Most summer residents and gardeners prefer to have shallots in their area, the cultivation of which is possible even for a beginner. Have you tried it? In my childhood, on the table there was always a bowl with peeled not large elongated bulbs. Only the words "shallot" we did not know then. For us it was a shrew. We ate shallots with borsch, even just like that, with bread sprinkled with salt. Goodies! Absolutely not sharp, even slightly sweet, juicy, does not cause tears. No wonder its exquisite, soft, non-tart taste and aroma of shallots are held in high esteem among gourmets and culinary specialists. Let's look at how to plant, grow this healthy vegetable, what conditions he prefers.
Photo of shallots:
Shallots what is it
This is just one of the many types of onions. We call it differently: family, nesting, shrub, shrew, shrubbery, old believer's bow, etc. The name itself, as it were, alludes to the main feature - multi-nesting (multi-nucleation). To me, as I have already said, the name of the shrew is closer, as they usually call it in the Kuban.
In the preparation of various dishes, this vegetable can replace its onion counterpart, give them a new spicy flavor. The green shrike feather is also eaten. It grows even earlier than ordinary onion, more delicate and delicate in taste.
Shallot, garden crop description
In cooking, it can completely replace the usual onion, and its small size is to the liking of many housewives. Shallot green feathers are thinner, look great in sliced form in salads. Plus, the shriek builds green mass faster than normal. 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 shrew is ahead of all its onion counterparts. It is tasty, healthy, has antibacterial qualities, lowers cholesterol, and strengthens the body's resistance to various diseases.
Onions shallots family perfectly preserved, does not lose its appearance and taste characteristics for a long time. It is a perennial plant, but on the site is most often grown as a biennial. Propagated by seeds and small bulbs (sowing).
In the first year of life, culture forms a "family" of 3-5 onions, and the next year 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 totals up to 15 pieces. There are a lot of varietal shrews, all of them have differences in shape and color. There are purple, white, brown, golden or red bulbs.
Not only because of its beneficial properties, gardeners plant it in their own plots, but also for the sake of getting early greenery. The shrike not only grows greens faster, but ripens faster, and the flesh has a delicate juicy taste.
Depending on the variety, it can be sweet, islandy, 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, it is baked, caramelized, canned, dried with thin plates, etc. Only a month after planting, the greens can be cut off and used for food, and after 2 months the bulbs become ripe.
It is a frost-resistant crop; you can plant sowing even in early spring or before winter. The shrew persists perfectly even at room temperature, practically does not germinate, and when sliced, most varieties do not cause lacrimation.
Onion shallots
It is easiest to purchase seed in the appropriate store, but you can also collect it yourself. Often this is fraught with some difficulties, as the shrew rarely releases arrows. Seasoned gardeners have their own methods for obtaining shallot seeds. The procedure is as follows:
- For planting, you should initially select the best onions that were stored for a short time (3-4 months) at a temperature of +3 .. + 10 ° C.
- They need to be planted in the Kuban or in the February windows, or in late February / early March; in central Russia - at the end of April / beginning of May. It is the reaction of the onions to the cold (vernalization) that will provoke the growth of flower arrows, from which later it will be possible to obtain seed material.
- No other onion varieties should be grown next to the shrubbery to avoid over-pollination. This item is very important for those who want to collect their seeds.
Shallot, photo:
If you grow this culture through seedlings, then greenhouse, greenhouse or even indoor conditions are perfect for these purposes. First you need to prepare the soil and purchase cassettes for seedlings. Soil can be bought ready-made or take turf soil mixed with humus (1: 1).
In a container for seedlings or cassettes, you need to pour soil, make small indentations or grooves, put 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 this, the seed should be sprinkled with the same soil mixture or peat, pour 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.
Seedlings of shallots, photo:
Watering should be done carefully and regularly (as the soil dries up). Do not allow waterlogging of the soil - this is detrimental to seedlings.
After your shrew grows 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. Before the young plants are transferred to the beds, they can be fed a couple of times with a “cocktail” of urea (5 g), superphosphate (10 g), potassium chloride (2-3 g). A mixture of these fertilizers must first be dissolved with 5 liters of water, pour seedlings.
