- relatively cold-resistant plant. Minimum temperature for seed germination not less than +4-6°C. Seedlings appear at a temperature of + 8 ° C on the 25-35th day, at +18 ° C - on the 8-17th day, at + 25 ° C - on the 6-11th day.
Until the seedling has formed root hairs, it lives on the nutrient reserves of the seed itself. If the period between germination and the development of root hairs is extended, which happens at low or, conversely, high temperatures, then these reserves are quickly consumed, and the plant becomes weakened and more sensitive to pathogens in the soil. Therefore, large seeds with a large supply of nutrients are used: they survive better under adverse conditions.
Shoots of carrots withstand short-term frosts down to -4°C. However, this culture is prone to stalking (flowering) when it has developed 5-8 leaves. Therefore, with winter or very early sowings, it is necessary to calculate their dates in such a way that the plants do not fall into the period of cooling. With the formation of 3-4, as well as 8 or more leaves, the risk of flowering is reduced.
Optimum temperature for the formation, growth and development of root crops is + 15-20 ° C, for the growth of the ground part of plants - + 20-23 ° C. At temperatures above + 25 ° C, the growth and maturation of root crops are delayed.
Cold, poorly drained areas often produce pale, irregular root crops. In hot summer, when the soil overheats, the color of the root crops becomes less intense.
Carrot seeds swell slowly, so after sowing, sufficient soil moisture is necessary. For normal growth and development, carrots need constant but moderate moisture throughout the growing season. A sharp transition from dryness to soil moisture leads to cracking of root crops.
Carrots prefer areas with loose, fertile light loamy or sandy loamy soil. Clay and heavy loamy soils, drying up, form a dense crust that prevents the germination of seeds, as a result of which seedlings are sparse and uneven. Carrots do not tolerate heavy clay and acidic soils with organic matter content.
Soil density affects the shape and length of root crops. Leveled carrot roots are obtained on sandy loams and loose peat bogs with a neutral reaction of the soil solution; branched roots often form on floating and dense soils.
Carrots are very sensitive to the concentration of the soil solution, especially at the beginning of the growing season. As a rule, normal growth and development of plants is provided by a pH of 6-7 and a balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium in the soil (2.5:1:4:3).
Plants absorb more nutrients in the second half of the growing season. A lack of nitrogen slows down the growth of leaves, they turn yellow and die, an excess has a bad effect on the keeping quality of root crops. Phosphorus increases their sugar content. With a lack of its leaves acquire a reddish tint. Potassium improves the taste and texture of root tissues, increases the storage period, and improves the quality of seeds. Its deficiency can be identified by the appearance of yellow mottling on the leaves.
It is known that carrots grow very slowly at first. Weeds quickly overtake her in growth and oppress. The period from the beginning of germination to the formation of the first leaf lasts 3, sometimes 4 weeks, so you need to choose a site for carrots very carefully, sow on lands that are free from weeds, and deal with them in a timely manner.
The most favorable for carrots are humus-rich sandy loamy, light loamy and peaty slightly acidic soils. Optimal ratio batteries: N:P:K = 5:1:6. The soil should have good drainage, be not very heavy. Organics are applied no later than a year before cultivation. The best predecessors are considered to be cabbage, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, under which manure was introduced. In the beds, carrots are returned to their old place after 4-5 years, which serves as a preventive measure for the development of diseases.
In areas with a small cultural soil layer (10-15 cm) and a close location ground water carrots are grown on high ridges. The occurrence of groundwater should be at least 60-80 cm. With a closer standing of groundwater, strong branching and ugliness of root crops are observed. For varieties with long root crops, the soil is cultivated to a great depth (two shovel bayonets).
Carrots require well-lit areas when grown. With shading, thickened sowing, especially in the first period of life due to weediness of the site, the plants are strongly stretched, reducing the yield and quality of root crops.
Carrot seeds of the 1st class have a relatively low germination rate - 70%. Field germination of seeds can be increased by almost 20% if calibrated large seeds are sown with a length of more than 0.7-0.9 mm.
Carrot seeds germinate slowly. To accelerate germination, it is necessary to free them from the essential oils contained in the seed coat and inhibiting their germination. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked in warm water(+18-25°C), changing it 2-3 times a day.
Sowing time in middle lane Russia - end of April - beginning of May. Winter sowing is carried out in late October - early November, after the first frost, only with dry seeds.
The seeding rate is 0.5 g of seeds per 1 m2 for spring sowing, 0.7 g per 1 m2 for winter sowing. The distance between the grooves on the ridge is 15-20 cm. The depth of seed placement is 1.5-2 cm.
For a uniform influx of moisture to the seeds after sowing in the spring, the soil is compacted in rows. To speed up seed germination and get friendly shoots, carrot crops I protect with covering material - spunbond or lutrasil. Winter sowing is mulched with peat or humus with a layer of 2-3 cm.
plant care
Plant care consists of weeding, loosening row spacings, thinning (if necessary), hilling, watering, fertilizing, pest and disease control.
