How to grow carrots outdoors. Growing carrots in open ground: rules and recommendations

Almost all summer residents plant carrots. This is understandable, because the root crop occupies one of the important places in any kitchen. And there is nothing complicated in planting carrots. Spread the seeds in the garden and wait for the harvest. However, everything is not so simple. About some secrets of growing and caring for carrots in open ground, about what needs to be done before sowing, as well as how to deal with uninvited guests, this article will tell.

1. What should be considered when planting carrots in open ground with seeds.
2. Soil preparation.
3. Planting carrot seeds in open ground.
4. Care for carrots in the open field and proper watering carrot garden.
5. Fight against diseases and pests.

What to consider when planting carrots in open ground with seeds

Carrots, familiar to all of us from childhood, are not so easy to grow, they are quite capricious. To really get bountiful harvest, and the crop was preserved without loss, some serious points must be taken into account:

• a bed with carrots should be located in the sunniest place, in shady places carrots will grow weakly and will not give a full-fledged vegetable;
• to get sweet carrots on the table, you need to plant it in soil that is not oversaturated with acids;
• excessive watering leads to the fact that carrots begin to grow vigorously, but coarsen and become more of a fodder than a dining room;
• this vegetable especially loves loose soil, otherwise, it will have a curved shape;
• carrots do not like fresh manure, it bends from it, the root is deformed, which leads to an ugly shape of the fruit;
• if the carrot is not watered for a long time, it loses its juiciness and sweetness;
• when, after a long dry period, abundant and frequent watering begins, the roots crack;
• without thinning, frail fruits grow that are not capable of long-term storage;
• rough thinning can lead to the fact that the neighboring (remaining) roots are deformed, several ugly fruits grow from one carrot.

If you take into account these factors, carrots will please you with even and delicious fruits that can be stored until the next harvest. But before you plant the seeds, you need to prepare the soil. Read: !

Soil preparation

A good owner begins to prepare beds for carrots from autumn days. Carrot beds should be made where cereals, cucumbers, beets, cabbage or corn used to grow. For a full-fledged harvest, only very well loosened soil is suitable. If the soil is light, not compacted, then you can simply walk with a rake or, better, with a flat cutter. In other cases, you should seriously engage in loosening, otherwise you will have to harvest a crooked, small carrot.

To achieve a bed with light and lush soil, the earth is mixed with compost, peat or sand. You can add manure, but it should be well rotted. Carrots do not like fresh manure and will respond to its introduction with thick and dense tops, fruits with a thick skin, unpleasant taste, small and ugly forms.

Since this vegetable does not tolerate acidic soils, it is worth adding dolomite flour or lime. It would be wise to add various fertilizers right from the fall. In the spring, such a bed should be carefully loosened again and only after that the seeds should be sown.

Planting carrot seeds in open ground

Some summer residents plant seeds simply in the ground, however, it is much better to put carrot seeds to soak for 3-4 days, and then dry them a little. This will identify non-germinating seeds and significantly speed up the germination process. How to plant carrot seeds outdoors experienced gardeners know themselves. But, since the seeds are very small and it is difficult to plant them, gardeners have come up with some ways to ensure that small seeds lie flat and do not fall all in one place.

Planting carrots in open ground with seeds is as follows:

• most often the seeds are mixed with sand, they do not stick together and fall more evenly in rows;
• per roll toilet paper each seed is glued with a paste at the right distance, in the spring such tapes are simply added dropwise to the garden;
• jelly is prepared from potato starch, seeds are placed in it and poured through the spout of the kettle into prepared rows;
• if the carrot seeds are coated, they are simply sown in the grooves.

In any case, the seeds are planted at a distance of 3–5 cm from each other in rows, and a distance of 15–20 cm should be maintained between the rows (grooves) themselves.

So that the weeds do not crush the tender shoots, and the moisture does not erode and a crust does not appear on the soil, the crops are covered with a film. Shoots appear at a temperature of 18 degrees in two weeks. Moreover, young shoots are not afraid of short-term frosts, but after a long cold, the plant stops growing roots and gives out flowering.