Somewhere 10 days before the shallots are planted in open ground, a container with a young livestock needs to be transferred to a cooler room with good ventilation. At this stage, it is good to periodically take plants out into the open air (balcony or outside) - to temper them. Water volumes during irrigation should be reduced. By this time, onions usually already have three or four green feathers, by the beginning or second week of May it can be transplanted into the open ground.
In order for your healthy and strong shrew to grow on your site, young stock should be planted in pre-fertilized soil.
Shrubber in the beds, photo:
A loose fertile soil with neutral acidity (6-7 pH) should prevail in the area allocated for the shrub. On the ground, you need to make furrows where the plants will be placed. If you wish, you can breed clay with cow dung in water. Roots should be dipped in this solution before deepening into 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 optimal parameters for this crop. After planting the aisle, it is better to loosen it.
What likes shallots:
- He prefers sunlit areas, lack of shade.
- The soil should never be acidic!
- If in your country house soil runs close to the upper layers of the soil, then you can plant a shrew if only after ensuring reliable drainage.
- It is better not to grow shallots in the same place for more than 3 consecutive years.
- Take into account the cultures that grew on the site before planting a shrew. It can be planted after potatoes, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers and all varieties of cabbage. If before that there was growing garlic or beets, as well as sunflowers or corn, it is better to choose another place.
- Shallot adjoins well with green salad, radish, strawberries, and if you plant carrots nearby, then the shrew will scare away the carrot fly with its smell. Carrots with their aroma will scare away the onion fly.
- It is undesirable to plant green peas or beans along with shallots, as well as spinach, parsley or dill, as their company negatively affects it.
After the shrub has been 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 fertilizers or manure diluted with water. After 3-4 weeks, you can re-energize the plants with potassium salt with ammonium nitrate. After 25 days, you can cut off the first greens, the bulbs themselves will ripen around the end of July. In the first year of life, the shrew from the seeds forms small "nests", consisting of 3-4 small bulbs. They are collected, dried and used as seed for the next season.
Shallot from sevka - care, planting, protection against diseases
And now let's look at the usual shallot growing - with the help of sevka (small onions). First of all, the seed should be healthy, attractive in appearance, without any damage or spoilage. In general, the larger the planted bulb, the more it will produce greenery and daughter small onions.
For prophylaxis, to insure against powdery mildew, it is recommended to warm up all planting material for 6-7 hours at a temperature of + 40 ° C (for example, lay out in the vicinity of a heating battery). The land should be dug up, preferably fertilized with humus (about 5 kg per 1 m²). It is necessary to form the beds, leaving a distance of 20-25 cm between them. After the earth warms up with the sun's rays to + 5 ° C, you can plant a shrew.
You will get larger specimens if the plant is buried in cool soil - confirmed by experienced gardeners. Each bulb should be placed in the soil about 3 or 4 cm.
Subsequent care consists of regular watering of the beds (but not waterlogging of the soil), especially during the vegetation phase. Weeding, weed removal, soil cultivation are mandatory and familiar to all gardeners. When the first green shoots appear, it can be fed with nitrogen fertilizers or manure.
At the stage of bulb formation, potassium supplements, wood ash and poultry droppings will not interfere. To get a large vegetable, beds need to be thinned out. By the last weeks of July you can harvest.
In general, this culture 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 shrew at home, then it is better to do this in the last weeks of February. Thus, after 30 days you can already collect the first greens. By the way, the bulb can be “forced” to repeat its mission - to get it out of the ground, cut off half, and then plant it again. After 30 days, you will again receive new fresh greens at home.
Shallot home, photo:
As already mentioned above, in the area, the shrew is planted in the Kuban or in the February windows, or in late February / early March; in central Russia - at the end of April / beginning of May. And if an autumn landing is planned, then it is preferable to do this in the middle-end of November (Kuban) or in the last weeks of October (middle zone of Russia).
It 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”.
Winter planting gives good results only in the southern regions of Russia, because in the middle lane, about half of the bulbs freeze. As for the northern regions, the losses can be significant, so you need to think more than once whether it is worth the risk.
