The shallot is known by different names: kushchovka, family, nesting, friendly family, shrike, bushing. All these names carry a direct allusion to the main characteristic of this type of onion - multigerm.
How good are shallots
Why should you start growing shallots in your garden?
I advise you to take a closer look at shallots for three reasons.
- Bulbs of a small size are perfectly stored without loss of presentation and taste all winter. A braided shallot can be placed right in the kitchen, where it will always be at hand. Just keep in mind that at the same time, the taste of the bulbs deteriorates somewhat from storage in heat.
- Shallot - a complete replacement for the usual onion. It will give your traditional culinary masterpieces a new exquisite taste and aroma. In addition, many housewives will find the small size of the bulbs themselves convenient.
- The feather of the family bow is thinner and more delicate and does not tend to coarsen throughout the season. Yes, and it grows much earlier than that of onions.
Shallots are a perennial plant, but are most commonly grown in a biennial crop.
This onion is propagated both with the help of seeds and vegetatively, that is, with the help of bulbs. With seed propagation in the first year of cultivation, a nest of 4-5 small onions is formed. The following year, larger nests are formed from these bulbs with 8-10 bulbs weighing 25-50 grams. At the same time, their total weight reaches 400-500 grams. Sometimes the number of primordia reaches 10-15 pieces!
By color there are red, purple, yellow, brown, white varieties of family onions, in the form of bulbs - from oblong to oval-flat.
Planting shallots
Cultivation of shallots is carried out for the sake of early vitamin greens and to obtain a crop of neat, spicy-sweet bulbs.
Among the best predecessors are legumes, carrots and potatoes.
Family onions prefer cultivated, well-drained soils with a neutral reaction. In autumn, the bed is generously seasoned with compost or humus at the rate of 4-5 kilograms per square meter. And they also add 20-25 grams of superphosphate and 10-15 grams of potassium salt per square meter of future plantings.
In the spring, before planting shallots, the soil is enriched with 5-7 grams of ammonium nitrate per square meter.
Shallot bulbs are planted both in early spring, as soon as the soil is ready for cultivation, and also before winter. When the crop is obtained 10-15 days earlier than in the spring.
Shallots are placed on the bed according to the scheme 10-15 x 45 centimeters. Per square meter, you will need about 0.75-1.5 kilograms of bulbs. The larger the planting bulb, the more feathers and child bulbs it tends to form.. However, for private use, it is better to choose medium-sized bulbs, with a diameter of 3-4 centimeters. And very small onions can be used for forcing greens.
A week before planting, the bulbs are heated for 8 hours at a temperature of + 40-42 degrees. This helps prevent powdery mildew. For the same purpose, it is useful to roll the bulbs in wood ash before planting.
Before planting, the stem neck is shortened, and the bulbs are buried in the ground “to the shoulders”, that is, by 4-5 centimeters. If you feel a lack of planting material, cut large bulbs "by eyes" into 3-8 parts.
How to grow shallots in the garden
Seasonal care for shallots includes loosening row spacing, weeding and 4-5 waterings.
It is better to feed the onion only with organic matter: infusion of mullein (1:10) or (1:15). The first top dressing is carried out during the period of leaf growth in early spring, and the second - at the stage of laying the bulbs.
Sprinkling beds or watering with a solution of table salt (a glass of 10 liters of water) helps well from an onion fly.
When growing shallots for greens, feather harvesting begins from the second year of planting from the second half of April. It is important to have time to harvest before the formation of onion arrows. After that, the nutritional and taste value of the leaves is sharply reduced.
So that for many years the family bow will delight you with rich harvests of fragrant greens, cut off the drooping feather at the end of July. Pour plenty of water over the bed and loosen the slightly dried soil deeply. In August and in the last ten days of November, spud the family bow "with the head."
With thickened cultivation, the shallot yield is 5 kilograms of feather per square meter!
There is one little trick to getting bigger bulbs from the nest.
Approximately one and a half months after the emergence of shoots, when the onion begins to divide, proceed to the gradual tearing for eating. This must be done carefully, holding the rest of the onions with your hand. As a result, 1-2 bulbs should remain in the nest, then by the time of harvesting they will grow unusually large.
Harvest time for shallots
Shallot bulbs are harvested at the end of July-August, when the mass lodging of its leaves begins. Bulb nests are taken out of the soil, disassembled into individual bulbs and dried right in the garden, weather permitting. After a few days, they are removed and dried under a canopy.
It should be borne in mind that prolonged vegetative propagation leads to the chopping of bulbs and a decrease in resistance to diseases.
Therefore, once every 4-5 years, onion plantings need to be updated by sowing seeds. This is best done before winter, in the last decade of November. Nigella is sown according to the scheme 10-15 x 45 at the rate of 2 grams per square meter of plot. Seal depth - 3-4 centimeters.
It is not so easy to get your own seed material of this species - after all, shallots are not prone to.
To encourage shooting in a family bow, try long time store the bulbs at a temperature of 0 to +5 degrees - for example, in the refrigerator and plant them before winter. Place seed plants from other varieties of shallots and onions at a distance of at least two kilometers (for open ground) and six hundred meters for closed ground.
Growing shallots in a summer cottage is available to everyone. Unfortunately, the culture is not very popular among vegetable growers. However, precocity, resistance to shooting, high keeping quality and excellent taste characteristics leave hope that the family bow will still find its admirers among enthusiastic summer residents.