Carrot care in the open field and proper watering of the carrot garden

Growing carrots and caring for them in the open field requires a certain systematic approach. This is especially true for irrigation. It is very important to know how to water carrots in the open field. After all, with a lack of watering, young roots may not reach the water, and the seedlings will die, and overflow threatens to turn tasty and juicy carrots into livestock feed. Watering should be plentiful, but not often. When the carrots already form long roots, some gardeners stop watering it altogether. In this case, the roots rush straight down, forming straight and long roots.

Frequent, shallow watering promotes hair growth in carrots and the fact that the fruit grows crooked. But weaning the plant from watering is also risky. If the carrots are on water starvation for a long time, and then suddenly a rainy period comes, all the fruits will crack. Watering carrots in open ground should not be frequent, but systematic. Already from the moment of the first shoots, carrots can be fed, she will gratefully accept this.

In addition to watering, thinning is necessary. Small seeds, when planted, sometimes fall so close to each other that they do not allow the fruits to fully develop. If thinning is neglected, carrots will grow thin, frail, which will quickly rot during storage, and it will not be suitable for the table.

Carrot care in the open field contains another very milestone- loosening. As described above, carrots without this procedure grow crooked, small and ugly. Very often, loosening is combined with weeding or thinning. Weeding is also needed so that strong weeds do not obscure the sprouts.

Disease and pest control

One of the pests of the vegetable is the carrot fly. In order to get rid of it, it is better to arrange the beds in a windy place in advance, the fly does not like winds. It is very advisable to plant carrots next to onions. And so that she does not even look at the carrot bed, it is better to sprinkle the bed hot pepper, gold or tobacco dust, mowed grass or straw.

From the rot of carrots, timely thinning and loosening helps. Another pest is the mole. To combat this bully, stores offer whole line funds. On proper care Carrots in the open field will take a lot of time and effort, however, a luxurious harvest is worth it.

No garden is complete without carrots. Along with potatoes, it occupies one of the most honorable places in cooking, so the cultivation of carrots in the open field is practiced everywhere. There is nothing complicated in the agricultural technology of the culture, however, in order to get a high yield of tasty and healthy root crops, you need to know some subtleties about the requirements of the culture for conditions and care.

Not only the overall yield, but also the entire process of growing carrots depends on the quality of the seeds. The speed of its germination, resistance to negative effects, and, finally, the ripening period of root crops, depend on how fresh the seed material is, the sooner the seeds sprout, the sooner it will be possible to feast on carrots. For each of these stages to be successful, it is necessary to approach the choice with all responsibility. seed.

If you buy ready-made seeds in a store or market, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date. Carrots do not belong to those crops whose seeds get even better from time to time, so the freshest material must be chosen. There are several external signs by which you can determine the freshness of the seeds. First of all, they should not be very dry and flattened. Healthy and fresh seeds are brown-brown in color, their surface is slightly convex and ribbed.

Everyone chooses a variety of carrots according to their taste, so we pay attention only to the ripening time. For summer consumption, the production of fresh juices, it is advisable to plant early varieties (ripening in 60-80 days), the young harvest of which can be dug up already at the end of June. For storage and harvesting, it is better to plant carrots of medium and late ripening. All this information, as well as recommendations for growing, appear on the package with seeds. Study it carefully and choose a variety according to your taste and preferences.

Video "Selection of seeds"

From the video you will learn how to choose seeds for planting.

Soil preparation

Such a seemingly unpretentious carrot is actually quite demanding on the soil and planting site. When preparing a site for its cultivation, the following points must be considered:

It is also necessary to prepare a bed for carrots in the fall. To begin with, the site should be dug to a depth of at least 20-25 cm. Although carrot seeds are sown shallowly, root crops sometimes reach great depths, so you need to dig and loosen deeply.

The culture needs light soil, so all the lumps need to be broken with a rake and the surface leveled. If the soil is not very loose, peat with sand is added to it, and compost or a little humus is added to increase fertility.

Acidic soils are leveled by adding ash, lime or dolomite flour. In the spring, the bed will just need to be well loosened again.

