- a relatively cold-resistant plant. Minimum temperature for seed germination not less than + 4-6 ° С. Seedlings appear at a temperature of + 8 ° С for 25-35 days, at + 18 ° С - on the 8-17th, at + 25 ° С - on the 6-11th.
Until the seedling has formed root hairs, it lives on the reserves of nutrients from the seed itself. If the period between germination and 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.
Seedlings of carrots can withstand short-term frosts down to -4 ° С. However, this culture is prone to stemming (flowering) when it has 5-8 leaves. Therefore, with winter or very early sowing, it is necessary to calculate their timing so that the plants do not fall into the period of cold snap. With the formation of 3-4, as well as 8 or more leaves, the risk of blooming decreases.
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.
In cold, poorly drained areas, pale, irregularly shaped roots often grow. In hot summers, when the soil overheats, the color of the root crops becomes less intense.
Carrot seeds swell slowly, so after sowing, sufficient soil moisture is required. For normal growth and development, carrots need constant but moderate moisture throughout the growing season. The abrupt transition from dryness to soil moisture leads to cracking of the root crops.
Carrots prefer areas with loose, fertile light loamy or sandy loam soil. Clay and heavy loamy soils, drying out, form a dense crust that prevents the germination of seeds, as a result of which the seedlings are sparse and uneven. Carrots do not tolerate heavy clay and acidic soils with organic matter.
Soil density affects the shape and length of root crops. Leveled root crops of carrots are obtained on sandy loams and loose peat bogs with a neutral reaction of the soil solution; branched root crops are often formed 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 provide 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. Lack of nitrogen slows down the growth of leaves, they turn yellow and die off, excess - badly affects the keeping quality of root crops. Phosphorus increases their sugar content. With a deficiency, its leaves become reddish. Potassium improves the taste and texture of the root vegetable tissues, increases the storage period, and improves the quality of seeds. Its disadvantage 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 it in growth and oppress it. The period from the beginning of the emergence of seedlings to the formation of the first leaf lasts 3, sometimes 4 weeks, therefore it is necessary to choose a site for carrots very carefully, sow on lands that are free of weeds, and fight them in a timely manner.
The most favorable for carrots are sandy loam, light loamy and slightly acidic peat soils rich in humus. Optimal ratio batteries: N: P: K \u003d 5: 1: 6. The soil should be well drained and not very heavy. Organic matter is applied no later than a year before growing. The best predecessors are cabbage, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, under which manure was applied. In the beds, carrots are returned to their old place after 4-5 years, which serves as a prevention of the development of diseases.
In areas with a small cultivated soil layer (10-15 cm) and close location groundwater carrots are grown in high ridges. The occurrence of groundwater should be at least 60-80 cm. With a closer standing of groundwater, there is a strong branching and ugliness of root crops. For varieties with long roots, the soil is cultivated to a great depth (two shovel bayonets).
When growing, carrots require well-lit areas. When shading, thickened sowing, especially in the first period of life due to weediness of the site, the plants stretch out strongly, reduce the yield and quality of root crops.
Carrot seeds of the 1st class have a relatively low germination rate - 70%. The field germination of seeds can be increased by almost 20% if calibrated large seeds with a length of more than 0.7-0.9 mm are sown.
Carrot seeds germinate slowly. To accelerate germination, it is necessary to free them from 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 - late April - early May. Podzimny 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 m 2 for subwinter. The distance between the grooves on the ridge is 15-20 cm. The seeding depth is 1.5-2 cm.
For a uniform inflow of moisture to the seeds after sowing in the spring, the soil is compacted in rows. To accelerate seed germination and get friendly shoots, carrot I crops are protected with a covering material - spunbond or lutrasil. Podzimny sowing is mulched with peat or humus with a layer of 2-3 cm.
Plant care
Caring for plants consists in weeding, loosening row spacings, thinning (if necessary), hilling, watering, feeding, fighting pests and pathogens.
The soil crust strongly inhibits seedlings. They destroy it by cultivating the soil between the 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). Weeding is carried out simultaneously with thinning.
Critical with regard 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 irrigation rate is about 10 liters per 1 m 2. With excessive moisture in plants, the tops grow strongly, and the growth of root crops is delayed. Root cracking 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. IN last years cases of bacteriosis have become more frequent. In the second year, the testes of carrots are mainly affected by phomosis and alternaria.
