Carrots are grown in almost every garden, but they are not always successful - instead of a beauty, a meager, stunted spectacle the size of a finger grows.
But I want it to grow up big and beautiful, like they sell in the market.
Family: Umbrella or celeryaceae.
Cycle: biennial plant, in the first year of life it forms a dense rosette of leaves and a root crop, and in the second year it forms a seed bush and the seeds themselves.
Root crop: depending on the variety, round, cylindrical or conical in shape. Yellow, orange, pink, red and black-violet color.
Crop rotation: Carrots are returned to their original place no earlier than after 5 years. The best predecessors are cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, early potatoes, to which organic matter was added several years ago.
The best carrot yields are obtained in peat-swamp, floodplain, sandy loam and light soils. clay soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.
Carrots grow poorly in heavy clay areas and in the shade. The place allocated for growing carrots must be clear of weeds, especially perennial ones - wheatgrass, sow thistle, milkweed, which greatly inhibit seedlings.
Carrot cultivation: sowing time and seed placement
There is no exact landing date. The seeds are sown in cold soil, then the carrots will be large and strong. As soon as the snow melts, you can plant, year after year. This could be the end of March or the 1st or 2nd decade of April.
Carrot seeds germinate well at +3 degrees and above. The optimal temperature for development is +18 degrees…+22 degrees.
For quicker and earlier shoots of carrots, the seeds are soaked in water or a solution of microelements or growth regulators (epin, oxyhumate, hydrohumate) until completely swollen.
After soaking, the seeds are slightly dried and mixed with sand to make it easier to scatter during planting.
Before direct sowing, the beds are leveled with a rake, furrows are made, and they are spilled with warm water or a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Carrot seeds are buried 1 - 3 cm, sprinkled with sifted soil mixed with peat and lightly compact the soil with the palm of your hand or the back of a rake.
It is good to plant onions or garlic near carrots. They repel the carrot fly, the main pest, from it, and the carrot in return repels the onion fly.
Seeds can also be planted in early June and autumn (late October - early November) before the soil freezes. Planting before winter is done without preliminary soaking.
Thinning
For the first time, carrots are thinned with 1 - 2 true leaves, and again after 20 - 30 days, leaving 2.5 - 3 cm between plants. It is advisable to thin out only on cloudy days or after rain or watering.
To prevent the top part of the root crop from turning green, they are hilled up without covering the growing points.
Feeding
On soils with low nitrogen content (carrots are pale and do not develop well), the plant is fertilized 1-2 times per season with an infusion of fermented bird droppings (1:20) or manure (1:10). Nitrogen fertilizers are applied no later than the first ten days of July, potassium fertilizers without chlorine - in early August.
Carrots are responsive to watering, especially during seed germination and early growth. During the formation of root crops, it is watered regularly, but moderately, so as not to spread.
Carrot cultivation - preventive measures
To prevent aphids, carrot flies, and psyllids, carrot beds are sprayed with an infusion of marigolds or pine needles every 3 days, and after loosening and weeding, the rows are sprinkled with ash, celandine or chamomile powder.
white rot
When pests appear, carrots are treated with biological products according to the instructions. For example, lepidocide, Bitoxibacillin and others.
But from diseases caused by pathogenic fungi (alternaria) - Phytocid, Trichodermin, Mikosan - V.
Varieties
Alenka is an early ripening variety, root crops up to 12 cm long, orange color, excellent taste.
Moscow Winter is a mid-season, high-yielding variety, suitable for sowing before winter. Root vegetables up to 18 cm long, red-orange in color with a high carotene content.
Vita Longa - late-ripening variety, root vegetables do not crack and are suitable for obtaining juice. Conical root vegetables 20 - 30 cm long with a high content of keratin and sugar.
Almost all summer residents plant carrots. This is understandable, because root vegetables occupy one of the important places in any kitchen. And there is nothing complicated about planting carrots. I poured the seeds into the garden bed and waited 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.
The carrot, familiar to all of us from childhood, is not such an easy vegetable to grow; it is quite capricious. To get it for real bountiful harvest, and the harvest is preserved without loss, it is necessary to take into account some serious points:
If you take these factors into account, carrots will delight you with smooth and tasty fruits that can be stored until the next harvest. But before you plant the seeds, you need to prepare the soil. Read: !
A good owner starts preparing beds for carrots as early as autumn days. Beds for carrots should be made where cereals, cucumbers, beets, cabbage or corn used to grow. For a full harvest, only very well loosened soil is suitable. If the soil is light and not compacted, then you can simply go through it with a rake or, better yet, a flat cutter. In other cases, you should seriously engage in loosening, otherwise you will have to harvest crooked, small carrots.
