How to grow onions at home and their benefits to human health
Onions can grow at home or in commercial farms.
Apart from the flavor, onions are grown for their health benefits to human beings.
Onions are cold seasonal vegetables that are grown mainly for the flavor that
they add to other foods. Onions growing can be started from either seed, sets,
or transplant.
Onions are part of the vegetable and herbs family.
Onions vary in size, shape, color, and flavors. The most common types are red,
white, and yellow onions. Flavors can vary from juicy with a mild flavor to
sharp, spicy, and pungent often depending on the seasons in which they are
grown and consumed
It is estimated that 105 billons pounds of onions
are produced worldwide yearly.
Growing onions from seed
Growing onions from seed will give you bigger and
better early onions.
Step 1: Planting of the seed
Growing bigger and healthy onion starts with the
soil, a well-prepared garden soil with compost and river sand will make the
soil fertile and looser which will be good for the onions. Moisten the soil
thoroughly with warm water but not heavily. Let the soil absorb water and mix
well using hands. Get a container for germination and make sure it is clean,
drainage is not needed for starting seed. Fill your container 4/5 full then
lightly compress the soil with your hands making sure it is even. Evenly spread
the seed onto the soil then completely cover the seed with dry soil because you
can easily spread it, now press the topsoil lightly and water gently and
thoroughly
Step 2: Germination of seed
Cover your container lightly with a plastic bag and
place it in a warm room. Germination is about 5days for onions with or without
sunlight but makes sure they get light as soon as they begin to germinate or
the shout pop through the soil. When half or all have germinated take the
plastic off. Keep them under the light and water when the soil gets dry.
Step 3: Transplanting
When your onions are 5 inches high and about
toothpick thick, they are ready for transplanting. Onions can be planted in a
kitchen garden at home or in the field for commercial farming.
Health benefits of onions to human being
Onions are widely used in many recipes to enhance
the taste, it is a good source of vitamin B6 as well as Magnesium, Iron,
Calcium, Selenium, and chromium. It also contains a good amount of sulfur and
quercetin. Due to all these medicinal properties onions are believed to have
the following benefits in our bodies
1: Heart health
Onions encourage a healthy heart by lowering blood
pressure and lowering heart attack risks. The quercetin in onion also helps in
preventing plaque build-up in the arteries, which reduces the risk of heart
attack and stroke.
2: Balances mental health
Onions contain vitamin B9 which is also called
Folic Acid and thus it makes you feel good, selenium which is produced in the
intestine prevents the storage of homocysteine which blocks the function of
happiness hormones.
3: Bone density in older women
Consumption of onions improves bone density in
women who are going through or have finished menopause. Women who eat onions
frequently have a 20% lower risk of hip fracture than those who never eat
onions.
Onion is rich in quercetin, quercetin has been
established to be essential in helping to prevent or cure the following
troublesome health condition
- Blood clots
- Bronchitis
- High fever
- Diabetes
- Asthma
Article by Jane Wambura
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