Carrot root crops are most affected during storage. The most common are dry (phomosis), black (alternariosis), gray (botrytosis) and white (sclerotinosis) rot.
Fomoz
The causative agent is a fungus that infects various plant organs, causing different shapes manifestations of the disease: on seedlings - root-eater, on the leaves - zonal spotting, on root crops - dry heart rot.
On the leaves, mainly of the lower, older ones, rather large yellowish-brown rounded spots with concentric zones are formed. On the spots, dark dots are clearly visible - the pycnidia of the pathogen.
On root crops, the disease is found mainly when they are cut. The affected tissue becomes black and hard. Blackening begins from the root of the root and spreads in a cone to its base. When planting such root crops, the testes either do not grow back at all, or quickly fall out. It is noted that phomoses mainly affect root crops growing with a lack of boron in the soil.
On seed bushes, phomosis forms the same zonal spots on the leaves as on beets of the first year, as well as white merging spots with numerous pycnidia on the stems.
When the seed glomeruli are damaged, pycnidia are also formed on them, immersed in the dead tissue of the pericarp. When sowing infected seeds, the root-eater appears on the seedlings.
The spread of the fungus occurs mainly during rain or dew, when pycnidia swell and spew out a lot of small spores. The fungus is preserved on plant debris or seeds.
Control measures: destruction of plant residues, deep digging of the site, compliance with crop rotation. The introduction of complete mineral fertilization under root crops, and on soils poor in boron, magnesium borate. Foliar dressing with boron microfertilizers is also used.
Black rot, or alternaria
The black rot of carrots is caused by the fungus Alternaria radicina. The disease manifests itself during storage of root crops. Dry rot develops on the affected root crops, which outwardly is very similar to phomosis. Dark or grayish, slightly depressed dry spots are formed on the surface of the root crop in different places. Only when very high humidity on the spots, first a gray, and then a dark green or almost black bloom 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 (in case of phomosis - brown), sharply delimited from healthy tissue.
When planting root crops affected by black rot, the 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 yield a low yield. Seed contamination is possible.
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 off, and the infection from them spreads along the petiole to the top of the root crop and further causes it to rot.
A warm wet weather... The development of rot in storage largely depends on the storage conditions: the warmer it is in the storage, the faster rot develops. Agricultural technology is also important. Root crops grown with increased doses of nitrogen are more affected by black rot than when using a complex of mineral fertilizers with a predominance of phosphorus and potash.
Sources of black rot infection are seed roots, seeds, and plant debris. In addition to carrots, the same fungus affects other umbellates - parsley, celery, parsnips.
Control measures: the same as with fomoz.
Sclerotiniasis, or white rot
The causative agent is a sclerotinia fungus that 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 the 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 becomes denser 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, 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 harvesting, when the carrots are dormant, the fungus can spread very quickly by direct contact to adjacent roots. Withered, hypothermic, untimely harvested (unripe or overripe), grown on one-sided or excessively nitrogen fertilization root crops are especially affected by white rot. Enhances the development of rot and heat in the store. The fungus is undemanding to temperature (it can develop even at temperatures close to 0 ° С, but at a higher temperature - + 15-20 ° С - it develops especially quickly).
Root crops under these conditions, spending 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 developing from them quickly fall out, sometimes at the very beginning of regrowth.
Control measures: For several years, peas, beans, pumpkin seeds and other plants affected by sclerotinia should not be the predecessors of carrots. Application of a complete mineral fertilizer under the carrots with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium, optimal terms sowing and harvesting of root crops and other agrotechnical measures that increase the keeping quality of carrots. Creation of an optimal storage regime (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 fluff lime or chalk.
Botrythiasis, or gray rot
Gray rot is caused by a fungus, in addition to carrots, that infects strawberries, grapes, sunflowers, cabbage and many other cultivated and wild plants.
On carrots, the fungus causes the typical wet rot. The affected tissue of the root crop becomes soft, wet, as in the case of white rot, but, in contrast to it, acquires a brownish color. On the surface of the root, an abundant gray bloom develops, 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 represent the compaction of the mycelium. In the form of sclerotia, the fungus persists in unfavorable conditions. When germinating, they form the mycelium of the fungus and spores, which carry out the infection.
Primary infection of root crops with fungus can occur both in the field and in storage. Further spread of infection in the storage occurs by spores carried by the air current.