Crop rotation

Like most vegetable crops, carrots are not recommended to be planted for several years in a row in one place. In addition, it is also necessary to alternate the location of the beds correctly, since after each crop pests, bacteria and excess trace elements remain in the soil, which may not be suitable and even harm the carrots. Carrots should not be sown in areas where salad greens (parsley, dill, celery) and herbs (cumin, fennel) used to grow. Cereals, nightshade (potatoes, tomatoes) and legumes are considered good predecessors for carrots. You can sow it after cabbage, beets, cucumbers.

Seeding methods

The germination of carrot seeds in natural conditions is quite low (75-85%), besides, they are very small and inconvenient to work with, so gardeners invented various ways, reducing seed consumption and facilitating the planting process. Before sowing in the soil, the seeds should be treated with disinfectants (potassium permanganate, boric acid).

To speed up seedlings, the material can be soaked for a couple of days in water, and then sowed using one of the following methods:

• for manual sowing, the seeds are mixed with dry sand, so it is easier to evenly distribute them in rows, and they do not stick together when sowing;
• manual seeder (a small box with a button for scattering seeds), using this device, the seeds are distributed evenly and economically;
• usage paper tape, a roll of toilet paper cut into thin strips is usually used, on which the seeds are laid, covered with paste on top, and when the tape dries, it is simply buried in moist soil;
• the use of potato starch, some craftsmen pour the seeds into a jelly of medium density, mix well, and then pour this liquid along with the seeds into rows;
• granulated seeds (covered with a special nutrient coating) are the easiest way, as such seeds are free-flowing, easy to sow and spread by hand.

Watering crops

Watering is the most critical part of caring for carrots. The fact is that the culture is quite whimsical to soil moisture. Excessive moisture leads to the fact that the roots begin to grow intensively, but the flesh becomes rough, tasteless and acquires a light color instead of orange. If the plants are limited in watering, then the root crops will lose their juiciness and sweetness, and if they are renewed again, then the root crops will simply crack. This slightly complicates the cultivation and care of the crop.

To avoid these difficulties, watering should be systematic, but moderate. The amount of water should be calculated so that the soil is moistened to the entire depth of the root crops, otherwise the main root may never reach the water. In addition, surface watering leads to the curvature of root crops, excessive hairiness (the formation of small root shoots on a vegetable). In summer weather, carrots should be watered often - 1 time / 2-3 days, in cloudy weather as the topsoil dries.

Agricultural technology

If you do not take into account the peculiarities of irrigation, then there is nothing complicated in the agricultural technology of culture. Further care in open ground consists in regular weeding of beds, loosening, fertilizing. Immediately after sowing, the bed must be covered with a film. This is done so that the moisture does not evaporate prematurely, and a crust does not form on the surface. In addition, the shelter will accelerate the warming of the soil, therefore, seedlings will appear earlier.

Whichever way you sow your seeds, the result will still be thickened seedlings. Thinning carrots is carried out several times as the root crops grow. The first procedure is usually carried out 10-12 days after germination. At this time, the strongest shoots are left at a distance of 3-4 cm. The second thinning is carried out after another 10 days.

This time, the distance between the largest plants should be about 6 cm. Thinning is a must for carrots. If it is not carried out, the root crops will grow small and thin, and pests, for example, slugs, will begin to settle in wet and dense plantings.

Fertilization

Carrots do not need frequent feeding. The nutritional basis for the culture is laid when digging the site in the fall. At this time, it is desirable to add organics, as well as a potash mixture. For the entire summer period, fertilizers should be applied no more than two times:

As a fertilizer, you can use organic or mineral mixtures, depending on your preference. Top dressing is desirable to make in liquid form by watering. It is permissible to combine mineral and organic components, for example, ash (2 cups), nitrophoska (1 tablespoon), potassium nitrate (20 g), urea and superphosphate (15 g each), dilute all this in a bucket of water, and use for watering 2 times during the season.

Diseases and pests

The main enemy of this vegetable crop is the carrot fly. External signs her presence - twisted leaves. The pest appears in too wet and thickened plantings, on dried weeds, so you need to regularly monitor the cleanliness of the beds. To prevent the appearance of an insect, it is recommended to plant carrots next to onions, garlic, and also in windy areas, the fly does not tolerate wind. With a strong spread of insects, Intavir, Actellik and similar preparations are used.