Shallots, or family onions, are one of the most popular varieties of onions in our area. Shallot is a multi-celled variety of onion, thanks to which it received the name - family. Thanks to the excellent taste of green feathers and the bulbs themselves, it is indispensable in the kitchen and in the garden. If you love onions and know about them useful properties ah, but you are tired of the usual onions, and the complex agricultural technology of growing exotic varieties scares you, then you should pay attention to shallots (see photo).
Outwardly, the shallot looks like a familiar onion, but it has smaller bulbs than the bulbs, 2-4 cm in diameter and weighing 20-30 g, and smaller seeds. The shallot feather is narrower and longer, as in the photo, and the taste is more tender than that of onions.
In the process of growth, another 25-40 bulbs sprout inside each bulb, resembling garlic cloves in structure, as in the photo.
Thus, a nest is formed inside the matrix bulb, which disintegrates when it dries. The difference between shallots and onions can be clearly seen in the picture below (shallots on the left, onions on the right).
Like onions, shallots have early, medium, late, as well as peninsular, spicy and sweet varieties. In addition, different types of shallots differ in the color of the husk and different intensity of branching, according to the number of leaves and bulbs in the nest. There are more than 60 varieties of family onions, below is a description of some of the most common varieties.
Airat. Refers to mid-season semi-sharp varieties. This variety brings 1.6 kg of yield per 1 m². Airat has round bulbs weighing about 15 g, with a dry, yellow husk. There are 5-6 bulbs in the nest.
Albic. Another mid-season semi-sharp variety, suitable for winter planting. Vegetation period 62 days. Bulbs weighing 25-30 g, have a transverse-elliptical shape, in the nest has 3-8 bulbs. Productivity - 13-25 tons per hectare.
A good harvest depends on the quality of planting material and care for the winter.
Banana . The variety is a hybrid of onion and garlic. The sweetest of all shallot varieties. The bulbs are light, have an oblong shape (pictured below), due to which the variety was called banana.
Bonilla F1. Refers to mid-season semi-sharp varieties. It can be grown in one place up to 5 years. Productivity - 1.5 kg per m². As an annual crop, it is grown from seed. Vegetation variety bonilla - 82-87 days. Bonilla has 4 or more rounded bulbs in the nest, 30-39 g each. The dry husk of the bonilla bulbs is yellow-brown in color.
Emerald. Refers to early ripe semi-sharp varieties. The emerald has bulbs of a rounded shape, weighing 18-22 g. Dry scales are brown with a pinkish tint, juicy bulbs are white color. There are 3-4 bulbs in the nest. Turnip yield 1.2-1.4 kg per m². Shelf life - up to 10 months.
Cascade. Refers to early ripe varieties with a sharp taste. Cascade is grown in a two-year culture from sevka. There are 5-6 bulbs in the nest, the weight of one bulb is 35.2 g. The shape is ovoid, the color is pink. The yield of turnips is 17.4 tons per hectare, the yield of green onions is 35.4 tons per hectare. Refers to very light varieties.
Family. Early ripe semi-sharp variety. The bulbs are round, weighing 18-22 g, yellow-brown with a purple tint, juicy bulbs are white. The nest has 3-4 bulbs. Disease resistant. Preferably grown in a biennial culture.
Cultivation and care
Among the main advantages of shallots: simple agricultural technology and precocity. Already a month after planting, you can cut off the green feather, and after 2.5 months, harvest the bulbs.
If you plant onions on greens, then you should replace it with shallots. It gives abundant greens, about 5-6 kg per 1 m², many times more than ordinary onions.
For the winter, shallots can be grown not only in open ground. It will produce good greens when planted in containers and greenhouses.
The delicate taste of shallots may well replace the leek, which requires complex agricultural technology, besides, the leek has a six-month growing season. You can change it in the summer. You can replace it with any herbs and plants.
Often for planting shallots, sevok, change or uterine bulbs are used, which give a whole nest of onions. One bulb or set of leeks produces about 18 new bulbs. Having a good variety sample, you will provide yourself with planting material for a long time. And then you do not have to replace it with another culture. Planting shallots (or you can replace it with any other onion) is carried out either in early spring or before winter.
Preparing for landing
- A week before planting, to prevent diseases, shallots are heated for 9 hours at a temperature of 40 degrees.
It is worth remembering that shallots are prone to mixing with their neighbors in the garden; they form variety mixtures very easily. So it should not be planted near the beds where other varieties of onions grow.
- Immediately before planting, sevok or matrix bulbs are soaked for a day in warm water (about 30◦).
- For the prevention of diseases and various fungal infections, the bulbs are treated with potassium permanganate. The solution is made at the rate of 1 g of potassium permanganate per 2 liters of water, the bulbs are kept in the solution for about six hours.
After that, the bulbs are ready for planting.
- The beds are dug up, adding mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil. You can fertilize the soil with compost or humus, at the rate of 3 kg of compost or humus per 1 m².
- It is necessary to plant without pressing the bulbs into the ground and leaving enough free space between them.
- Planting depth - 5 cm, and the distance between the bulbs - 7 cm. The distance between the sown rows - 15-20 cm, depending on the size of the bulbs. If you are growing shallots for greens, the distance can be increased to 20-30 cm.