Measures to combat gray rot are the same as with white rot: observance of crop rotation, optimal agricultural technology, thorough 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 species, the bear, caterpillars of gnawing scoops, larvae of click beetles (wireworms), damaging the roots and root parts of plants, are more often harmful. Seedlings of carrots are most often eaten by beetles of the gray beet weevil, the leaves damage the caterpillars of the cabbage and garden scoop. Legumes and some other types of aphids are also often harmful. Of the specialized pests, the most dangerous are the carrot fly, which damages the roots, and the carrot flies, which suck the juice from the leaves of young plants.
Carrot fly
It is widespread in the European part of Russia everywhere, especially harmful in 1 regions with excessive moisture. Pupae overwinter in the surface layer of the soil, flies fly out in 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 occurs at the end of May, and in more northern regions - At the beginning of June. Flies live in shady wet places, on the leaves of trees near water bodies, vegetable gardens, in clover fields. They additionally feed on the nectar of wild flowering umbrella plants and various fruit crops... Eggs are laid in the evenings on the soil at the base of the stalks on carrot crops. The egg-laying period lasts 30-50 days. After 5-17 days (depending on the temperature) larvae hatch, which are drilled into the root crop and grind winding passages in it.
Young carrot plants die when populated by larvae. The carrots damaged by them become bitter, unusable, quickly deteriorate during storage. The leaves of damaged plants acquire a purple-red hue, and with significant colonization with larvae, they quickly turn yellow and dry out.
In modern vegetable gardens. Smooth beds with openwork green leaves adorn the plots of even beginner gardeners. But only those who adhere to the harvest of beautiful, even root crops succeed 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 decrease in yield and deterioration taste... Therefore, it is worth allocating an area for carrots, which is in direct sunlight throughout the day.
- In addition, it is necessary to consider - the order of growing crops in a specific area.
Sowing dates for carrots
Experienced gardeners know how important correct date sowing. The yield of root crops directly depends on this. After all, the ripening time different varieties varies greatly. In addition, it is necessary to focus on the desired harvest time.
To get early carrots, the so-called "bundle production", they practice winter or spring crops early ripening 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 topsoil has warmed up.
Recurrent cold snap 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 ripening varieties can be sown much earlier.
Carrot varieties
Among the many 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 the site fermilon.ru
"Tushon" - 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 category of mid-season. Full ripening occurs no earlier than 85-90 days after planting. Blunt-pointed roots 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 the emergence of mass shoots. Root length - up to 15 cm, weight - up to 150 g.
"Queen of Autumn" - late-ripening carrots, ideal for winter storage. It takes 125-135 days to fully mature. The mass of one root crop is about 160 g, the length is up to 20 cm.
"Flakke"- representative of the category of late varieties. Harvesting starts 100-120 days after sowing. The length of the root crop reaches 30 cm, average weight fluctuates between 150-170 g. 
Clockwise: Queen of Autumn, Flacque, Nantes, Vitamin.Photo from the site fermilon.ru
Before buying carrot seeds, you need to decide how the carrot 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 early May.
- Late ripe carrots are sown from mid to late June. Do not be afraid that the carrots will not have enough time to ripen. When correct cultivation root vegetables will have time to ripen until October and gain sweets.
You can plant carrots in different terms... Sowing in winter will provide the table with delicious crispy carrots for the whole summer. Routine sowing in May or June will help prepare the carrots for the winter.
Presowing seed preparation
Carrots do not sprout right away, unlike radishes. What is the reason for this? Everyone noticed that carrot seeds smell strong. This smell is given essential oilsimpregnating the seed coat. Before planting carrots, you need to wash off the essential oils. For this, the carrot seeds are poured into a cloth bag or into an old sock, tied and put in a glass. They are filled with water at a temperature of 45-50 0 C and kept until it cools completely. The water, colored light orange, is drained and the seeds are re-poured. The washed seeds are laid out on a dry towel to dry until they become loose. Our seed is now ready to be sown.
Before planting carrots with seeds, they can be glued onto a paper strip. A toothpick is immersed in glue, the seeds are hooked and glued to the paper after 1.5 cm.