The soil crust greatly inhibits seedlings. They destroy it by cultivating the soil between rows with hoes or rakes. The first thinning is carried out in the phase of 1-2 true leaves, leaving the plants at a distance of 1.5-2 cm, the second - 15-20 days after the first (the distance between plants is 4-5 cm). Simultaneously with thinning, weeding is carried out.
Critical in relation to moisture is the period of seed germination and the moment of intensive root formation. With a lack of moisture, carrot roots become rough and woody. In dry weather, the weekly watering rate is about 10 liters per 1 m 2. With excessive moisture, the tops of the plants grow strongly, and the growth of root crops is delayed. Cracking of root crops occurs with a sharp transition from dryness to high humidity. Therefore, after the beginning of the formation (molting) of the root crop, regular watering is necessary.
Carrots are fed once or twice a season with mineral fertilizers in dry or dissolved form at the rate of 10-15 g of urea, 20-30 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potassium salt per 1 m 2.
Diseases and pests of carrots
In the first year of life, carrots almost do not get sick. Only in separate zones there are strong outbreaks of powdery mildew on the leaves (mainly in the south or in hot dry summers) or rhizoctonia (felt disease) on the roots. AT last years cases of bacteriosis have become more frequent. In the second year, carrot testicles are affected mainly by phomosis and alternariosis.
Root crops of carrots are most affected during storage. The most common are dry (phomosis), black (alternaria), gray (botritiosis) and white (sclerotinia) rot.
fomoz
The causative agent is a fungus that infects various organs of the plant, causing them to different forms manifestations of the disease: on seedlings - root beetle, on leaves - zonal spotting, on root crops - dry core rot.
On the leaves, mainly the lower, older ones, rather large yellowish-brown rounded spots with concentric zones are formed. On the spots, dark dots are clearly visible - pycnidia of the pathogen.
On root crops, the disease is detected mainly when they are cut. The affected tissue becomes black and hard. Blackening begins with the head of the root crop and spreads in a cone to its base. When planting such root crops, the testes either do not grow at all, or fall out quickly. It is noted that phomosis mainly affects root crops growing with a lack of boron in the soil.
On seed bushes phomosis forms the same as on the beet of the first year, zonal spots on the leaves, as well as white merging spots with numerous pycnidia on the stems.
With the defeat of the seminal glomeruli, pycnidia are also formed on them, immersed in the dead tissues of the pericarp. When sowing infected seeds, a root beetle appears on seedlings.
The spread of the fungus occurs mainly during rain or dew, when the pycnidia swell and spew out a mass of small spores. The fungus survives on plant debris or on seeds.
Control measures: destruction of plant residues, deep digging of the site, compliance with crop rotation. The introduction of a full mineral fertilizer under root crops, and on soils poor in boron, magnesium borate. Foliar fertilizing with boric microfertilizers is also used.
Black rot, or Alternariosis
Black rot of carrots is caused by the fungus Alternaria radicina. The disease manifests itself during storage of root crops. On the affected root crops, dry rot develops, outwardly very similar to phomosis. Dark or grayish, slightly depressed dry spots form on the surface of the root crop in different places. Only with very high humidity on the spots, first a gray, and then a dark green or almost black coating is formed, consisting of sporulation of the fungus. The main sign of the difference between black rot and phomosis on root crops is the color of the diseased tissue. On the cut, it is coal-black (with phomosis - brown), sharply demarcated from healthy tissue.
When planting root crops affected by black rot, seed bushes dry up in the first half of summer, before flowering. The summer sporulation of the fungus formed on them re-infects the plants. Newly diseased testes usually do not die, but give a low yield. Possible seed infection.
Plants of the first year are slightly affected by Alternaria and usually in the second half of the growing season. Affected single leaves turn yellow and die, and the infection from them spreads along the petiole to the top of the root crop and causes further decay.
The development of the disease in the field is promoted by warm wet weather. The development of rot in storage largely depends on storage conditions: the warmer it is in storage, the faster rot develops. Agricultural technology is also important. Root crops grown at high doses of nitrogen are more affected by black rot than when using a complex of mineral fertilizers with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium.
Sources of black rot infection are seed roots, seeds, and plant debris. In addition to carrots, the same fungus affects other umbrella plants - parsley, celery, parsnips.
Control measures: the same as with phomosis.
Sclerotinia, or white rot
The causative agent is the sclerotinia fungus, which can infect many types of plants, including cucumber, beans, parsley, lettuce, etc. On carrots, the disease develops during the period winter storage.
The tissue of a root crop affected by sclerotinia becomes soft, wet, without changing its color. The surface of the root crop is covered with a white cotton-like mycelium. Over time, the mycelium thickens and rather large (up to 1-3 cm) black sclerotia are formed, designed to preserve the infection. Sclerotia can be stored both in the field and in storage. After a dormant period, the sclerotia germinate and the plants are re-infected.