Carrots are one of the main crops that gardeners plant every year on their plots. It is used in the summer-autumn period, and they also make preparations for the winter. With the right agricultural technology, getting a rich harvest of root crops is not difficult. Learn how to prepare the beds, plant carrots outdoors in the spring, and take care of the plants during their growing season. If you are new to vegetable growing, these tips will be especially helpful.

To grow a beautiful, even, large carrot, the soil for planting it is prepared in the fall. This vegetable, like any garden crop, has its own requirements for the site on which it will grow. Under carrots, areas well-lit by the sun are taken away; in shading, plants bear fruit poorly. They are very elongated, give a lot of green mass, but at the same time the lower part is small and thin.

It also matters after which crops to place carrots in your garden. The best predecessors for her are potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage. The vegetable grows well in the beds where zucchini or cucumbers used to be. You can plant carrots after crops such as onions and garlic.

Root crops of the highest quality are obtained on light, cultivated, fertile soils, with a good layer of humus and breathability, with neutral or weak acidity. For planting carrots in the spring, the ground in the beds is well prepared. On clay soils, leavening agents are applied. They can be peat, hardwood sawdust, sunflower husks, sand. On sandy soils, where beneficial nutrients are quickly washed out by moisture into the deep layers, good result gives the addition of clay and peat. The soil is not lime before growing carrots; it is performed in the previous season. In the same way, fresh manure is not added to this crop, but it is allowed to apply it under predecessors.

For every m 2 of vegetable beds, 2-3 kg of humus and mineral phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are added. For example, 25-30 g (1.5 matchbox) of superphosphate and 15 g (slightly less than 1 tablespoon) of potassium sulfate. With a lack of organic nitrogen fertilizers for carrots, an additional 15-20 g of saltpeter or urea (1 Matchbox). Next, the earth is deeply dug. The clods are left without leveling in the layers, in the spring they are well loosened before planting.

When to plant carrots

Spring planting of carrots in vegetable growing is considered traditional. In addition, it can be sown in the ground in summer and autumn before winter. The vegetable belongs to cold-resistant crops, the seeds germinate and sprout at a soil temperature of + 3 ° C (preferably 5-7 ° C). But this is possible only if there is a sufficient amount of moisture; in dry land, carrots may not start growing for a month or more.

Depending on the climatic features of the region and weather conditions in each particular season, the timing of planting carrots in open ground will be different. Generally speaking, seeds can be planted from the end of March to June. In the southern regions, the earliest sowing of seeds is possible, in the north favorable conditions need to wait a little longer.

Since each garden season is different in its own way, the date is not strongly oriented. The following indicators are adhered to: soil temperature from 5 ° C, the absence of forecasts for cooling and especially severe frosts, the presence of natural moisture in the soil.

In addition, it is worth considering the ripening time of the selected carrot variety. The seeds of late-ripening plants are sown first. They have a long growing season (more than 120 days), so they must not only grow, but also grow root crops before the fall. Often, with early planting, such beds are additionally covered with a film from frost. If the seedlings fall under frost, some plants throw out flower stalks in the summer to the detriment of the formation of root crops.

Seeds of mid-season varieties of carrots grow from 90 to 120 days. They are sown in terms from about mid-April to mid-May. Further, only early-ripening species are used for planting. At the same time, in most cases, soaking the seeds and additional irrigation of the beds is required. Deadline planting carrots in the private sector - before the Trinity.

Pre-sowing preparation of carrots

Carrot seeds remain viable for 3-4 years. But at the same time, the best germination rates are observed in the freshest seed. Then the germination drops sharply. The gardener has to either use more seeds for planting, or observe bald rows in the garden. Therefore, when buying a carrot variety you like in a store, you should pay attention Special attention on the packing date. When using your own seeds, it is best to sow those that are 1 or 2 years old.