How to properly plant carrots in an ordinary way
Before planting carrots, you need to prepare the ground. From autumn, for every square. m add 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 lay down on firm, compacted soil. In order for the seedlings to be friendly, the seeds must be sown at the same depth. For this, the earth is loosened with a flat cutter and the board is laid with an edge, forming grooves. Each groove is spilled with water and carrots are planted. The simplest is the case with granular seeds. The granules are laid out every 5 cm. Before planting the carrots with granules, the beds are poured abundantly 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 planting. At the first thinning, pulling out a weak sprout, we damage the delicate roots of neighboring carrots.
The sown seeds are sprinkled on top with a centimeter layer of dry earth, compost or vermicompost. The crops are not watered from above, otherwise a crust will form, which impedes 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 lightweight and has excellent moisture retention. The sprouts quickly make their way through it. Seed germination increases almost 2 times.
Tip: practice alternating carrot rows with onion planting every 15 cm. The smell of the onion will scare away the fly.
Planting carrots in a wide row. Wide-row sowing of seeds has proven itself well. Prepare grooves 15 cm wide. On the sides are planted in a row of onions to scare away carrot flies. To form a row, a board is placed on the loosened soil and pressed. A kind of track with a depth of 4 cm should form.
Dry or washed seeds are sown into spilled rows. They are mixed with sand or planted with a special planter. The carrots are covered with dry soil 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, the part of the carrot that looks out of the ground turns green, but we don't need it.
How to plant carrots with sprouted seeds? To accelerate 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 get entangled in its fibers and break off during sowing.
Before planting carrots with sprouted seeds, the rows are watered in advance and regularly moistened from a watering can until shoots appear.
How to plant carrots before winter
Many gardeners do not dare to risk carrot seeds, fearing that they will germinate ahead of time or freeze out. If carrots are sown correctly before winter, then all summer you can get fresh vitamins on the table. Only one minus - carrots from winter sowing are not suitable for storage. You will have to eat it all summer or freeze it for the winter.
The land must be prepared by mid-October. The place is chosen horizontally without slopes so that the seeds are not washed away by spring floods. The soil is plowed, fertilizers are applied and rows are cut 4 cm deep.It is advisable to cover the grooves with foil and press boards along the perimeter so that 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 indicate the location of the carrot rows. The seeds are covered with peat, humus or dry sifted earth, prepared in advance.
Do not wash and moisten the seeds, otherwise they will die. Also, you can not sow seeds in wet ground - carrot seeds will germinate and seedlings will die.
Now you know how to properly plant carrots. Choose the method you like and get down to business.
Carrots belong to the Umbrella family. AT wildlife grows in America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Afghanistan is considered its homeland, as many of its species grow there. It is believed that carrots were cultivated as early as four thousand years ago. In Russia, it was first mentioned in the 16th century.
Carrots now grow literally on any personal plot... At the same time, 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 harvest will appear two weeks earlier. The seeds will undergo winter hardening, and in spring, due to melting snow, they will strengthen root system.
- In autumn, only early varieties are planted, which are not suitable for winter storage.
- In areas with very cold winters, the beds should be covered with sawdust, leaves, spruce branches.
- Crops should be placed 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 it can be planted immediately after the snow melts.
- You can plant it already at the end of April, when the air temperature is +15, and the soil warms up to +5.
- If planted earlier, seeds will take longer to germinate.
- The beds can be covered with foil to speed up seed germination.
- When they appear, the seedlings are removed from 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, the seedlings will not have to wait long.
Choosing a good seed
Early varieties
Early varieties is distinguished by low sugar content. They are not suitable for long storage, but just two months after planting, they will delight you 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 in color. Does not crack. Increased carotene content.
Fun F1. A hybrid from Siberia. The crop 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 color, up to 14 cm and weight 160 g. 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. Store well in winter.
Losinoostrovskaya. The shape is cylindrical. The ripening period does not exceed 100 days. Delicate, very juicy carrots. Grows poorly on clay and sand. Requires abundant systematic watering. Good grade for long-term storage.
Boltex. A high-yielding carrot variety that fully matures in 120 days. Bright orange color, 19 cm long, thin skin.
Vitamin 6. Cylindrical shape. Orange color... Fully formed in 100 days. Up to 19 cm. Suitable for winter storage.
Late varieties
Late varieties characterized by long growth for 110 - 130 days. Suitable for long-term storage.
Red giant. The variety was developed by breeders from Germany. It grows in 110 days. In the form of a cone. They grow 24 cm and 100 grams. The pulp is red in color. Stored for a long time.