In summer, during the period of active growth, root crops are rarely affected by sclerotinia. If infection occurs, then rot develops slowly. After harvest, when the carrots are dormant, the fungus can spread very quickly through direct contact with neighboring root crops. Withered, overcooled, untimely harvested (unripe or overripe), grown on one side or over nitrogen fertilizer root crops are particularly affected by white rot. Enhances the development of rot and heat in storage. The fungus is undemanding to temperature (it can develop even at a temperature close to 0 ° C, but at a higher temperature - + 15-20 0 C - it develops especially quickly).
Root crops under these conditions, consuming the supply of substances for increased respiration, become more susceptible to rot. If diseased root crops are planted in the field, they quickly rot, and the seed bushes that develop from them quickly fall out, sometimes at the very beginning of regrowth.
Control measures: for several years, the predecessors of carrots should not be peas, beans, pumpkin and other plants affected by sclerotinia. The introduction of a full mineral fertilizer for carrots with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium, optimal timing sowing and harvesting root crops and other agrotechnical measures that increase the keeping quality of carrots. Creation of an optimal storage mode (temperature +1-2°С, relative air humidity 85-90%). Bulkhead of root crops, removal of rot and backfilling of selected places with a mixture (1: 1) of sand with fluffy lime or chalk.
Botrytiosis, or gray rot
Gray rot is caused by a fungus, except for carrots, that affects strawberries, grapes, sunflowers, cabbage and many other cultivated and wild plants.
On carrots, the fungus causes a typical soft rot. The affected tissue of the root crop becomes soft, wet, as with white rot, but, unlike 1 of it, acquires a brownish color. An abundant gray coating develops on the surface of the root crop, consisting of mycelium and sporulation of the fungus. Later, among the gray plaque, many small (1-2 mm), rounded or irregularly shaped sclerotia are formed, which are a compaction of the mycelium. In the form of sclerotia, the fungus survives under adverse conditions. During germination, they form the mycelium of the fungus and spores, which carry out the infection.
Primary infection of root crops with a fungus can occur both in the field and in storage. Further spread of the infection in the storage occurs by spores carried by the air current.
Measures to combat gray rot are the same as with white rot: compliance with crop rotation, optimal agricultural practices, careful preparation of the storage (cleaning, disinfection, whitewashing), careful handling of root crops during harvesting, optimal mode storage, etc.
Pests
Carrots are damaged by various polyphagous and specialized pests. Of the polyphagous, the mole cricket, caterpillars of nibbling scoops, and the larvae of click beetles (wireworms), damaging the roots and basal parts of plants, are more likely to harm. Shoots of carrots are most often eaten by the beetles of the gray beet weevil, the leaves damage the caterpillars of the cabbage and garden cutworms. Often, legume and some other types of aphids are also harmful. Of the specialized pests, the most dangerous are the carrot fly, which damages root crops, and the carrot psyllid, which sucks the juice from the leaves of young plants.
carrot fly
Distributed throughout the European part of Russia, especially harmful in 1 areas with excessive moisture. Pupae hibernate in the surface layer of the soil; flies fly out in the spring when the soil warms up to +15-17°C. The flight of flies usually coincides with the flowering of rowan and apple trees. In central Russia, this usually happens at the end of May, and in more northern regions- At the beginning of June. Flies live in shady damp places, on the leaves of trees near water bodies, vegetable gardens, and in clover fields. They additionally feed on the nectar of wild-growing flowering umbrella plants and various fruit crops. Eggs are laid in the evenings on the soil at the base of the stems in carrot crops. The egg laying period lasts 30-50 days. After 5-17 days (depending on temperature), larvae hatch, which drill into the root crop and grind winding passages in it.
Young carrot plants die when colonized by larvae. Carrots damaged by them become bitter, unfit for consumption, and quickly deteriorate during storage. The leaves of damaged plants acquire a purple-red hue, and with a significant colonization by larvae, they quickly turn yellow and dry out.
in modern gardens. Smooth beds with openwork green leaves adorn the plots of even beginner gardeners. But only those who adhere to rules growing carrots .
Choosing a place for the garden
- Carrots should be placed in well lit areas. Growing in the shade will lead to a significant reduction in yield and deterioration palatability. Therefore, it is worth allocating an area for carrots that is under direct sunlight throughout the day.
- In addition, it is necessary to take into account the order of growing crops in a particular area.
Sowing dates for carrots
Experienced gardeners know how important correct term sowing. The yield of root crops directly depends on this. After all, the ripening time different varieties varies considerably. In addition, it is necessary to focus on the desired harvest time.
To get early carrots, the so-called "beam products", they practice winter or spring crops early maturing varieties. True, the first option is not possible in all climatic zones. In severe winters, seeds freeze even under a thick layer. Therefore, it is better to give preference early spring crops. They can be carried out immediately after the top layer of soil warms up.
Return cooling will negatively affect the level of "keeping quality" of root crops and can provoke the active formation of flower arrows. But for beam products, these flaws are not a hindrance. That's why early maturing varieties can be sown much earlier.