- Water the onion 10 days after planting, the frequency of repeated watering is once a week. With frequent precipitation, the frequency of watering should be reconsidered. Onions should be watered only when the soil is dry.
When planting shallots in a perennial crop, the onion becomes smaller, and its yield decreases. Because of this, they resort to updating planting material by propagating onions with the help of seeds.
- To do this, in the spring, when planting shallots, 7-12% of the onions are left to shoot, during the autumn planting, up to 70% are taken for shooting.
- Seeds appear, weighing at least 60 grams, usually they give at least four arrows. It is advisable to resort to collecting seeds every three years.
- Bulbs of the first year of planting are usually harvested for sets, and seeds are taken from bulbs of the second or third year.
Since shallot seeds are smaller than those of onions, they are sown at the rate of 0.4-0.6 g per 1 m². In the future, the agricultural technology of growing from seeds is the same as for onions.
Agrotechnics for growing shallots is the same as for planting onions, and beginner gardeners can do it. Shallot does not need special care, it sings quickly, is perfectly stored all winter, gives early greens and has an excellent taste. Feather and shallot bulbs ripen a month earlier than ordinary onions.
Details on how to plant, on the video:
Care comes down to weeding and fertilizing the soil. As a rule, manure and bird droppings.
Harvesting from spring planting falls on the third decade of July - mid-August.
Indoors, shallots produce more greens. Agrotechnics for planting in containers or flowerpots is similar. It is enough to take a set, cut off the bottom and roots, and plant it in moist soil.
Shallots are a regular in French cuisine and a delicacy from Asia Minor. This sharp perennial plant has edible and delicate leaves that ripen very early, and the bulbs themselves, whose weight very rarely exceeds 40 grams. In addition to the great taste, this bulbous vegetable has excellent keeping quality, and besides, you will never cry while you cut it, which only multiplies its other wonderful qualities. This vegetable, which has a few more interesting names(shrubs, magpie, Ashkelon onions ...) rightfully occupies a worthy place in our gardens, and in this article you will learn how to properly grow shallots from seeds.
Shallots: nest, flower-bearing arrow and bulb in section Shallots: The cultivation of this crop is most often done through vegetative propagation, i.e. bulbs, and although most varieties are grown in a biennial crop, some can be grown in the same place for up to five years. However, unfortunately, such agricultural technology reduces the size of the bulbs from year to year. Therefore, on the beds allocated in the garden for this onion, you need to sow seeds at least once every three years to update.
Variety selection
Numerous varieties of shallots are capable of seed propagation. They differ from each other according to the following criteria:
- taste qualities (spicy, semi-sharp and sweet varieties);
- crop ripening period (early, middle and late varieties);
- resistance of seeds and plants themselves to diseases and pests of onion vegetable crops;
- shape, color and number of bulbs in the nest;
- growing region, which will be discussed below.
The choice of a zoned shallot variety for Russia today is limited to several options: there are seeds for the southern regions; there are seeds for colder zones, including Siberia.
Shallots: one of the varieties is a high-yielding hybrid "Camelot" Some varieties for warmer regions:
Kunak- a mid-season variety with a growing season of about 100 days, with a sharp taste.
Star- an early ripening southern variety with a growing season of about 60 days.
Kushchevka Kharkiv- a less spicy variety also with a growing season of two months and excellent keeping quality.
Some varieties for colder regions:
SIR-7- an early ripe fruitful variety with a sharp taste of bulbs and a growing season of 50-70 days.
Sprint- another early ripe variety suitable for growing in greenhouses and in the open field.
Siberian yellow- this mid-season variety with medium pungency has a growing season of 55-60 days and is grown in gardens as a biennial crop.
You can learn a lot about shallot varieties in this video:
Sowing
Seeds for sowing shallots Reproduction by seeds of shallots is almost the same as propagation of onions:
- since shallots have small seeds, they are sown at the rate of 0.4-0.6 grams per square meter;
- to obtain their seeds, a part of the bed with onions (about 10%) in the second or third year of cultivation is allocated for shooting;
- shallots prefer soils with low acidity;
- Legumes are the best forerunner for shallots.
Important! Soil care: before sowing seeds, the soil in the garden should be fertilized with compost or humus at the rate of 3 kilograms per square meter.
Shallots can be grown not only from seeds, but also vegetatively, as already mentioned at the beginning of this article. Planting bulbs is discussed in detail in the following video:
Care
Caring for this type of onion is almost the same as caring for a leek or turnip, that is, timely watering and weeding, loosening row spacing, and applying top dressings suitable for onion crops.
Shallots in the garden bed Inexperienced gardeners use fresh manure as top dressing, and this is categorically not recommended. All the nitrogen value of manure will remain unclaimed due to the low rate of its decomposition. On the early stages germination of seeds, onions will not receive the necessary nutrition, but in the second half of summer there will be an excess of nitrogen in the soil and instead of benefit, it will bring one harm, since the keeping quality of your crop will drop sharply.
Therefore, for top dressing in drier climates, a small amount of phosphorus and potash fertilizers is diluted in a bucket of water and shallots are watered with this nutrient solution in the evening. In areas where it rains often, dry fertilizers are simply shallowly embedded in the aisles.
Shallot care in terms of pest control involves treatment with antifungal agents in case of onion damage by downy mildew and neck rot.