The Queen of Autumn. Ripens in four months. 22 cm. Juicy carrots. The root crop is recommended to be sown in the winter.
Karlena. It is formed within 130 days. The variety loves loose and fertile soil and timely abundant watering.
When choosing a carrot variety, you must consider climatic zonewhere it will be grown, soil condition, ripening period. As well as shape, size and storage capacity. Having decided, you can proceed to choosing 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 growing in this place.
Carrots love 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 grows poorly 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 towards predecessors.
Carrots should not be planted after parsley, dill, fennel, beets, sorrel. Tomatoes, pumpkin, onion, garlic, potatoes, salad are good predecessors for it.
It is better to prepare the soil for sowing in the fall. It is necessary to dig up with a shovel one and a half lengths of a bayonet. If the dug is shallow, the carrots will grow to a hard layer and go sideways. Therefore, instead of even long root crops, you will get ugly specimens.
Fertilizers are applied before digging into the soil. Overripe manure is placed half a bucket on square meter... Sawdust is added to heavy soil at the rate of 2 - 3 liters per meter. Carrots grow well if you add fertilizers with phosphate and potassium; wood ash, sand. They dig everything up and leave. In the spring, they dig up everything again, level and sow seeds.
It must be remembered that it is forbidden to use fresh manure as fertilizer. It hurts the culture. Fresh manure is rich in nitrogen, and root crops are distinguished by their ability to quickly accumulate nitrates. Carrots grow irregularly shaped, and the smell of a fresh mullein attracts various garden pests.
The soil is ready, now you can approach the selection and preparation of seeds.
Seed preparation
Carrot seeds sprout for a long time, up to three weeks. The seed shell is impregnated with essential oils. They prevent moisture from getting inside. First, the seeds need to be sorted. This is done with salt water. Seed material is thrown into salted water, mixed. The floated ones are thrown away, and the settled ones can be planted.
Four effective waysthat will ensure fast germination:
- Soaking seeds in biostimulants ("Epin", "Fitolife") for 20 hours.
- Boiling water treatment. The 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, there are already sprouts on the seeds. They can be planted.
- Soak. Carrot seeds are wrapped in wet cloth or cotton wool for a day.
Any method will accelerate seed germination.
To increase the frost resistance of the seeds, they are hardened. To do this, soaked, but not yet sprouted seeds are removed in the refrigerator, on a vegetable shelf and kept for a week. Also, hardening can be carried out by alternating temperatures.
Seeds purchased from hands, grown independently and not renowned manufacturers... Seeds from large and well-known producers are usually ready for planting, they are treated with insecticides and fungicides.
Industrial processed granulated seeds are completely ready for sowing and preliminary preparation dont need. Some seeds are sold on tape. This simplifies planting and allows you not to thin out the carrots in the future.
Manufacturers also offer seeds in the form of pills. 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 companies - producers, will reduce the time spent on preparation and provide a higher germination rate.
Seeds prepared independently or industrially can be sown.
Planting carrot seeds
Before planting seeds, it is necessary to assess the moisture content of the soil. If it's dry, you need to moisten it. In the bed, grooves are made 15 cm apart and 2 cm deep.
There are several ways to plant:
- Small seeds are scattered by hand along the grooves.
- Soaked and sprouted seeds are planted more accurately.
- Seeds in the form of pills.
- From a syringe. Jelly is cooked from flour, nutrients are added there, cooled, seeds are placed in the composition. Using a syringe, sow evenly into the grooves.
- Seeds on strips of paper. This method will avoid further thinning.
Then the top is covered with earth and compacted by hand or a special plate. The carrots are planted. In the future, she needs systematic care.
Planting care
For good harvest the following care is required:
- regular watering;
- loosening;
- timely weeding;
- thinning;
- top dressing.
Watering
Carried out after planting seeds. It is very important. Lack of moisture affects the taste. The carrots become bitter in taste. And it begins to release side roots that seek moisture, which affects appearance... Watered once every 7 days, taking into account the precipitation. They start with three liters per meter, increasing the volume to 20 liters as they grow.
Watering is stopped completely three weeks before harvesting.
Loosening
Spend between the rows. Weeding is done as the weeds grow. This procedure can be combined with decimation. Thinning is carried out two times. When will the leaves appear and when the carrots will form. Ideally, the distance should be 15 cm. After the leaves appear, the plant needs to be fed. You can use 15 grams of urea. per meter. It reacts well to fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium.