Carrot varieties
Among the numerous varieties of carrots, you can easily choose the best option for both spring and winter sowing. The most productive are:- Alenka;
- Touchon;
- Nantes;
- Vitamin;
- Queen of Autumn;
- Flakke.
"Alenka". Photo from fermilon.ru
"Touchon"- early ripening carrots, which can be used for cooking two months after the first sprouts appear. The average weight of root crops is 150 g, length is 20 cm.
"Nantes" belongs to the middle category. Full maturation occurs no earlier than 85-90 days after planting. Dumb-ended root crops gain weight up to 165 g. The average length is 16 cm.
"Vitamin"- mid-season variety with a high concentration of carotene. These carrots are ready for harvest 110-120 days after emergence of mass seedlings. Root crop length - up to 15 cm, weight - up to 150 g.
"Queen of Autumn"- late-ripening carrots, ideal for winter storage. For full maturation, it needs 125-135 days. The mass of one root crop is about 160 g, the length is up to 20 cm.
"Flakke"- a representative of the category of late varieties. Harvest begins 100-120 days after sowing. The length of the root crop reaches a mark of 30 cm, average weight fluctuates between 150-170 g. 
Clockwise: Autumn Queen, Flakke, Nantes, Vitamin.Photo from fermilon.ru
Before buying carrot seeds, you need to decide how the carrots will be used. If the root crop is planned to be consumed in the summer, then it is better to buy seeds of early varieties. If carrots are needed for winter consumption, then it is more profitable to purchase seeds of late varieties.
The timing of sowing carrots directly depends on the timing of ripening.
- Early carrots are sown before winter and in the third decade of April.
- Mid-season carrots in the first decade of May.
- Late-ripening carrots are sown from mid to late June. Do not be afraid that the carrot does not have enough time to ripen. At proper cultivation root crops will have time to ripen before October and gain sweetness.
You can plant carrots in different dates. Winter sowing will provide the table with delicious crispy carrots for the whole summer. Regular sowing in May or June will help prepare carrots for the winter.
Pre-sowing preparation of seeds
Carrots do not sprout immediately, unlike radishes. What is it connected with? Everyone noticed that carrot seeds smell strongly. This smell is given essential oils impregnating the seed coat. Before planting carrots, you need to wash off the essential oils. To do this, carrot seeds are poured into a cloth bag or into an old sock, tied and placed in a glass. They are filled with water at a temperature of 45-50 0 C and kept until it cools down completely. The water, dyed light orange, is drained and the seeds are poured again. The washed seeds are laid out on a dry towel to dry to a loose state. Now our seed material is ready for sowing.
Before planting carrot seeds, they can be glued to a paper strip. A toothpick is dipped in glue, seeds are caught with it and glued to paper after 1.5 cm.
How to plant carrots in an ordinary way
Before planting carrots, you need to prepare the ground. Since autumn, for each sq. m contribute 2 kg of rotted humus, half a matchbox of potassium salt and a full Matchbox superphosphate. Doesn't like carrots
- manured soil;
- lime;
- ash;
- excess nitrogen;
Carrots like to lie down on hard, compacted soil. In order for the seedlings to be friendly, it is necessary to sow the seeds at the same depth. To do this, the earth is loosened with a flat cutter and the board is laid with an edge, forming grooves. Each groove is shed with water and the carrots are planted. The easiest way is with granular seeds. The granules are laid out after 5 cm. Before planting carrots in granules, the beds are abundantly spilled with water so that the granular shell is soaked.
And if you have the most ordinary small seeds? The seed is mixed with sand in a ratio of 1:5 or a special planter is used. When sowing, try not to thicken the plantings. At the first thinning, pulling out a weak sprout, we damage the tender roots of neighboring carrots.
The sown seeds are sprinkled on top with a centimeter layer of dry earth, compost or biohumus. The crops are not watered from above, otherwise a crust will form, making it difficult for the germination of juveniles.
Seeds can be covered with coconut substrate. The briquette is placed in a bucket and filled with water until it swells. Coconut substrate is very light and holds moisture very well. The sprouts quickly break through it. Germination of seeds increases almost 2 times.
Tip: practice alternating rows of carrots with planting onions every 15 cm. Onions will scare away the fly with their smell.
Planting carrots in a wide row. Sowing seeds in a wide-row way has proven itself well. Grooves 15 cm wide are prepared. On the sides, a row of onions is planted to scare away the carrot fly. To form a row, a board is placed on the loosened soil and pressed down. A kind of rut 4 cm deep should form.
Dry or washed seeds are sown in spilled rows. They are mixed with sand or planted with a special planter. The carrots are covered with dry earth with a layer of 1 cm. The remaining track 3 cm deep will be filled with mulch or earth as the roots grow. In the light, that part of the carrot that peeps out of the ground turns green, but we do not need it.
How to plant carrots with sprouted seeds? To speed up the emergence of seedlings, carrot seeds are not only soaked in water, but also germinated. They are poured into a sock, soaked in a glass of water and laid out on a damp cloth. Gauze cannot be used - the emerging roots become entangled in its fibers and break off during sowing.