Harvesting
Toward the end of summer, shallot bulbs can be harvested, just after the plant begins to wilt the feather. Nests are dug, dried and stored for winter storage in a basement or cellar.
Under the winter
Shallots are planted before winter in mid-October.
Sevok shallots for planting before winter With a winter planting the next year, you will get much more onion leaves than with a spring one. In this case, the first greens will appear on your table at the end of March. However, despite the cold resistance of shallots, planting before winter is recommended only in southern regions, since half of the bulbs are lost in the middle lane during the winter, and in more northern regions, losses can be even more serious.
To summarize all of the above, it becomes clear that shallot seeds are an excellent option for propagating this plant without harming the crop.
Shallot is a type of onion. It has a large number of similar features, but also contains its own features. To properly plant shallots, you should familiarize yourself with its most popular varieties, as well as the timing, rules for the care and cultivation of family onions.
What is shallots: its description, what is the difference from other varieties of onions
For most indicators, shallots are practically no different from onions. The most important difference is that shallots have increased branching of feathers, an increased number of bulbs that form in the nest, and their smaller size. In addition, small splinters are better preserved than ordinary ones (onions).
By the way! Shallot is also called the family onion!
Shallot is a type of multi-celled onion. Its base can contain from 3 to 20 identical splinters. The more onions in the basket, the less weight they have. So, each head can weigh from 15 to 40 grams. Each head in comparison with other varieties has an elongated shape in the form of a droplet.
Attention! A distinctive feature of the shallot is that it has a finer green structure, it is rounded, and also has a rich green tint and a waxy sheen. Each feather in length reaches from 20 to 45 cm. Any bulb contains from 8 to 10 leaves when forcing greens.
When grown in onions and shallots, some differences are revealed. For example, small bulbs of family onions germinate better in fertile, old-arable lands. At the same time, they should be somewhat heavier than for planting onions.
In addition, the shallot is an early ripening plant, when planted in temperate latitudes, it ripens in 65-80 days. Unlike family onions, onions are distinguished by a long growing process. To cut a plant for greenery, only 25-35 days pass from the moment of planting.
The inner pulp of shallots is dominated by a delicate structure, the taste does not have bitterness, but gives off sweet notes. Therefore, the plant is in most cases used for making fresh salads, as well as other fine dining. First of all, the plant is to be grown due to high quality greenery.
Shallots are well preserved for a long period of time.
Video: the secrets and features of shallots
Popular varieties of shallots
Shallots have their own varieties. There are a large number of them, and they differ in special groups: early ripening, mid-ripening and late ripening. Gardeners generalize shallots into 2 groups:
- ancient- varieties are distinguished that have different ripening periods. They can be either late harvest or early. Such an onion is distinguished by diverse shades of the upper husk. It is often represented by brown, red, yellow or purple hues of the skin. Such plants include Snowball, Miner, Albic, Earring, Star.
- bushes- an early ripening variety with many primordia. This type includes species with small and fairly densely spaced heads. The tone of the husk is dominated by yellow or pale yellow: Emerald, Guarantor, Airat, Guran, Banana.
Family bow subdivide by spiciness into semi-sweet, spicy and soft-sweet types.
Experienced gardeners distinguish among the many various kinds shallots most popular by maturity:
- early ripe- Belozerets, Vitamin, Emerald, Cascade, Family;
- mid-season- Andreika, Albik, Airat, Bonilla, Kuban;
- late varieties- Ural violet, Siberian amber, Vonsky, Krepysh, Bargalinsky.
How to plant shallots: rules and instructions
Shallots are grown in two stages - in the first year the plant produces only 4-5 small onions, but in the second year the number of heads in the nest can reach 10 or more. The main thing is to choose the right time for planting and soil. In addition, it is recommended to know what was planted on the selected site in previous years. It depends on the chosen place how quickly the plant will grow, and what growth will give.
The technology of growing shallots is practically indistinguishable from the rooting of onions, but in some nuances it has its own characteristics.
Important! Splinters have a rather capricious character. Heads are sensitive to daylight hours, as well as watering and placement. To obtain a quality harvest of shallots, it is important to follow all the recommendations for planting a plant.
When to plant family onions in open ground
Shallots can be planted both in spring and autumn, but planting onions before winter gives earlier greens, and harvesting occurs 2 weeks earlier.
In spring, shallots can be planted as early as early April, because. onions are not afraid of frost.
AT autumn days it is recommended to sow family onions in the middle or end of October. The optimal time for sowing shallots in the fall before winter is determined by the fact that from the moment of planting until the onset of a period of persistent frosts, about a month should pass so that it has time to take root, but preferably does not begin to grow.
According to the lunar calendar in 2019
The calendar, which includes the dates of the position of the moon in one phase or another, is a kind of cheat sheet for the gardener, since scientists have long proved the relationship between the growth and development of plants, depending on the movement of a celestial body.
According to the lunar calendar for 2019, auspicious days for planting shallots are:
- in March - 10-12, 15-17, 23-25, 27-30;
- in April - 2-9, 11-15, 24-27, 29, 30;
- in May - 1-4, 12-14, 21-23;
- in June - 9-11, 18-20;
- in July - 25-31;
- in August - there are no recommended favorable dates;
- in September - 17-19, 26, 27, 30;
- in October - 4-7, 15-17, 19-21, 23-25, 27;
- in November - 1-3.