Collection of grown carrots and storage
Carrots are best harvested in dry weather. Dig it with a shovel. Do not cut off the tops, but unscrew them. It will not harm the fetus. Store in a cellar at +5 degrees.
Carrots can be folded into bags with holes, boxes of sawdust and sand. Sawdust is preferred. If the cellar is not moist enough, the sawdust can be moistened with water. Carrots prefer high humidity.
Diseases and garden carrot pests
In order to harvest healthy, beautiful and tasty carrots, it is important not to let them get sick and prevent small pests, destroy the future harvest.
The plant is susceptible to the following diseases:
- Dry rot. Fungus. Carrot leaves have gray - brown spots, the entire root crop is affected. The crop can rot.
- Gray rot. Causes wet decay.
- White rot... Also a fungus. Everything in the garden amazes. It is spread by mycelium. Can get into soil with manure.
- Bacteriosis. The reason is bacteria. First, the leaves turn yellow, then the root crop itself, ulcers are formed. The plant starts to smell bad.
- Powdery mildew... It manifests itself as a white bloom on plants. The site of the lesion is hard and breaks.
- Cercosporosis. Caused by a fungus. Brown spots can be seen on the leaves. Gradually, they grow and rot.
To prevent disease, it is important to adhere to 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 vegetable garden should be treated with immunocytophyte;
- fertilize.
In addition to diseases, there are pests that love this root crop:
- carrot fly;
- carrot flap;
- carrot moth;
- gall nematode;
- bear;
- wireworm;
- naked slug;
- winter scoops.
The struggle is reduced to spraying and watering carrots with solutions of various drugs.
Carrots are a popular plant. Rarely does a dish go without it. It is rich in carotene and other vitamins. Carotene strengthens memory and is good for vision. It is low in calories and high in benefits. By growing this crop in the garden, you can get delicious dietary product... With a little effort, the harvest will delight you.
Carrots are unpretentious and require minimal maintenance. However, you need to take care of it correctly. Learn how to prepare seeds for planting, how to grow carrots and not give them away to pests.
Seed selection
Growing carrots begins with the selection of seeds. They are sold in different types: there are regular seed bags, pellets and seeds taped on the tape. Many gardeners do not like to plant pellets and ribbons because they have poor germination. So go for traditional bagged seeds. Pay attention to the colored seeds, they are treated with a fungicide, do not require pre-sowing treatment. In addition, it is easier to place them in the grooves without thickening the crops.
There are many varieties and hybrids of carrots. The most popular ones are:
Nantes;
Losinoostrovskaya 13;
Chantenay 2461;
Vitamin 6;
Samson.
If you want to collect seeds in the future, use only varietal carrots. Hybrids in the next generation lose their characteristics.
The soil
Loamy soil is most suitable for carrots.
Heavy clay soil it will be difficult for her to germinate, therefore in such conditions it is better to make a bed-box. In the fall, the earth must be dug up here, and in the spring compost and humus must be added.
Sandy soil is too light to hold the moisture needed for carrots. Therefore, here, too, you need to raise the bed and fill it annually with turf soil and compost.
Sunny places are allocated for carrots, thick shade is avoided. It is good if onion or nightshade crops were grown on the plot allocated for planting last year. After the umbrella carrots are not planted.
Acidic soils are limed in the fall - they are applied per square meter in a glass of chalk, lime-fluff or dolomite flour, after dug up. Ash also helps to reduce acidity.
Fertilizers are covered in spring during soil preparation. 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 not a tricky business, but there are secrets here too.
Nature with the help of essential oils has protected its seeds from premature shoots. Open the seed bag and inhale the scent. The more intense it is, the more oils and the fresher the seeds. For carrots to sprout faster, you just need to wash off the essential oils. For 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 in that much.
Presowing seed preparation is different, and each gardener needs to experimentally find optimal wayhow to grow carrots. Here are three tried and tested methods that you might find useful.
The first way
This is the easiest way to prepare seeds:
1.heat the 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, the 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 tight cotton bag;
3. Bury the shovel on the bayonet for 1-2 weeks;
4. Dig up and mix a tablespoon of seeds with half a glass of sand and a few seeds of a radish or salad;
5.Sow in furrows in the garden bed.