How exactly to prepare carrot seeds for planting is up to everyone to decide. The minimum that can be done is to calibrate the seed, immediately removing bad specimens. It is also advisable to pickle the seeds in fungicides or soak in potassium permanganate for disinfection. Next, they must be dried to a loose state.

Carrot seeds are sown in the ground both in dry form and after pre-soaking. The first option is chosen for the earliest landings, when there is a possibility of cold snaps. Such seeds germinate longer, but do not die with a decrease in temperature. When the soil warms up again optimal values, they quickly start growing.

To obtain quick shoots, carrots are soaked or germinated before planting. For soaking, choose any of the options:

1. Carrot seeds are aged clean water with a temperature of 30 ° C throughout the day. The fluid is replaced several times with a new one. If desired, ash is added to the solution. After the seeds are washed with clean water.
2. Seeds before planting are placed in a solution of growth stimulants. The manufacturer indicates the amount of substance and soaking time in the instructions. For carrots, you can use sodium humate, Silk, Epin, etc.
3. Seeds are wrapped in cloth and immersed in water at 50 °C for 20 minutes. After that, the carrots are cooled in cold liquid for 2-3 minutes.

In all cases, before planting in the ground, the seeds are dried a little for the convenience of working with them.

For germination, the seed is first kept in water for 2 hours. Then the seeds are laid out in one layer on a cloth, covered with a napkin or the same piece of cloth on top. Keep moist all the time. After swelling and spitting of part of the seeds, they are placed in the refrigerator for 10 days. So carrots undergo additional hardening.

Methods for sowing carrots

To get a rich harvest of root crops in the fall, the seeds must be planted correctly. On private plots, gardeners usually use a row planting pattern for carrots and narrow, long beds that are easy to care for. If we talk about the distance that should be adhered to when planting, then 20, 25 or 30 cm are left between the rows (depending on the variety, soil fertility, free land area on the site). There should be 3-5 cm between plants.

From how correctly the carrots will be sown in the spring, its yield, and in some cases, germination, directly depends. This is a small-seeded crop, therefore it is not worth burying sowing material in the ground. It is necessary to sow carrot seeds to a depth of only 1-1.5 cm. On light sandy soils, up to 2 cm is permissible. A deeper planting may cause the sprouts to not be able to break out. They just don't have the strength to do it.

In amateur vegetable growing, various methods of planting carrots in open ground are used. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Try and choose the one that is convenient for you.

Sowing seeds

The easiest and easiest way to plant carrots is from seeds. To do this, it is enough to mark the rows on the bed and make shallow furrows in the ground. To make the lines even, you will need twine and a couple of pegs. With their help, it is easy to maintain the required distance between the rows.

In order to properly observe the seeding depth when sowing, many gardeners use a long wooden lath. It is pressed with an edge into the ground, removed and even identical furrows are obtained. If necessary, they are watered, and then seeds are sown there. Sprinkle on top with fertile soil, peat, compost and tamp a little.

With early sowing, the beds are covered with a film, which allows you to maintain more high temperature soil, retain moisture and protect seedlings from accidental frosts. With the onset of stable heat, the protective cover is removed. After the appearance of all shoots, the extra plants are thinned out.

Sowing on a toilet paper tape

This method requires some preparation, but saves time when planting and reduces the amount of seeds used. In addition, it allows you to accurately maintain the distance in a row between plants. This method is suitable for those who want to plant carrots so as not to thin them out after.

First, cut pieces of paper that correspond to the length of the rows. Starch paste is prepared or flour is kneaded in water until it becomes thick sour cream. The width of the roll is visually divided into 3 equal parts. Then the seeds are glued in the first row, they maintain a distance of 3-5 cm and repeat everything again. To exclude the loss of plants due to the fact that some seed did not sprout, they are placed in pairs. Before planting, the seed tape is cut into long narrow strips, which are simply lowered into the grooves and sprinkled with earth.

Landing with river sand

In order not to thin out carrots that have risen more often than necessary, you can use the following method. They take large, slightly moistened river sand, mix it with seeds in a ratio of 5 to 1. This mixture is evenly scattered into the prepared furrows. From above, when planting carrots with sand, the seeds are sprinkled with a thin layer of earth, tamped a little, and then poured on top of peat and cover the beds with a film so that the seeds sprout faster. Such a planting of carrots will save seeds and not pull seedlings later.