It is not always possible to plant shallots precisely in a favorable period, however, there are days, according to the lunar calendar, when this is completely undesirable:
- in March - 6, 7, 21;
- in April - 5, 19;
- in May - 5, 19;
- in June - 3, 4, 17;
- in July - 2, 3, 17;
- in August - 15, 16, 30, 31;
- in September - 14, 15, 28, 29;
- in October - 14, 28;
- in November - 12, 13, 26, 27.
According to lunar calendar from the magazine "1000 tips for summer residents."
Choice of landing site
To get a quality crop, it is recommended to first select the optimal place for placing the onion. Shallot loves to grow in open sunny areas of the earth. For planting, soil with a non-acidic pH environment is suitable. Shallots need fertile soil with a neutral reaction. The soil needs to be light, loose and rich in nutrients.
Carefully! Acidic soil is not suitable for growing family onions. In such a situation, the feather quickly acquires a yellow tint, and the torch is crushed and loses all its taste.
Then it is better to plant
Shallots grow best after planting legumes, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage or tomatoes in the territory. This is due to the fact that these plants saturate the soil with nutrients and oxygen.
Carefully! You should not plant family onions in areas where sunflowers, carrots, corn, beets or garlic have existed for a long time. After these crops, the soil remains depleted with nutrients completely sucked out. After such placement, it is recommended to first enrich the soil with cow dung and minerals.
Onion sets can be grown both from bulbs and from seeds.
Growing from bulbs
Distance between rows depends on the size of the planting material: 20-30 cm for large bulbs, 15-18 cm for medium size; 8-10 cm - for very small ones. More often, onions should not be planted, because. the size of the future harvest depends on the area of nutrition. Before planting the bulbs, furrows about 5-6 cm deep are made in the beds, which spill well, but do not compact. The planting depth is about 6 cm, while the neck of the bulb should be 2-3 cm in the ground. A noticeable difference between the autumn and spring plantings of family onions is that the bulbs are planted a little deeper before winter.
To get bulbs it is better to use smaller planting material and plant shallots in early spring. But to get a pen larger bulbs should be planted in autumn (October).
Growing from seed
Before planting, seedlings are recommended to germinate. Seeds are pre-soaked in a warm liquid, wrapped in cotton cloth or gauze. It is recommended to cover the container with the seeds placed in it so that the moisture does not evaporate. In this state, the seedlings are kept for 24, and preferably 48 hours.
Before planting, the seeds of the family onion are pre-dried, only then they are scattered in the beds. 
The selected area is cleared of debris, grass. After that, they dig well and bring in last year's rotted compost from fallen leaves or cow dung. After digging, they begin to form grooves (exactly the same as when planting from bulbs). The sown seeds are added dropwise with earth (1 cm). If the layer is too thick, then the sprouts will not be able to break through.
Note! As a rule, shallots are planted precisely bulbs due to low seed germination.
Video: shallots - cultivation agricultural technology
Features of spring and autumn planting (before winter)
If the planting of shallots in open ground is carried out in the spring, then it is more expedient to carry it out in April or early May. At this time, the plant has time to get enough of a large amount of melt water. At the same time, the torch is not afraid of residual frosts, on the contrary, it grows stronger and gains protective forces.
Attention! When rooted in spring, the growth of splinters and feathers falls on the longest daylight hours.
You can also plant family onions in open ground in the fall. The procedure in this case is carried out in October. Weather conditions should be adjusted in such a way as to stimulate the onion to take root, but not to promote its growth. This implies that the landing should be made 30 days before the first sub-zero temperatures. Rooting for the plant is necessary due to the fact that the head in this form will winter better than when the onion has rhizomes. Splinters withstand a strong decrease in temperature - up to -20 C. But very often in the Middle Lane, in the Urals and in Siberia, during winter sowing, plantings freeze almost half, although they undergo natural stratification and increase their own susceptibility to diseases and pests. Therefore, planting shallots in autumn before winter is better in southern regions.
How to properly care
In order for the plant to grow strong, healthy, and most importantly, with excellent external and taste qualities, it is recommended to take good care of the shallots. To do this, it is worth watering, loosening and weeding, as well as timely fertilizing for family onions.
Watering, loosening and weeding
Watering plantings of shallots in the first time after sowing should be carried out often, in large enough volumes. When harvesting is planned, then 21-28 days before it starts, it will be correct to slowly reduce the introduction of nutrient moisture. This is necessary so that the feathers have time to acquire a yellow tone and dry completely. 
It is required to periodically loosen and weed between the bulbs in order for the plant to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen necessary for the development. Such an event is also necessary so that a dense crust does not form on the surface, which does not allow moisture to evenly flow to the plants. Periodic loosening should also be carried out in order to eliminate fast-growing weeds that clog useful plantings.
Fertilization
For one vegetative season, shallots, as a rule, are fed 2 times.
First Fertilization is carried out in the spring, when the first 3 feathers appear on the plant. In this case, shallots are used as top dressing. carbamide or urea, spreading 1 tbsp. for 1 bucket of water. To this consistency, it is recommended to additionally add 1/2 tbsp. l. potash fertilizer. 
Second top dressing for family onions is carried out when the 5th feather appears. During this period, the plant is vital phosphorus and potassium. For this, apply potassium monophosphate in the amount of 1 tsp. for 1 bucket of water.
Diseases and pests of shallots
Shallots can affect fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, peronosporosis or downy mildew, neck rot and fusarium wilt.
