- Soil preparation:
The onion adapts to all soils, but prefers light, fertile soil, rich in humus. It is advisable to have good sun exposure.
Just like garlic and shallots, onion is afraid of fresh manure, it is also sensitive to the acidity of the soil.
- Culture:
The white onion is sown in August or September in rows spaced 30 cm apart, 1 cm deep. It is necessary to lead and water with a thin apple until the emergence or until the bulbs form. The lifting is done in about ten days.
When they reach 20 cm, transplant the plants, after dressing, at good exposure at a depth of 3 cm and 10 cm apart.For onion intended for preservation, it is advisable to wait until the end of the extreme cold winter to sow, approximately in March.
The seeds should be covered with about 1 cm of soil, and spaced apart.
The method of harvesting remains the same as that of white onion.
- The harvest:
For summer varieties, harvesting takes place between April and June, letting them dry on the ground outside for 1-2 days, and then storing them in a dry, ventilated place.
The storage of summer onions is limited to only a few months.For winter varieties, the harvest takes place from July to September. It is best to pull out in dry weather when the leaves are dry. Be careful to always store them in a dry and ventilated place, in shelves or stored on the floor.
- Insects and diseases
The fly plays a harmful role because its larva, appearing between mid-April and the end of May, eats the heart of the pods, rotting thereafter.
To remedy this problem, it is necessary to water 3 times a week with a decoction of tansy during the aforementioned period, as well as tear and burn contaminated plans, since the larvae move throughout the crop.
The larvae of the moth appear in May and attack the stems of the plant in May and June. To solve this, it is necessary during the month of May to spray 2 times a week with an infusion of tansy.
Onion downy mildew is caused by Peronospora destructor, an airogenic fungus. This disease may not be as common as leaf blight, but when conditions are right for it to spread, late blight can destroy an onion crop in no time.