Seeder use

You can plant carrots in open ground using a seeder homemade. These can be salt shakers, a strainer, or small plastic containers with a lid, in which holes are made a little larger than carrot seeds. It remains only to pour seeds into them and sow them in the ground. Such devices for planting seeds can be used not only for carrots, but also for other crops, if you make several covers for them with holes of different diameters.

Seeds in granules

Seed granulation is a method that allows you to increase the size of carrot seeds and thus make them easier to sow. They are planted on beds at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. Planting carrots in granules helps save seeds and does not thin out too thick seedlings in the beds.

Carrot care

Watering and soil density are what you need to pay special attention to when caring for this plant in the open field. It is necessary to water the soil abundantly only during the period active growth tops. When the growth of the root crop begins, watering is reduced. But it is impossible to leave plants completely without water, since it is too much to flood them after a drought. Sharp fluctuations in moisture in the soil are the reason that carrots will be clumsy, with cracks and numerous additional roots over the entire surface of the root crop. 2 weeks before harvest, watering is stopped altogether.

After each watering, the soil is loosened as deep as possible (near the root crops themselves carefully) so that it remains soft and airy. Carrots are fed with this fertilizer: dissolve in a bucket of water

• 15 g of saltpeter and superphosphate;
• 20 g of potassium nitrate;
• 1 st. l. nitrophoska;
• 2 cups of ash.

Rows of carrots are shed with this solution only 2 times: a month after it has risen and another 2 months after that.

Carrots are harvested in the fall, when its root crops have reached the size and shape corresponding to the variety. Dig them with a shovel on a dry, not rainy day. The collected root crops are dried a little in the beds, then put in boxes or nets and lowered into the cellar for storage.

Expert opinion

gardener

Planting and growing carrots in the open field is a simple and exciting business. Follow the rules for planting and growing this crop, and in the fall you can get excellent harvest orange roots.

Carrots belong to the Umbrella family. In the wild, it 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 Rus', 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

1. You can plant carrots in winter, and the crop will appear two weeks earlier. The seeds will undergo winter hardening, and in the spring, due to the melting of snow, the root system will be strengthened.
2. In autumn, only early varieties are planted that are not suitable for winter storage.
3. In areas where winters are very cold, beds should be covered with sawdust, leaves, spruce branches.
4. 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.

1. The root crop is a moisture-loving plant, so you can plant it immediately after the snow melts.
2. You can plant as early as the end of April, when the air temperature is +15, and the soil warms up to +5.
3. If planted earlier, the seeds will take longer to germinate.
4. The beds can be covered with a film to speed up the germination of seeds.
5. When they appear, shoots remove the film.
6. 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.
7. 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 are distinguished by low sugar content. They are not suitable for long-term storage, but after only two months after planting, they will be pleased with the first root crops.

Lady. A high-yielding variety, after three months it can be completely harvested. 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 are characterized by 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:

1. site location;
2. the quality of the soil;
3. cultures previously grown in the area.

Carrots love sunny places without shade. 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. carrot grows irregular shape, 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:

1. Soaking seeds in biostimulants ("Epin", "Fitolife") for 20 hours.
2. Boiling treatment. Seeds must be placed in a cloth and kept in hot water 20 minutes. Then in cold water.
3. 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.
4. 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. Also, hardening can be carried out by alternating temperatures.

Seeds bought from hands, grown independently and from unknown producers need to be prepared. 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:

1. Small seeds are scattered by hand along the grooves.
2. Soaked and germinated seeds are planted more carefully.
3. Seeds in the form of dragees.
4. 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.
5. 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:

1. Dry rot. Fungus. On carrot leaves there are gray - brown spots, the entire root crop is affected. The crop may rot.
2. Gray rot. Causes wet rot.
3. White rot. Also a fungus. It hits everything in the garden. Spread by fungus. Can get into the ground with manure.
4. 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.
5. powdery mildew. Appears as a white coating on plants. The lesion is hard and breaks.
6. 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.

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 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 of 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.