Of the pests, shallots are often attacked onion fly. Also on the bow can be found worms.
Can cause great harm to shallots onion nematode, which bends the bottom of the mother bulb.
Green shallots are still very fond of garden aphid.
When to harvest and how to store
The middle of July is mainly marked important event in the life cycle of a torch - a cut of a pen. The main thing is not to miss this time, otherwise, when harvesting shallots, you can provoke the growth of splinters and the development of green feathers in them.
Note! You can start harvesting shallots immediately after more than half of its feathers fall. It is the lodging of onion leaves that is the main sign of its full ripening, indicating the death of the roots at the bottom.
Harvesting of family onions is carried out by the same methods as for ordinary onions. It is dug up with a shovel, shaken and allowed to dry in the sun for a day. Only after complete drying is it worth breaking the nests into separate torches (or you can not break them).
To send the bulbs for storage, they need trim dry leaves, leaving only a thin neck 3-5 cm high.
Shallots are perfectly stored at a dry, slightly cool temperature, with which the bulbs retain all their qualities for 6-12 months.
You can store family onions in refrigerator (cleaned), because frozen shallots also retain their properties.
Thus, planting shallots in spring and autumn in open ground almost completely corresponds to onions. The main thing is that in order to obtain a high-quality harvest, one should adhere to the basic rules for growing and caring for family onions.
Video: shallots - a full cycle from planting to storage
In contact with
Most summer residents and gardeners prefer to have shallots on their plot, the cultivation of which even a beginner can do. Have you tried it? In my childhood, there was always a bowl with peeled small elongated onions on the table. Only the word "shallot" we did not know then. For us it was a magpie. We ate it with borscht, even just like that, with bread sprinkled with salt. Yummy! Not spicy at all, even slightly sweetish, juicy, does not cause tears. It is not in vain that its exquisite, soft, intolerant taste and aroma are held in high esteem among gourmets and culinary specialists. Let's look at how to properly plant, grow this useful vegetable, what conditions it prefers.
Photo of shallots:
Shallot, what is it? This is just one of the many types of onions. We call it differently: family, nesting, bushing, forty-toothed, bushy, Old Believers onion, etc. The name itself, as it were, hints at the main feature - multi-nesting (multi-germ). As I said, the name of the magpie is closer to me, as it is usually called in the Kuban.
In the preparation of various dishes, this vegetable can replace its onion counterpart, give them a new spicy flavor. The green feather of the magpie is also eaten. It grows even earlier than ordinary onion, more subtle and delicate in taste.
Shallots - description
In cooking, it can completely replace the usual onion, and many housewives like its small size. Green shallots are thinner and look great chopped in salads. Plus, the magpie quickly builds up green mass than the usual one. In addition to its small size (about 20 g), it has a slightly elongated shape, and the head itself resembles garlic in structure. According to the content of vitamins and useful components, the magpie is ahead of all its onion counterparts. It is tasty, healthy, has antibacterial properties, lowers cholesterol, enhances the body's resistance to various diseases.
Family shallots are perfectly preserved, do not lose their appearance and taste characteristics for a long time. It is a perennial plant, but is most often grown as a biennial on the site. Propagated by seeds and small bulbs (sevkom).
In the first year of life, the culture forms a "family" of 3-5 onions, and the next year it grows to 7-10 onions in one nest. The total weight of such a family can sometimes reach 0.5 kg, and the number of onions sometimes has up to 15 pieces. There are many varieties of magpie, they all have differences in shape and color. There are purple, white, brown, golden or red bulbs.
Not only because of the beneficial properties, summer residents plant it in their plots, but also for the sake of getting early greenery. Shrike not only grows greens faster, but ripens faster, and the pulp has a delicate juicy taste.
Depending on the variety, it can be sweet, spicy, peninsular, in terms of ripening - early, medium or late. All these features should be taken into account, giving preference to the subspecies planted in the garden.
Today, shallots are successfully cultivated in many countries: India, Greece, America, Asia and Europe, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia. It is widely used for making sauces, marinades, baked, caramelized, preserved, dried in thin slices, etc. Only a month after planting, the greens can be cut and used for food, and after 2 months the bulbs become ripe.
This is a frost-resistant crop; you can plant sevok even in early spring or before the onset of winter. Shrike is perfectly preserved even at room temperature, practically does not germinate, and when cut, most varieties do not cause lacrimation.
shallots from seeds
It is easiest to purchase seed material in the appropriate store, but you can also collect it yourself. Often this is associated with some difficulties, since the magpie rarely releases arrows. Experienced gardeners have their own methods for obtaining shallot seeds. The procedure is as follows:
- For planting, initially, the best bulbs should be selected, which were not stored for long (3-4 months) at a temperature of +3..+10°C.
- They need to be planted in the Kuban either in the February windows, or at the end of February / beginning of March; in central Russia - at the end of April / beginning of May. It is the reaction of the bulbs to the cold (vernalization) that will provoke the growth of flower arrows, from which it will subsequently be possible to obtain seed material.
- No other onion varieties should grow next to the magpie, in order to avoid cross-pollination. This point is very important for those who want to collect their seeds.
Shallots, photo:
If you are growing this culture through seedlings, then greenhouse, greenhouse or even room conditions are perfect for these purposes. First you need to prepare the soil and purchase cassettes for seedlings. The soil can be bought ready-made or take soddy soil mixed with humus (1: 1).