Before planting carrots with germinated seeds, the rows are watered in advance and regularly moistened from a watering can until sprouts appear.
How to plant carrots before winter
Many gardeners are hesitant to risk carrot seeds, fearing that they will germinate ahead of time or freeze. If you sow carrots before winter correctly, then all summer you can get fresh vitamins on the table. There is only one minus - carrots from winter sowing are not suitable for storage. You will have to eat it whole in the summer or freeze it for the winter.
The land must be prepared by mid-October. The place is chosen horizontal without slopes, so that the seeds are not washed away by spring floods. The soil is plowed, fertilizers are applied and rows are cut with a depth of 4 cm. It is advisable to cover the grooves with a film and press boards around the perimeter to rainwater did not wash out the seed.
In mid-November, when the ground is already frozen, dry carrot seeds mixed with radish or lettuce seeds are sown. These crops will sprout earlier and mark the location of the carrot rows. Seeds are covered with peat, humus or dry sifted soil prepared in advance.
Do not wash and moisten the seeds, otherwise they will die. Also, you can not sow seeds in moist soil - carrot seeds will germinate and seedlings will die.
Now you know how to properly plant carrots. Choose the way you like and get down to business.
Carrots belong to the Umbrella family. AT wild nature grows in America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Afghanistan is considered its homeland, as many of its species grow there. It is believed that the cultivation of carrots began four thousand years ago. In Russia, it was first mentioned in the 16th century.
Carrots now grow literally on any personal plot. However, it is capricious, and for a successful harvest, it is important to know the rules for its cultivation.
autumn sowing
- You can plant carrots in winter, and the crop will appear two weeks earlier. Seeds will undergo winter hardening, and in the spring, due to snow melting, they will strengthen root system.
- In autumn, only early varieties are planted that are not suitable for winter storage.
- In areas where winters are very cold, beds should be covered with sawdust, leaves, spruce branches.
- Crops should be located on a hill so that the seed material is not washed out by melt water.
spring sowing
The most popular season for planting is of course spring. Spring can be divided into early and late periods.
- The root crop is a moisture-loving plant, so you can plant it immediately after the snow melts.
- You can plant as early as the end of April, when the air temperature is +15, and the soil warms up to +5.
- If planted earlier, the seeds will take longer to germinate.
- The beds can be covered with a film to speed up the germination of seeds.
- When they appear, shoots remove the film.
- The late spring sowing period lasts from late May to early July. In this case, the carrot harvest should be expected in late August - early September.
- Carrots love moisture, if it is possible to carry out sowing work before prolonged rains, seedlings will not have to wait long.
Selecting good seed
Early varieties
Early varieties characterized by low sugar content. They are not suitable for long storage, but just two months after planting, they will be pleased with the first root crops.
Lady. high yielding variety, after three months it can be completely removed. The root crop is distinguished by an elongated cylindrical shape up to 20 cm in length, bright red. Doesn't crack. Increased content of carotene.
Fun F1. Hybrid from Siberia. Harvest can be completely harvested after three months. It grows up to 20 cm and weighs about 200 grams. The pulp has a sweet and juicy taste.
Nantes 4. Harvest in 80 days. Orange, up to 14 cm and weight 160 gr. The shape is cylindrical. Contains a lot of useful carotene. Suitable for all climatic zones.
Sugar finger. Ripens within 65 days. Orange color, grows 12 cm in length. sweet taste. Contains a large number of carotene.
Medium varieties
Medium varieties are formed in 105 - 120 days. Stores well in winter.
Losinoostrovskaya. The shape is cylindrical. The maturation period does not exceed 100 days. Tender, very juicy carrots. It does not grow well on clay and sand. Abundant systematic watering is required. good variety for long term storage.
Boltex. High-yielding carrot variety, fully formed in 120 days. Bright orange color, length 19 cm, thin skin.
Vitamin 6. Cylindrical shape. Orange color. Completely formed in 100 days. Up to 19 cm. Suitable for winter storage.
Late varieties
Late varieties differ in long growth within 110 - 130 days. Suitable for long term storage.
Red giant. The variety was developed by breeders from Germany. Grows in 110 days. In the form of a cone. Grow 24 cm and 100 grams. The flesh is red in color. Keeps for a long time.
Autumn queen. Ripens in four months. 22 cm. Juicy carrots. The root crop is recommended to be sown in the winter.
Karlen. Formed within 130 days. The variety loves loose and fertile soil and timely abundant watering.
When choosing a variety of carrots, it is necessary to consider climate zone where it will be grown, soil conditions, ripening period. As well as the shape, size and storage capacity. Having decided, you can proceed to the selection of a suitable site and prepare the soil.
Site selection and soil preparation for planting
When choosing a place, you need to pay attention to three points:
- site location;
- the quality of the soil;
- cultures previously grown in the area.
Carrot loves sunny places, no shadow. The place of future sowing should be under the sun all day, otherwise the formation of root crops will slow down.
