Carmen onion variety
The Carmen bow brought from Holland is often called the Red Carmen bow, or red, because of its color. It is one of the main ingredients in salads and main dishes.
Bow Carmen
About the Carmen variety
The Carmen onion, which appeared several years ago among Dutch gardeners-breeders, fell in love with many consumers due to its excellent taste, and agricultural technicians - because of the ability to grow it without much effort.
Red onion of the Carmen variety is classified as a mid-season agricultural crop, which yields a harvest after 2.5-3 months. It is grown from seed or seed. If you plant such a variety of onions with sprouted seedlings in open ground, then the ripening period of the plant can be reduced to 1.5 months. This characteristic has become one of the reasons why gardeners in the southern regions choose it for growing: they collect 2, sometimes 3 onion crops in one agricultural season.
Pickled Carmen onions are often used as a ready-made snack for meat dishes.
Agrarians of the central and northern regions of Russia note that if you follow the rules of cultivation, Carmen onion sets can be germinated and harvested from it in less warm climatic conditions, even with a lack of sunlight.
Descriptive characteristics
The description of the variety tells what the onion looks like, paying attention to its distinctive features, which are primarily associated with color. The photo immediately shows that the onion scales stand out in red with a brown tint, and the bright white flesh of the vegetable is pierced with purple stripes.
For the purple color of the onion pulp, the described onion fell in love with housewives, who prefer to decorate their ready-made dishes with bright rings.
In addition to the fact that the vegetable has such a specific color, the description of the variety includes other characteristics of the culture:
- a round, slightly flattened bulb grows up to 80 g in weight, but some gardeners can boast of larger turnip sizes: up to 120 g, with juicy fibers,
- onion greens grow about 0.3 m long,
- the taste of onions is mild, without the harsh bitterness characteristic of onions.
The content of a large amount of sugar makes it possible to use Red onions both fresh and after heat treatment. With the creation and observance of proper storage conditions, the vegetable can be stored for at least 7-8 months without being damaged by rot.
Yield indicators and growing conditions
For the red onion variety Carmen, reviews of gardeners note high productivity rates. The experience of farmers from the southern Russian regions shows that from 1 sq. m of the garden, it gives a yield of 2-3 kg. At the same time, in other, less favorable climatic conditions for cultivation, the variety is capable of producing a crop, but its amount is noticeably reduced.
In order to ensure the harvest of red onions of the Carmen variety at the onset of autumn, professional farmers advise to properly prepare the soil for planting it, which must be started even before the onset of the winter period.For planting a culture, a place is selected where the sun's rays fall as much and as long as possible, warming the earth.
The description of the Carmen variety indicates that he is very fond of ultraviolet light. With a lack of sunlight, the plant begins to suffer from fungal diseases.
For planting this species, it is recommended to choose the garden where tomatoes, legumes, potatoes or cucumbers were planted before. The devastated soil from other garden crops for growing onions is less favorable. Attention should also be paid to the indicators of soil acidity, since over-acidified soil reduces the amount of yield and leads to the appearance of various plant diseases.
To reduce the acidity of the soil, so that the Red onion variety takes root in the garden and gives a crop, they use a method such as liming.
In the autumn period, to prepare the land for the subsequent spring planting of onion sets, organic fertilizers and minerals are applied, which will later become a top dressing for the vegetable crop. When warmth comes, before planting onions, the soil is dug up and treated with copper sulfate.
For planting a garden crop, the Red variety seedlings, like any other seed, are rejected for blackened bulbs, rot and soft turnips. The selected set is warmed up a couple of days before planting.
Subtleties of care
The description of the Carmen variety suggests that the onion crop must be immune to many plant infections and fungal diseases. However, this does not mean at all that there is no need to prepare the soil and planting material for onions. Sevok is soaked in special active solutions that prevent contamination of the garden culture. The effect of such preparations extends for a period of approximately 120 days, which makes it possible to grow vegetables during this period.
Sowing the variety is recommended to be carried out in warm soil when the temperature of the soil layer reaches 15-16 ° C. In the southern regions, this occurs in the spring months: April - early May. In the event of morning frost, the planted Carmen onions are covered with a protective film.
The description of the Carmen onion variety contains information that in order to ensure a good harvest, it is recommended to regularly loosen the soil, while removing weeds that absorb minerals from the soil. Facilitates growing vegetables and caring for mulching. Water the planted onions when the soil dries out so that the water does not stagnate. Fertilization of the soil is carried out at least 3 times during the harvest season.
Overfed seedlings during growth will lead to the fact that future vegetables will lose their keeping quality.
Onions can be affected by 50 types of various diseases, fungi and microorganisms. To avoid problems with growing and leaving, gardeners recommend:
- do not take material for planting seeds from places where frequent cases of vegetation diseases have been recorded,
- to cultivate the land and tools before the planting process,
- use insecticides and drugs to fight infections and parasites.
Vegetables harvested in late summer - early autumn are dried in the open air in the sun, after which they are placed in winter storage. Store vegetables in dry rooms with a moisture content of no more than 70%. Reviews of some summer residents are advised, before putting the onion for storage, process it with chalk at the rate of 20 g per 1 kg of vegetables. Drying at a temperature of at least 35 ° C helps to disinfect from the appearance of a tick.
In any case, whether it is a vegetable on the table or for harvesting seeds for next year, red onions are an excellent choice that can satisfy even the most demanding taste.