In a container for seedlings or a cassette, you need to pour soil, make small indentations or grooves, lay the shallot seeds (0.5 cm apart). Seeds can be mixed with clean river sand, they should be buried in the ground by 2-3 cm. After that, the seed should be sprinkled with the same soil mixture or peat, poured with water at room temperature.
Seedlings should be kept indoors with a temperature of +23..+25°C. After the first shoots appear, the temperature should be lowered to +10 .. + 13 ° C - for 3-4 days. The subsequent temperature regime for seedlings should be approximately +15..+18°C during the day and +6..+10°C at night.
Shallot seedlings, photo:
Watering should be done carefully and regularly (as the soil dries out). Avoid waterlogging the soil - this is detrimental to seedlings.
After your magpie grows up and gets stronger, another stage begins - thinning. It is necessary to leave the strongest specimens, which should be located at a distance of 2-2.5 cm from each other. Before young plants are transferred to the beds, they can be fed a couple of times with a “cocktail” of urea (5 g), superphosphate (10 d), potassium chloride (2-3 g). A mixture of these fertilizers must first be dissolved with 5 liters of water, water the seedlings.
About 10 days before planting shallots in open ground, the container with young livestock should be moved to a cooler room with good ventilation. At this stage, it is good to periodically take the plants out into the open air (balcony or outside) - harden them. The volume of water during irrigation should be reduced. By this time, the onion usually already has three or four green feathers; by the beginning or second week of May, it can be transplanted into open ground.
In order for a healthy and strong magpie to grow on your site, young livestock should be planted in pre-fertilized soil.
Shrike in the beds, photo:
Loose fertile soil with neutral acidity (6-7 pH) should prevail in the place allocated for the shrike. On the ground you need to make furrows where the plants will be placed. If you wish, you can dilute clay with cow dung in water. The roots should be dipped in this solution before being buried in the soil. The interval between the bulbs should be approximately 5 cm. The beds themselves should be located at a distance of 20 cm from each other - these are the optimal parameters for this crop. After planting, it is better to loosen the aisle.
What Shallots Like:
- He prefers sunny areas, lack of shade.
- The soil should never be acidic!
- If in your dacha the soil lies close to the upper layers of the soil, then you can plant a magpie only after ensuring reliable drainage.
- It is better not to grow shallots in the same place for more than 3 years in a row.
- Consider the crops that grew on the site before planting the magpie. It can be planted after potatoes, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers and all varieties of cabbage. If before that garlic or beets grew there, as well as sunflowers or corn, then it is better to choose another place.
- Shallots coexist well with green salad, radishes, strawberries, and if you plant carrots nearby, then the magpie will drive away the carrot fly with its smell. Carrots, with their aroma, will scare away the onion fly.
- It is undesirable to plant next to shallots green pea or beans, as well as spinach, parsley or dill, as their company negatively affects him.
After the magpie is planted, further care for it consists in regular loosening of the soil, watering and removing weeds. In May, the beds can be fertilized with nitrogen-containing dressings or manure diluted with water. After 3-4 weeks, you can re-feed the plants with potassium salt with ammonium nitrate. After 25 days, you can cut the first greens, the bulbs themselves will ripen around the end of July. In the first year of life, the magpie forms small "nests" from seeds, consisting of 3-4 small onions. They are harvested, dried and used as seed for the next season.
Shallots from sevka - care, planting, protection from diseases
Now let's look at the usual cultivation of shallots - with the help of sets (small onions). First of all, the seed must be healthy, attractive in appearance, without any damage or deterioration. In general, the larger the planted bulb, the more it will give greenery and child small onions.
For prevention, in order to insure against powdery mildew disease of the crop, it is recommended to warm up all planting material for 6-7 hours at a temperature of + 40 ° C (for example, spread it around the radiator). The plot of land must be dug up, preferably fertilized with humus (approximately 5 kg per 1 m²). It is necessary to form beds, leaving a distance of 20-25 cm between them. After the earth warms up to + 5 ° C by the rays of the sun, a magpie can be planted.
You will get larger specimens if the sevok is buried in cool soil - confirmed by experienced gardeners. Each bulb should be planted about 3 or 4 cm into the soil.
Subsequent care consists in regular watering of the beds (but not waterlogging of the soil), especially during the growing season. Weeding, weed removal, soil fluffing are mandatory and familiar procedures for all gardeners. When the first green sprouts appear, it can be fed with nitrogen fertilizers or manure.
At the stage of bulb formation, potash additives, wood ash and poultry droppings will not interfere. To get a large vegetable, the beds will have to be thinned out. By the last weeks of July, you can harvest.
In general, this crop can be grown not only in the beds, but also at home on the windowsill, on the balcony or loggia, it also grows well. If you decide to plant a magpie at home, then it is better to do this in the last weeks of February. Thus, after 30 days you will be able to collect the first greens. By the way, the bulb can be "forced" to repeat its purpose - to get it out of the ground, cut off a half, and then plant it again. After 30 days, you will receive new fresh greens at home again.
Shallot at home, photo:
As mentioned above, at the site, the magpie is planted in the Kuban either in the February windows, or at the end of February / beginning of March; in central Russia - at the end of April / beginning of May. And if autumn planting is planned, then it is preferable to do this in mid-late November (Kuban) or in the last weeks of October (central Russia).
