How to grow allspice from seeds?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

A little-known culture is gaining popularity - fragrant onions. The names that it has received during its existence to some extent characterize its features. It is called mountain, wild, onion grass and garlic onion.

The birthplace of the wild onion

Onion grass originates in China. For thousands of years, wild garlic has covered meadows and fells. His favorite places were dry river valleys and rocky soils. Over time, it spread to Asia and became known in Mongolia, Japan, India and Thailand. Now the cultivation of garlic onions is gaining momentum in Russia.

External Description

Fragrant onion, or Chinese garlic, represents the Liliaceae family, which, in turn, belong to the Onion family.

The feathers of the mountain plant are thin and long. Unlike an ordinary onion, which has a tubular shape of above-ground organs, in a wild one they are flat. Green color varies from light to dark shades. A miniature bulb in diameter reaches 2 cm.

Bushes 40 cm long grow over the years. In the first season, about 6 shooters appear. In subsequentyears, the mother bulb is surrounded by many formed "babies", and thus the plant begins to bush.

On the 2nd year, the onion grass throws out an arrow with a unique ball. It consists of many small flowers that exude a pleasant aroma. From this follows the name "fragrant".

Some grow wild garlic in flowerbeds and it looks pretty good. This can be judged by the photo of the fragrant onion. It is also planted along borders and in hanging pots.

Growing methods

There are 2 methods of growing wild garlic.

Vegetative. Overgrown bushes are divided into separate seedlings with bulbs and planted around the site. This can be done at any time of the year, except for winter, and harvest the same year. This method is practiced in small areas.

Seed. The collected seeds are sown in the ground, and the crop is harvested the next year. This method is preferred, for the reason that planting small bushes is too painstaking work. In particular, it is used for mass cultivation of culture. Next, we will talk about growing fragrant onions from seeds.

How seeding works

You can plant seeds in three stages: early spring, early summer and closer to winter. To speed up seedlings, seeds can be germinated.

Feathers appear after 15-30 days. After planting in the autumn, the onion will sprout in the spring, and this is natural.

Earlysowing benefits are much greater. First, the germination process is much faster. Secondly, the seeds and seedlings are saturated with moisture, and the bulbs will be large and juicy. In addition, feathers do not require special care. Spring growing eliminates the need for regular watering and weed control.

The row spacing is left at about 30 cm. The seeds are deepened by 2 cm. 2 kg of seeds are sown per 1 square meter.

If annual sowing of seeds is not planned, then allspice can be left for 5 years in one place.

Proper care

Since a wild plant cannot be whimsical, it will not be difficult to care for it. However, it is possible to increase the size of the bulb and the meatiness of the feathers. The following recommendations will help with this:

• Fertilizers are applied after the seeds have been sown. Ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride are diluted in equal proportions with water (according to standard norms) and the planted area is watered. The mineral complex can be replaced with organic fertilizers.
• As soon as the feathers appear a little, the seedlings should be thinned out.
• The plant does not need too frequent watering, but after each moistening it is necessary to loosen the ground.
• Regular weeding will give a good result when growing sweet onions from seeds. A savory variety will look he althy and appetizing if it is not oppressed by weeds.
• When the feathers are cut in time, Chinese garlic produces a crop several times a season.
• Planting needs to be adjusted annually. Otherwise, the onion will grow throughout the garden. The negative feature of growing a wild plant in the beds is that it quickly multiplies on its own. To prevent such a process, it is important to have time to cut the inflorescences.
• Before frost, it is necessary to cut onion feathers in time. Several bushes can be transplanted into a pot and grown in the winter on the windowsill. It will look like an ornamental plant.
• Wild garlic has no dormant state. It is grown in greenhouses and greenhouses all year round. If in the summer the onion was in a box, then it is simply brought into any heated room, and it continues to grow.

Collecting seeds

Obviously, the seed way is really practical. Therefore, it would be wise to grow the seeds yourself.

For this, a small area is allocated, away from other crops. If the fragrant onion grows close to the main garden, then it will clog it. This is due to the fact that wild garlic seeds do not ripen at the same time, and the gardener needs to wait until the entire hat with inflorescences dries. Meanwhile, the first seed material is scattered throughout the site.

To protect other vegetables from Chinese garlic seeds, they are sown in large boxes or a high bed can be constructed.

Because of the above features, greenish seeds come across in cut inflorescences. There is no reason to worry about this, since at room temperature they reach the proper degree of maturity.

If a crop is planted in order to obtain seeds, then their number is reduced. Sowing is carried out in one lane. Such measures contribute to the improvement of the quality of seed material. This is important for the future cultivation of fragrant onion seeds. Chinese garlic will be powerful and less susceptible to weather changes. The future harvest of the mountain plant will increase significantly, as the quality of the seeds is reflected in the development of plants.

Varieties of garlic onion

In Russia, the plant is cultivated in Siberia. Allspice can be found on household plots and farms. It is famous for its feathers, because, unlike the nondescript bulb, they have a presentation. The most common varieties include: "oriental", "a priori", "spicy", "stargazer".

Using Chinese garlic in the kitchen

The plant has all the properties of onions and garlic. Therefore, it is added to salads, put in main dishes, and even used to make pies. Arrows of onion grass marinate, stew and fry.

Some housewives like to add onions and garlic to salads at the same time, and they like the combination of these flavors. Something similar can be said about the taste of allspice, but it is not felt as pronounced as in ordinary vegetables of this family.

In Chinese cuisine, mountain garlic is used as a whole plant, it is not divided into parts.

Fragrant onion goes well with any meat dishes. It is dried, crushed, mixed with otherspices and used as seasoning.

Useful properties of onions

Knowing which family a given plant belongs to speaks for itself. It's no secret that onions and garlic are always used for colds. For medical purposes, it is used in the treatment of pneumonia, gastritis and bronchitis. It is noted as an excellent diuretic and choleretic agent. In addition, such an onion has a positive effect on the nervous system.

Chinese garlic contains the following vital elements: iron, beta-carotene, potassium, sodium and calcium. It is able to enrich the human body with an almost complete complex of vitamins, such as: C, PP, E and group B.

Reviews

People who are familiar with wild garlic take advantage of its early appearance. As soon as the snow melts, the “vitamin complex” is already turning green in the garden. Feathers are very delicate and taste like wild garlic. He is cold-resistant and unpretentious. Such a characteristic can be found in reviews of fragrant onions. The spicy taste is also liked by many because it is more tender than regular garlic. And yet, gardeners admire the pleasant aroma of the plant and its appearance. Some plant such onions between flowers.

Conclusion

Fragrant onion is a new culture, and every housewife has the opportunity to add zest to the usual diet. For people suffering from gastritis, and for whom ordinary garlic is contraindicated, spicy onions will serve as an alternative food. Its gently pronounced taste will not harm he alth and replenish the body with the necessary complex.vitamins. It will not be difficult for any gardener to allocate a place in the garden and grow an unpretentious crop using the seed method, which was described in our article.