After such underground imprisonment, 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 radish grows faster than carrots, so you always know where the furrows are. This is convenient when you need to loosen the soil, and the seedlings are still too small.
Third way
Many gardeners try to full program optimize the cultivation of carrots in the open field. To do this, they independently make tapes with proven seeds:
soak the seeds in a gauze bag for 2-3 days;
rinse regularly, then dry;
boil the paste from flour and water;
take toilet paper, unwind it to the required length;
apply drops of paste on a 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 place the tapes in damp furrows 2 cm deep, cover with earth and tamp. Can be spilled again with water. The paper will naturally decompose and the seeds will sprout.
This is a laborious method, but it has advantages. You will have to thin out seedlings less. Kleister will not let the seeds "scatter" in the garden, so if you wish, you can even calculate the amount of harvest.
Planting carrots: in spring or before winter?
Carrots are usually grown in spring. Seeds are sown from late April to early June - the timing depends on the variety and growing 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 harvest in the middle of July in most of Russia. However, this has its drawbacks: the seeds may freeze and not sprout; if the seeds have sprouted, then return frosts in spring can destroy them.
If you have a desire to experiment, remember that you need to increase the seed consumption 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 freezing temperatures.
The standard scheme for growing carrots: grooves with a gap of 20 cm.They are cut in raised beds (especially in damp places) or along flat surface... In the spring, before sowing, the grooves are well watered (in autumn they are planted in dry ones), the seeds are laid out, and covered with loose soil. To accelerate germination, the crops are covered with spunbond, it retains moisture and prevents the formation of a soil crust. After the sprouts appear, the shelter is removed.
Care
When growing carrots, certain rules must be followed. This applies to most garden crops.
The surface of the earth should be loose so that water flows freely to the roots. If you notice a hard crust on the bed, loosen it up. This crust usually forms after watering.
The soil must be moist. Carrots will not grow if they "float" in the garden or are thirsty while sitting in dry ground.
Carrots are not watered often, but deeply, so that the root crop grows straight down, and does not look for moisture at the surface, does not curl and does not separate.
Regardless of how you planted carrots, its shoots need to be thinned out. It is almost impossible to avoid this. Therefore, to obtain large root crops, leave a distance of 5 cm between them. If you need a small carrot, the distance between shoots is 2 cm. Thinning is usually like this: just pull out the weakest seedlings with your fingers. Some gardeners have adapted to cut out unnecessary seedlings 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 feeding per season with gratitude.
Pests
Growing carrots outdoors often becomes a struggle for crop integrity.
The carrot fly is a real disaster for gardeners. For many years, you can grow carrots and not know the troubles, but at one "not beautiful" moment everything changes. The tops begin to curl and dry out. And the larvae of this insect begin to eat the pulp of the root crop.
In some cases, late sowing of carrots in mid-June or planting plants with a strong smell on the garden bed with carrots can help: onions, marigolds, cilantro, garlic.
However, the most effective way to protect yourself from flies is to mulch the garden. After planting, it must be covered with a non-woven covering material. As soon as the seedlings grow up, you need to cover the ground with sawdust or shavings in a layer of 5 cm. Do not tighten up with shelter! The main thing is to prevent the fly from reaching the ground, where it lays the larvae. In summer, add mulch if necessary, because the fly is active for most of the season.
Collection and storage
Harvesting in different regions happens in different time, but usually you need to have time to remove the carrots before frost.
It is easy to determine the technical ripeness of carrots: the rosette of leaves from erect turns into a spreading one. This transformation occurs 90-130 days from germination, depending on the variety.
However, you can eat carrots earlier. Bunch ripeness occurs on 50-65 days.
Spill the dry beds well a week before digging up so that the carrots go juicy for storage. If heavy rains are expected, dig up the carrots before they start, so you save the crop from possible rotting.
Growing carrots correctly is half the battle. The remaining half falls on crop storage. Remember, if you don't have a cellar, don't plant too much. If there is one, and it is cool, and the air is well ventilated, proceed as follows:
Cut the tops off about 1-5 mm from the top on each carrot;
wash and dry the root vegetables, do not keep them in the bright sun for a long time to keep them juicy;
remove all thin roots so that the carrot does not start growing during storage (you can rub the root crop with a gloved hand);
place the carrots vertically in crates 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 the 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 monitor the moisture content of the ground and avoid 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.