When to harvest onions in 2022 in the Moscow region and the region for storage?

Determining when to harvest onions in 2022 in the Moscow region is easy by external signs. Ripening times often depend on weather conditions, the selected variety, and the particularities of caring for the vegetable. Recently, it has become common to focus on dates that are indicated in the lunar calendar. Harvested on time retains all valuable substances and is well stored for a long time.

Determining whether the onion is ready for harvesting

Determining the timing of planting and harvesting onions, take into account the climate of the region, features of agricultural practices, soil type and variety. In the Moscow region, winter crops begin to be harvested at the end of July. If the weather was warm, then on the 20th they begin to dig up the bulbs.

In the Moscow region, onions should be dug up when the following signs appear:

• feathers begin to turn yellow, dry;
• bulb neck becomes thinner, dries and softens;
• top, dry scales, golden yellow color easily depart from the bulb;
• arrows stretch out, seed pods crack.

Usually bulbs ripen together. As soon as it was noticed that 60-70% of the tops fell to the ground, you can start digging.

The correct and accurate determination of the timing of harvesting a ripe vegetable crop affects further storage:

• If you do not let the crop fully ripen, then the bulbs will have unripe upper scales, the neck will remain firm, thick and juicy. Such an onion will quickly begin to sprout and rot.
• If you miss the right time for harvesting, the vegetable will begin to take on new roots, the head will begin to overripe, crack, which causes rotting.

You can calculate the harvest time with a simple mathematical example. It is enough to add 65-85 days to the day on which the onion was planted. The number of days added depends on the variety.

Preparing onions for harvesting

Onion harvesting in the Moscow region coincides with the last week of July. If by this time the feathers are still green and do not think to dry out, you need to help the vegetable ripen. This is necessary in order not to fall into the rainy season. The following activities will help speed up maturation:

• Two weeks before the expected digging stop watering and loosening the soil, as well as fertilizing.
• Careful undermining of the roots helps. If the ground is loose, you can lightly pull the bulbs by hand. In other cases, you can do this with a shovel. After digging the head a little, leave it in this position until fully ripe.
• Some vegetable growers carry out the procedure of exposing the bulb. The earth is raked until half of the bulb is exposed. This will allow sunlight and heat to reach the root without obstruction.

All of these actions are aimed at reducing the supply of nutrients from the soil, and accelerate the maturation of the head.

Sometimes yellowing and drying may not be the main sign of the ripening of the crop. This happens in the hot summer when there is no rain. Indeed, in the absence of precipitation, the plant begins to dry out. In this case, the vegetable should be watered as often as possible in the first two months after planting.

When and how to harvest onions in the suburbs?

The warmer and drier the weather is in summer, the faster the vegetable crop will grow and ripen.The first month after planting is considered important, since the main development of plants and the increase in feathers occurs precisely at this time. After the ground part of the plant is formed, the root crop begins to actively develop.

To harvest a ripe crop, a sunny day is chosen so that the dug onions can be dried in the open air, under the sun. If it rains, then the onion is immediately removed under the roof.

Dig better with a pitchfork or a shovel. Just do it carefully so as not to damage the bulb. It is recommended to retreat 10 cm from the garden and start digging. If you manually pull the onion out of the ground by force, you can damage the bulb or tear the tops. After digging, shake off the adhering dirt, but do not hit the bulbs against each other, this can lead to damage.

Spread the collected bow on the prepared matter in one layer, periodically turning different sides to the sun. At night, it is recommended to cover with a film so that morning dew cannot damage the crop, or bring it indoors.

Feathers do not need to be trimmed, as useful substances accumulate in them. While the head dries, it ripens and is saturated with nutrients.

Drying

If the deadlines for harvesting onions in the suburbs were observed, then there will be no problems. Onion heads will be dense, without damage, deformation, and will dry out completely in two weeks.

There are several signs by which you can determine that the bulbs have dried out. The scales of the head become dense, dry and rustle. You can examine the neck of the plant. When it is dry, then you can start cleaning for further storage.

Finally dried bulbs smell good, dense to the touch. Only after making sure that the bulbs are dry, they begin to trim the leaves. They are cut off, leaving a stump of about 3-4 cm. If it is supposed to braid braids from the tops, then cut the feather to 10 cm.

Storing onions in winter

Before moving the onion to storage, it is sorted out, deformed, damaged, with stains. It is primarily used for food. At the same time, seed material can be selected.

Selected onions are laid out in prepared containers. Suitable plastic boxes, cardboard boxes, nets. The main thing is that they have holes for air ventilation. The containers are moved to a dry, cool place where the air temperature is about +3 degrees.

Collecting onions in the Moscow region is best in dry, windy weather. But it happens that summer does not please with warm days and vegetables are constantly in the wet ground due to rain. If the onion heads are harvested from too wet beds, then drying alone will not be enough.

The harvested crop must be additionally dried at higher temperatures (for 5 days at a temperature of 33 degrees or for 8 hours at a temperature of 42 degrees).Such bulbs are most often infected with rot and powdery mildew, which do not show up during growth.

When to harvest onions in 2022 according to the lunar calendar in the suburbs?

Sometimes when harvesting a spicy vegetable crop, they are guided by the lunar calendar. It has long been noticed that in certain phases of the moon, the juices in plants are concentrated in different parts of it. When the moon becomes large, all the juices rush to the ground part of the plant, in the waning phase, all the nutrients move to the underground part.

According to the lunar calendar for 2022, it is better to start harvesting in early August. The most favorable dates will be: August 2, 8, 13, 14, 20. These days coincide with the waning phase of the moon. Harvested these days will dry well and quickly and be stored for a long time.

The unfavorable period for harvesting will be the days from 4 to 7 August. At this time, you can start loosening the soil.

Tips for harvesting and storing onions

You need to properly remove onions from the garden for storage. By following all the recommendations, it will be possible to reduce the risk of rotten heads and increase their shelf life.

You can determine the maturity of a vegetable by many criteria: according to the lunar calendar, in appearance, mathematically. The main thing is not to dig up the onion before or after the deadline.

The best time to dig onions in the Moscow region is the end of June, the beginning of August. After the vegetable is dug up, it is best to leave it on the site. Under the rays of the sun, it will dry quickly and well, and will be disinfected at the same time.

If the soil is loose, then the head can be pulled out by hand without damaging the tops. In the case of dense soil, it is better to take a pitchfork or a shovel to work. Garden tools are stuck into the ground vertically at some distance from the entire garden. Having dug up the ground, they try to pull out the bulb with their hands.

If the onion has to be removed from moist soil, then after digging it is washed, cleaned immediately from the husk and feather, and the roots are cut off. Then lay out on the surface in a dry room, which is well ventilated. After 2.5 weeks, a new layer of husk will appear, and the bulbs can be stacked in storage containers.

Better to choose a cardboard box. This method of harvesting will preserve and ensure long-term storage, up to summer.

During drying, you should monitor the condition of the neck of the onion. If it is soft, greenish, then the vegetable is not yet ready for storage. If the neck has become thin, dried up and turned yellow, then you can safely lay it out in boxes. In this case, the crop will be stored for a long time.

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