Prefers light and loose soil. But not sour. In acidic soil, it does not grow well and does not gain sweetness. Sand and old sawdust will help improve the soil, and lime, wood ash and chalk will help reduce acidity. This vegetable crop selective to predecessors.
It is forbidden to plant carrots after parsley, dill, fennel, beets, sorrel. Successful predecessors for it are tomatoes, pumpkin, onions, garlic, potatoes, lettuce.
The soil for sowing is best prepared in the fall. It is necessary to dig with a shovel one and a half bayonet lengths. If it is not dug too deep, the carrots will grow to a hard layer and go sideways. Therefore, instead of even long root crops, ugly specimens will be obtained.
Before digging, fertilizers are applied to the soil. The rotted manure is placed half a bucket per square meter. Sawdust is added to heavy soil at the rate of 2 - 3 liters per meter. Carrots grow well if fertilizers with phosphate and potassium are added; wood ash, sand. Everything is dug up and left. In the spring, everything is dug up again, leveled and seeds are sown.
It must be remembered that it is forbidden to use fresh manure as a fertilizer. It harms the culture. Fresh manure is rich in nitrogen, and root crops are distinguished by their ability to quickly accumulate nitrates. Carrots grow in irregular shapes, and the smell of fresh mullein attracts various garden pests.
The soil is ready, now you can approach the selection of seed preparation.
Seed preparation
Carrot seeds germinate for a long time, up to three weeks. The shell of the seed is impregnated with essential oils. They do not allow moisture to get inside. First, the seeds need to be sorted. This is done with salt water. The seed material is thrown into salted water, mixed. Those that float are thrown away, and those that settle can be planted.
Four effective ways, which will ensure rapid germination:
- Soaking seeds in biostimulants ("Epin", "Fitolife") for 20 hours.
- Boiling treatment. Seeds must be placed in a cloth and kept in hot water 20 minutes. Then in cold water.
- Burying seeds in the ground. Seed material is buried for 10 days. When they get it, the seeds already have sprouts. They can be planted.
- Soak. Carrot seeds are wrapped in a wet cloth or cotton wool for a day.
Either method will speed up seed germination.
To increase the frost resistance of seeds, they are hardened. To do this, the soaked, but not yet sprouted seeds are put in the refrigerator, on the vegetable shelf and kept for a week. Hardening can also be carried out by alternating temperatures.
Seeds purchased from hand, grown on their own and not well-known manufacturers. Seeds from large and well-known manufacturers are usually ready for planting, they are treated with both insecticides and fungicides.
Granulated seeds that have undergone industrial processing are completely ready for sowing and preliminary preparation dont need. Some seeds are sold on a tape. This simplifies planting and allows you not to thin out the carrots in the future.
Manufacturers also offer seeds in the form of dragees. A small carrot seed coated with trace elements and fertilizers. Such seeds are convenient for planting and they immediately receive all the substances necessary for growth. From this point of view, the purchase of seeds from large manufacturers will reduce the time spent on preparation and ensure higher germination.
Seeds prepared independently or industrially can be sown.
Planting carrot seeds
Before planting seeds, it is necessary to assess the soil moisture. If it's dry, you need to moisturize. In the garden, grooves are made 15 cm apart and 2 cm deep.
There are several landing methods:
- Small seeds are scattered by hand along the grooves.
- Soaked and germinated seeds are planted more carefully.
- Seeds in the form of dragees.
- From a syringe. Kissel is boiled from flour, nutrients are added there, cooled, seeds are placed in the composition. Using a syringe, evenly sow into the grooves.
- Seeds on strips of paper. This method will avoid further thinning.
Then they are covered with earth from above and compacted with a hand or a special plank. Carrot planted. In the future, she needs systematic care.
Landing Care
For good harvest the following care is required:
- regular watering;
- loosening;
- timely weeding;
- thinning;
- top dressing.
Watering
It is carried out after planting seeds. He is very important. Lack of moisture affects taste. Carrots become bitter in taste. And it begins to release lateral roots that are looking for moisture, which affects appearance. Watered once every 7 days, taking into account the precipitation. They start with three liters per meter, as they grow, increasing the volume to 20 liters.
Three weeks before harvesting stop watering completely.
loosening
Spend between the rows. Weeding is done as weeds grow. This procedure can be combined with thinning. Thinning is carried out twice. When the leaves appear, and when the carrots are formed. Ideally, the distance should be 15 cm. After the leaves appear, the plant needs to be fed. You can use urea in the amount of 15 gr. per meter. It responds well to fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium.
Collection of grown carrots and its storage
Carrots are best harvested in dry weather. Digging should be done with a shovel. Do not cut the tops, but unscrew them. It will not harm the fetus. Stored in the cellar, at +5 degrees.
Carrots can be put in bags with holes, boxes with sawdust and sand. Sawdust is preferred. If the cellar is not humid enough, sawdust can be moistened with water. Carrot prefers high humidity.