How to grow shallots and protect it from pests? The issue is relevant, despite the fact that this species is rarely sick. If you suddenly notice a deterioration in the appearance of the shrew, then check to see if the onion fly has visited your garden. This parasite is especially active in the heat and, judging by the name, loves onions very much. If this is a consequence of the activity of the onion flies, then immediately remove all damaged plants, and treat the rest with an insecticide (Diazinon, Imidacloprid, Metomil, Thiamethoxam). Ground red pepper, crushed bitter wormwood, tobacco powder - natural “odorous” substances are very good for prevention.
A shrew can get sick with peronosporosis (downy mildew) if rainy weather drags on for a long time. To avoid this, the soil on the beds needs to be treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid - this is a pretty effective prevention against this disease.
Shallot - varieties
Early ripe varieties
If we consider shallots according to the categories of ripeness, then the following varieties can be attributed to early ripening:
Emerald - has a slightly island flavor, bulbs are round, weight is about 16-22 g, the husk has a brownish-pink hue. Very productive variety, in a cool room can be stored for quite some time.
Belozerets 94 - has a pronounced pungent taste, but without bitterness. It works well in the southern regions, as it belongs to drought tolerant varieties. Bulb weight can reach 30 g.
Cascade - forms wide ovoid bulbs, one nest usually consists of 5 or 6 onions, 30-35 g each. The husk is pinkish, the flesh is juicy, with a sharp taste. It also has a good keeping quality.
Vitamin - forms nests of 8-10 bulbs, each of which weighs up to 30 g. After 3 weeks after planting, you can already cut a green feather. The husk has a golden hue, the pulp has a juicy, spicy flavor.
Sprint - the nest has from 5 to 10 bulbs, each of which can reach 40 g. Very productive varietal species, 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 a purple husk. Very resistant to diseases, practically not affected by them.
SIR-7 - a high-yielding variety with a sharp spicy taste. From 4 to 7 onions grows in a nest, each of which weighs 25-30 g. It has a long shelf life.
Mid-season varieties
Earring - one of the most productive varietal species, 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 peninsular 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.
Ural-40 - elongated oval bulbs weigh from 50 to 100 g each, 3-5 pieces are formed in the nest. It grows in any region, has good keeping quality.
Chapaevsky - has round or flat rounded bulbs with a semi-acute flavor. The husk is purple, with a pinkish tint, resistant to peronosporosis, a very light, productive variety. Great for the Black Earth Region (Central Black Earth Region).
Albik - 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 Violet - It can have both a 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, a high-yielding varietal species.
Kuban yellow D-322 - characterized by a semi-acute taste, has a tan husk and a white, slightly greenish hue of 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. Optimum for cultivation in the south of Russia and for the Lower Volga region.
Late ripe varieties
Siberian Amber - with an island flavor, grows well in any region, forms round or flat onions with a bronze tint of 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 unfavorable. 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.
Bargali (or Marneuli) - onions of this variety have an oval elongated shape, each weighs from 50 to 90 g, 4-7 onions ripen in the nest. Yellow-pink husk, peeled vegetable white. It reproduces well by seed method, has a high yield.
Fortress - 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 variety is resistant to rot, has a good keeping quality.
It is clear that it is not possible to describe all varieties of shallots, I mentioned the main qualities of the most popular representatives of this culture. Almost all varieties are well and long stored without loss of taste, as well as appearance.
The key to long-term storage is proper harvesting. When the ripened bulbous nests are removed from the soil, they are disassembled into separate fragments (onions) and dried there, on the beds. If the weather is good, then they stay there for several days, after which they are sent for drying out under some kind of canopy (in the open air). After drying, the onion is placed in wooden or cardboard containers and transferred to a dry basement.
He has a lot of positive qualities, moreover, it can be eaten by people with gastrointestinal diseases, in which ordinary onions are prohibited.
Plant and shallot in your country house, the cultivation of which, as you see, does not present any difficulties. This is an onion aristocrat, delicate, with a delicate taste, without a pronounced onion smell.