This is a cold-resistant crop, but for planting before winter it is better to choose winter-hardy varieties: Krepysh, Siberian Yellow, Garant, Albik, SIR-7.
Podzimnaya landing gives good result only in the southern regions of Russia, because in the middle lane about half of the bulbs freeze out. As for the northern regions, the losses can be significant, so you need to think more than once whether it is worth the risk.
Shrike can get downy mildew (downy mildew) if rainy weather dragged on for a long time. To prevent this from happening, the soil in the beds must be treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid - this is a fairly effective prevention against this disease.
Shallots - varieties
Early ripe varieties
Emerald- has a slightly spicy flavor, the bulbs are round, weight about 16-22 g, the husk has a brownish-pink hue. A very productive variety, in a cool room it can be stored for quite a long time.
Belozerets 94 - has a pronounced pungent taste, but without bitterness. It performs well in the southern regions, as it belongs to drought-resistant varieties. The weight of the bulb can reach 30 g.
Cascade- forms wide ovoid bulbs, one nest usually consists of 5 or 6 bulbs, 30-35 g each. The husk is pinkish in color, the flesh is juicy, with a sharp taste. It also has good staying power.
vitamin- forms nests of 8-10 bulbs, each of which weighs up to 30 g. 3 weeks after planting, you can already cut off the green feather. The husk has a golden hue, the pulp has a juicy, spicy aftertaste.
Sprint- the nest has from 5 to 10 onions, each of which can reach 40 g. A very productive variety, resistant to downy mildew (peronosporosis). Zoned for the North Caucasus.
Family- forms a nest of 2-4 onions, each of which weighs 15-25 g. A snow-white vegetable is hidden under the purple husk. Very resistant to diseases, practically not affected by them.
SIR-7- high-yielding variety with a sharp spicy taste. From 4 to 7 onions grow in the nest, each of which weighs 25-30 g. It has a long shelf life.
Varieties are mid-season
Earring- one of the most productive varieties, forms rounded golden onions, each of which weighs from 20 to 40 g. 5-10 pieces ripen in the nest. It is characterized by excellent keeping quality, resistant to rot.
Sophocles- again, a very productive variety, forms reddish-brown onions with juicy semi-sharp flesh of a pale purple hue. 4-7 bulbs ripen in the nest, each of which weighs 25-50 g. It can be stored for a long time, resistant to rot and thrips.
Uralsky-40- elongated oval bulbs weigh from 50 to 100 g each, 3-5 pieces are formed in the nest. Grows in any region, has good keeping quality.
Chapaevsky- has round or flat, rounded bulbs with a semi-sharp taste. The husk is purple, with a pinkish tint, resistant to peronosporosis, very easy, productive variety. Great for the Chernozem region (Central Black Earth region).
Albic- forms elongated onions weighing 20-30 g each. 4-8 pieces ripen in the nest, a high-yielding variety that can be planted before winter.
Russian Purple- can have both semi-sharp and sweet taste. The color of the husk is purple-brownish, inside the vegetable is pinkish, juicy. Forms round onions (sometimes flat), from 25 to 40 g each. The nest is large, can have up to 15 bulbs, high-yielding cultivar.
Kuban yellow D-322- is characterized by a semi-sharp taste, has a yellowish-brown husk and a white, slightly greenish hue of the peeled vegetable. The variety is resistant to heat and drought, each onion weighs 25-30 g, 3 or 4 pieces are formed in the nest. It is optimal for cultivation in the south of Russia and for the Lower Volga region.
Varieties late-ripening
Siberian amber- with a sharp taste, grows well in any region, forms round or flat onions with a bronzed husk. 5-7 bulbs ripen in the nest, each of which weighs 25-30 g.
Vonsky- very resistant to diseases and pest attacks, grows in any conditions, even adverse ones. Each bulb weighs 30-60 g, 3-4 pieces ripen in the nest. The husk of this variety is red, the vegetable itself is white, with a slightly purple tint, juicy, has a semi-sharp spicy taste.
Bargalinsky (or Marneulsky)- onions of this variety have an oval elongated shape, each weighs from 50 to 90 g, 4-7 onions ripen in the nest. Husk with a yellowish-pink color, peeled vegetable - white. It reproduces well by seed, has a high yield.
burly- forms from 4 to 7 onions in the nest, each of them weighs 25-55 g. The husk is pinkish in color, the core is reddish, with a semi-sharp taste. The grade is steady against decay, differs in good keeping quality.
It is clear that it is not possible to describe all varieties of shallots, I have mentioned the main qualities of the most popular representatives of this culture. Almost all varieties are well and long preserved without loss of taste, as well as appearance.
The key to long-term storage is proper harvesting. When ripe bulbous nests are removed from the ground, they are disassembled into separate fragments (onions) and dried in the same place, in the beds. If the weather is good, then they stay there for several days, after which they go to dry out under some kind of canopy (on fresh air). After drying, the onion is placed in wooden or cardboard containers and transferred to a dry basement.
He has mass positive qualities, moreover, it can be eaten by people with gastrointestinal diseases, in which ordinary onion is prohibited for use.
Plant shallots in your dacha, the cultivation of which, as you can see, does not present any difficulties. This is an onion aristocrat, delicate, with a delicate taste, without a pronounced onion smell.