Diseases and garden carrot pests
To collect healthy, beautiful and tasty carrots, it is important to prevent them from getting sick and prevent small pests from destroying the future crop.
The plant is susceptible to the following diseases:
- Dry rot. Fungus. On carrot leaves there are gray - brown spots, the entire root crop is affected. The crop may rot.
- Gray rot. Causes wet rot.
- white rot. Also a fungus. It hits everything in the garden. Spread by fungus. Can get into the ground with manure.
- Bacteriosis. The reason is bacteria. First, the leaves turn yellow, then it passes to the root crop itself, ulcers form. The plant begins to smell bad.
- powdery mildew. Appears as a white coating on plants. The lesion is hard and breaks.
- Cercosporosis. Called by a fungus. Brown spots can be seen on the leaves. Gradually they increase and rot.
To prevent disease, it is important to adhere to the following rules:
- seeds should be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
- carry out the treatment of soil and plants with biological products, in June the entire garden should be treated with immunocytophyte;
- fertilize.
In addition to diseases, there are pests that love this root crop:
- carrot fly;
- carrot leaflet;
- carrot moth;
- gall nematode;
- bear;
- wireworm;
- naked slug;
- winter owls.
The fight comes down to spraying and watering carrots with solutions of various drugs.
Carrots are a popular plant. Rarely is a meal complete without it. It is rich in carotene and other vitamins. Carotene strengthens memory and is good for vision. It is low in calories and has many benefits. By growing this crop in the garden, you can get a delicious dietary product. It is worth making a little effort, and the harvest will please you.
Carrots are an unpretentious crop that requires minimal care. However, you need to take care of it properly. Learn how to prepare seeds for planting, how to grow carrots and not give them away to be eaten by pests.
Seed selection
Growing carrots begins with the selection of seeds. They are sold in different types: There are ordinary seed bags, granules and seeds glued on a tape. Many gardeners do not like to plant granules and ribbons because they have poor germination. So opt for traditional bagged seeds. Pay attention to the colored seeds, they are treated with a fungicide and do not require pre-sowing treatment. In addition, they are easier to place in the grooves without thickening the crops.
There are many varieties and hybrids of carrots. The most popular of them:
Nantes;
Losinoostrovskaya 13;
Shantenay 2461;
Vitamin 6;
Samson.
If you want to collect seeds in the future, then use only varietal carrots. Hybrids in the next generation lose their characteristics.
The soil
Loamy soil is most suitable for carrots.
On heavy clay soil it will be difficult for her to sprout, so in such conditions it is better to make a bed-box. In the fall, the ground here needs to be dug up, and in the spring, add compost and humus.
Sandy soil is too light and will not hold the moisture needed by carrots. Therefore, here, too, it is necessary to raise the bed and fill it annually with soddy soil and compost.
Sunny places are taken under carrots, thick shade is avoided. It is good if onion or nightshade crops were grown on the plot allocated for planting last year. After umbrella carrots are not planted.
Acidic soils are limed in autumn - they add a glass of chalk, fluff lime or dolomite flour, after digging. Ash also helps to reduce acidity.
Fertilizers close up in the spring when preparing the soil. Use organic (except manure) and complex mineral fertilizers in recommended doses. From organic matter, humus (0.5 buckets / m²) and peat (1 bucket / m²) are suitable.
Seed preparation
Growing carrots is a simple matter, but there are secrets here too.
Nature, with the help of essential oils, protected its seeds from premature shoots. Open the bag of seeds and inhale the scent. The more intense it is, the more oils and the fresher the seeds. To make carrots rise faster, you just need to wash off the essential oils. To do this, the seeds are soaked in water or in a solution of potassium permanganate, in a solution of the drug "Epin" or even in vodka. Who is into what.
Pre-sowing seed preparation is different, and each gardener needs to find empirically best way how to grow carrots. Here are three tried and tested methods that you may find helpful.
First way
This is the easiest seed preparation option:
1. heat water to 50-60°C;
2. soak the seeds for 10-15 minutes, stir occasionally;
3. remove everything that has surfaced;
4. Drain the water, dry the seeds and sow.
In good weather, carrots will germinate in a maximum of 4 days.
Second way
This option will take a little longer:
1. soak the seeds in water or in "Epin" for two hours;
2. put them in a thick cotton bag;
3. bury a shovel on the bayonet in the ground for 1-2 weeks;
4. Dig up and mix a tablespoon of seeds with half a glass of sand and a few radish or lettuce seeds;
5. sow in the furrows in the garden.
After such underground confinement, the seeds will swell well or give roots. So you will increase germination, and in the near future you will thin out crops less. Lettuce or radishes grow faster than carrots, so you always know where the furrows are. This is convenient when you need to loosen the ground, and the seedlings are still too small.
Third way
Many gardeners try to full program optimize the cultivation of carrots in open ground. To do this, they independently make ribbons with proven seeds:
soak the seeds in a gauze bag for 2-3 days;
rinse regularly, then dry;
cook a paste from flour and water;
take toilet paper, unwind it to the required length;
apply drops of paste on the strip at a distance of 2 cm;
put a carrot seed in a drop of paste (several seeds are possible);
dry the strip for 10-15 minutes.
