detached from the head.
The neck dried up and the turnip closed.

After full readiness, the onion is prepared for storage.

Harvesting winter onions

Chernozemye and Voronezh region are famous for their mild winters, so many gardeners plant bulbs for the winter. In this case, the harvest starts 2 weeks earlier than with spring plantings.

Early or mid-ripening varieties are sown for the winter to get an early harvest. The collection of such varieties begins in late June or early July. When planted in spring, onions are harvested about two weeks later than winter.

Crop preparation and storage

Gardeners store onions in different ways and prepare them differently depending on the method. If you intend to store the bulbs in braids, then the tops are not completely cut off. You need to leave 20-30 centimeters. Remove easily peeling scales, cut off the roots and remove weak tops, which can come off when weaving braids. After these procedures, braids are braided and hung up for storage.

With the method of storage in boxes, tops are not needed. In this case, it is cut off, leaving a distance of 2-3 centimeters from the head, the scales are removed and the roots are cut off. In this form, the bulb must be kept in a dry and warm room for another 2 weeks, and then lowered for storage in the cellar.Lay in layers for storage in boxes, shifting each layer with straw or dry grass.

But it is better to store it in a dry place at a temperature of 20 degrees. Then it will definitely not fester and will lie until spring. It is also important to inspect the crop for the presence of rot during the entire storage period. If spoiled bulbs are found, they are removed, and the remaining crop is dried again.

If it's raining all the time outside, and the harvest has come up and needs to be harvested, don't wait for the rain to stop and the sun to come out. During this time, the onions in the beds may fester. In this case, the harvest harvested from the beds is prepared differently:

tops are cut off immediately after harvest;
exfoliate scales that fall off easily;
cut the roots;
in this state, leave to dry in a dry and warm room for two weeks.

After drying, the onions are peeled again and put in boxes for storage.

Onion harvesting in other regions

Depending on weather conditions, the speed of maturation of the heads and the growing area, the ripening period varies from 60 to 85 days after planting the plants in the ground. So, in the northern regions and central Russia, the onion readiness for harvesting is almost the same:

In the Moscow region, cleaning begins in late July or early August.
In Siberia and nearby regions, harvesting begins in mid-August, otherwise the heads will fester.
In the southern regions can be grown until September, provided there is no heavy rain.

But if the heads are in technical maturity before the expected harvesting date, then it cannot be postponed, otherwise the heads will overripe and crack, the scales will fall behind the fruit and the onion will not be stored.

We learned when to harvest onions in the Black Earth region and other regions of Russia, how to harvest, prepare heads for storage and store the harvested crop in winter.