Quarantine leek, grown from seeds

Not a single vegetable garden is complete without planting fragrant and vitamin-rich greens: dill, parsley, batun or other onion.

Not so long ago, summer residents and gardeners began to cultivate the Karantansky leek, the cultivation of which from the seeds is possible in two ways: by seeds or through seedlings. We will find out in which cases it is better to grow an onion by direct planting of seeds in the ground, and in which only after receiving seedlings.

Leek Karantansky, a brief description

This variety is distinguished by its late ripening, since its vegetative period lasts at least six months. But its tasty and healthy greens can be cut until the very frost.

Carantan leek acquires powerful thick stems, covered with a waxy coating, and dense green leaves tightly attached to the base. The bulbs of this variety are medium-sized, but dense. One plant is about 0.3 kg, due to which a square meter of planting gives up to 4 kg of product.

Onion is added to fresh salads, stewed and fried (after heat treatment, the bitter taste is replaced by a sweetish one).
With a delicate, slightly pungent aroma and many beneficial micronutrients, leeks are great for people with healthy lifestyles and diets.

In the southern regions, where spring comes early and the climate is mild, leeks are grown directly from seeds, sown in open ground. But in most regions, the climatic conditions of which are unpredictable or cool, it is better to choose another method: growing the Karantansky leek through seedlings.

Planting onion seeds for seedlings

We sow seeds in seedling containers three months before planting seedlings in the ground - in early March:

We soak the achenes for three days in warm water, the temperature of which does not exceed 50 ° C. We change the water daily. Thanks to soaking, onion seeds "wake up" faster and hatch.
We treat the achenes with any fungicides, diluting them according to the instructions: they will protect the onion from pests and diseases.
We fill the seedling containers with a light fertile substrate, for example, purchased from a garden store.
Water the soil with warm water and make grooves no more than 2 cm deep.
We sow the prepared seeds every centimeter, lightly sprinkle with earth and cover the boxes with foil: you will get a small greenhouse.

We remove the containers in a warm place and open the film a couple of times every day for 15 minutes, otherwise the soil will become moldy.

Care for seedlings of Karantan onion

After the first onion sprouts appear, we remove the film, place the boxes on sunny windowsills and provide the plants with proper care.

Heat... Onion sprouts are afraid of drafts and cold places, so the windowsill should be warm. When it is necessary to ventilate the room, we remove the boxes from the window sill and return them to their place only when it becomes warm again.
Moisturizing... We water the onion as the soil dries up, preventing it from drying out and waterlogging, and regularly spray it with a spray bottle.
Fertilizer... We fertilize it twice during the growth of the seedlings: a week after most of the seeds germinate, and three weeks after the first feeding. Water the soil with a mixture of 2.5 g of potassium chloride, 5 g of urea and 10 g of superphosphate, diluted in 5 liters of water.
Dive... To accelerate growth and development, we dive the seedlings after the appearance of 4 true leaves on each sprout and increase the stem diameter to 7 mm. We spill the substrate with water, carefully take out each sprout with a teaspoon and transplant it into a separate pot.

It is equally important to provide the onion with good lighting: if the weather is cloudy, we highlight the seedlings with phytolamps.

Growing Karantansky leek after planting seedlings

Planting onion seedlings in the garden

About three months later, when it is warm and the threat of frost has passed, we plant onion seedlings in open ground:

We choose a sunny, well-ventilated place with fertile soil, on which carrots, garlic, onions and cucumbers have not grown before. It is best to use the site after growing legumes, herbs, tomatoes and cabbage.
Digging up the site, flavored with humus.
We form the beds and cut grooves in them with row spacing of 25 cm.The depth of the furrows is 15 cm.
We put some ash and humus (peat) in them.
We plant onion seedlings every 10-15 cm.

If the time of frost has passed quite recently, we cover the plantings with a film or other covering material until constant warm weather is established.

How to care for leeks

Caring for the Karantan leek, obtained by growing seedlings from seeds, consists in the following procedures:

Weeding and loosening... We regularly weed ridges and loosen the aisles to provide the roots with fresh air.
Watering... We water the seedlings on time, avoiding stagnation of water in the ridges. It is better to water the leeks in the morning or in the evening, and do not allow watering in the heat, otherwise the water will burn the delicate feather, and the temperature drops that the foliage and root system will undergo will weaken the plants.
Hilling and feeding... We huddle the onion three times a season, pouring a mixture of equal parts of wilted grass, dried manure and mulched straw under each plant.

These treatments promote large stem formation and provide the onion with micronutrients.

Now it is clear that the Karantansky leek, which can be grown from seeds using two technologies: directly or through seedlings, does not require complex care and gives large yields. The main thing is to remove it in time, before severe frosts come, and if it remains before winter, it must be mulched by mixing sawdust, dry manure, hay and peat.