Then lay the tapes in wet furrows 2 cm deep, cover with earth and tamp. You can splash it again with water. The paper will naturally decompose and the seeds will germinate.
This is a laborious method, but it has advantages. You will have to thin out seedlings less. The paste will not allow the seeds to “scatter” around the garden, so if you wish, you can even calculate the amount of the crop.
Planting carrots: in spring or before winter?
Carrot cultivation usually begins in the spring. Seeds are sown from late April to early June - the timing depends on the variety and cultivation goals. In the southern regions, the season begins in March, the second sowing is carried out in June.
Planting carrots before winter helps to get a crop in most of Russia in mid-July. However, there are some disadvantages here: the seeds may freeze and not sprout; if the seeds have sprouted, then return spring frosts can destroy them.
If you have a desire to experiment, remember that seed consumption must be increased by 30, or even 50%. Prepare the bed in advance, make grooves and wait for frost. Sow seeds in frozen ground and cover with pre-prepared soil stored at positive temperatures.
The standard scheme for growing carrots: grooves with an interval of 20 cm. They are cut in raised beds (especially in damp places) or flat surface. In the spring, before sowing, the grooves are well watered (in the autumn they are planted in dry ones), the seeds are laid out, covered with loose soil. To accelerate germination, crops are covered with spunbond, it retains moisture and prevents the formation of a soil crust. After the appearance of sprouts, the shelter is removed.
Care
When growing carrots, certain rules must be followed. This applies to most horticultural crops.
The surface of the earth must be loose so that water can freely flow to the roots. If you notice a hard crust on the bed, loosen it. Usually such a crust forms after watering.
The soil must be moist. Carrots will not grow if they "float" in the garden or languish with thirst, sitting in dry ground.
Carrots are not watered often, but deeply, so that the root crop grows exactly down, and does not look for moisture near the surface, does not curl or separate.
Regardless of how you planted carrots, its seedlings need to be thinned out. It's almost impossible to avoid it. Therefore, to obtain large root crops, leave a distance of 5 cm between them. If you need small carrots, the distance between seedlings is 2 cm. Usually they thin out like this: they simply pull out the weakest seedlings with their fingers. Some gardeners have adapted to cut out unwanted shoots with nail scissors.
If the carrot is planted in poor soil, it should be fed with a complex mineral fertilizer, it is good if it is a special top dressing for root crops. Carrots will accept 1-2 top dressings per season with gratitude.
Pests
Growing carrots in the open field often develops into a struggle for the integrity of the crop.
Carrot fly is a real disaster for gardeners. For many years, you can grow carrots and not know the troubles, but at one “not perfect” moment everything changes. The tops begin to curl up and dry out. And the larvae of this insect begin to eat through the pulp of the root crop.
In some cases, late sowing of carrots in mid-June or planting plants with a strong smell on a bed with carrots can help: onions, marigolds, cilantro, garlic.
However, the most effective way to protect yourself from flies is to mulch the garden bed. After planting, it must be covered with non-woven covering material. As soon as the seedlings grow up, you need to cover the ground with sawdust or shavings with a layer of 5 cm. Do not tighten with shelter! The main thing is to prevent the fly from getting to the ground, where it lays larvae. In the summer, top up the mulch if necessary, because the fly is active most of the season.
Collection and storage
Harvest in different regions happening in different time, but usually you need to have time to harvest the carrots before frost.
It is easy to determine the technical ripeness of carrots: the rosette of leaves turns from erect to sprawling. This transformation occurs at 90-130 days from germination, depending on the variety.
However, you can eat carrots earlier. Beam ripeness occurs at 50-65 days.
A week before digging dry beds, shed well so that the carrots go juicy for storage. If heavy rains are expected, dig up the carrots before they come, so you save the crop from possible rotting.
Proper cultivation of carrots is half the battle. The remaining half falls on the storage of the crop. Remember: if you don't have a cellar, don't plant too much. If it is, and it is cool and well ventilated, proceed as follows:
Trim the tops about 1-5mm from the top on each carrot;
wash and dry the root crops, do not keep them for a long time in the bright sun to maintain juiciness;
remove all thin roots so that the carrot does not start growing during storage (you can rub the root crop with a gloved hand);
lay the carrots vertically in boxes of dry sand.
Other ways to store carrots:
1. grate it and put it in the freezer;
2. store a bag of whole carrots on a shelf in the refrigerator;
3. put in a box on a glazed balcony;
4. store in dry sawdust in a plastic bucket on the balcony (a layer of sawdust - a layer of carrots).
Conclusion
To get a crop of carrots, you need to properly plant the seeds and thin out the seedlings once. Be sure to keep the soil moist and prevent the formation of a hard crust. Mulch the soil in time and save yourself from frequent loosening, watering and fighting carrot flies. And, most importantly, plant as much as you can process so that your work is not in vain.