To achieve a bed with light and lush soil, the soil is mixed with compost, peat or sand. You can add manure, but it must be well rotted. Carrots do not like fresh manure and will respond to its application with thick and dense tops, thick-skinned fruits, bad 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 thoroughly loosened again and only then sow the seeds.
Some summer residents simply plant the seeds in the ground, however, it is much better to soak the carrot seeds 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 carrots with seeds in open ground experienced gardeners they know themselves. But, since the seeds are very small and difficult to plant, gardeners have come up with some ways to ensure that small seeds lie evenly and do not all fall in one place.
Planting carrots in open ground with seeds is as follows:
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.
To prevent weeds from crushing tender seedlings, and to prevent moisture from evaporating and a crust forming on the soil, the crops are covered with film. Shoots appear at a temperature of 18 degrees after two weeks. Moreover, young shoots are not afraid of short-term frosts, but after a long cold period the plant stops growing roots and starts to bloom.
Growing carrots and caring for them in open ground requires a certain systematicity. This especially applies to watering. It is very important to know how to water carrots in open ground. Indeed, if there is a lack of watering, young roots may not reach the water, and the seedlings will die, and overwatering threatens to turn tasty and juicy carrots into livestock feed. You need to water abundantly, but not often. When the carrots already form long roots, some gardeners stop watering them altogether. In this case, the roots rush straight down, forming straight and long roots.
Frequent, shallow watering contributes to the growth of hairy carrots and the fact that the fruit grows crooked. But weaning the plant from watering is also risky. If carrots are starved of water 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; they will gratefully accept it.
In addition to watering, thinning is necessary. When planted, small seeds sometimes fall so close to each other that they do not allow the fruits to fully develop. If you neglect thinning, the carrots will grow thin and frail, which will quickly rot during storage, and will be of little use for the table.
Caring for carrots in open ground contains another very important stage– 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 necessary to prevent strong weeds from shading the sprouts.
One of the vegetable pests is carrot fly. In order to get rid of it, it is better to arrange the beds in advance in a windy place; the fly does not like winds. It is very advisable to plant carrots next to onions. And so that she doesn’t even look at the carrot bed, it’s better to sprinkle the bed hot pepper, gold or tobacco dust, with mown grass or straw.
Timely thinning and loosening helps prevent carrot rot. Another pest is the mole. To combat this bully, stores offer a number of means. Proper care of carrots in open ground will take a lot of effort and time, however, the luxurious harvest is worth it.
- a relatively cold-resistant plant. The minimum temperature for seed germination is not less than +4-6°C. Shoots appear at a temperature of +8°C on days 25-35, at +18°C on days 8-17, at +25°C on days 6-11.
Until the seedling has formed root hairs, it lives on reserves nutrients the seed itself. If the period between germination and development of root hairs is prolonged, 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 unfavorable conditions.
Carrot seedlings can withstand short-term frosts down to -4°C. However, this culture is prone to stalking (flowering) when it develops 5-8 leaves. Therefore, when sowing before winter or very early, it is necessary to calculate their timing so that the plants do not fall into the cold period. With the formation of 3-4, as well as 8 or more leaves, the risk of flowering is reduced.
Optimal temperature for the formation, growth and development of root crops it is +15-20°C, for the growth of the above-ground parts of plants - +20-23°C. At temperatures above +25°C, the growth and ripening of root crops is delayed.
Cold, poorly drained areas often produce pale root vegetables. irregular shape. In hot summers, when the soil overheats, the color of root crops becomes less intense.
Carrot seeds swell slowly, so sufficient soil moisture is necessary after sowing. 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 loam soil. Clay and heavy loamy soils, when drying out, form a dense crust that prevents seed germination, resulting in sparse, uneven seedlings. Heavy clay and acidic soils Carrots do not tolerate organic matter well.
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 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 is ensured 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 intensely 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. If there is a deficiency, the 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 determined 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, so you need to choose a site for carrots very carefully, sow on land that is free from weeds, and deal with them in a timely manner.
The most favorable soils for carrots are humus-rich sandy loam, light loamy and slightly acidic peaty soils. Optimal ratio batteries: N:P:K = 5:1:6. The soil should have good drainage and not be very heavy. Organic matter is added no later than a year before cultivation. The best predecessors are cabbage, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, under which manure was applied. In garden 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 close groundwater, carrots are grown on high ridges. The depth of groundwater should be at least 60-80 cm. With closer groundwater, severe branching and deformity of root crops are observed. For varieties with long root crops, the soil is cultivated to a greater depth (two shovels deep).
When growing carrots, they require well-lit areas. When shading or dense planting, especially in the first period of life due to weeds in the area, the plants become very elongated, reducing the yield and quality of root crops.
Class 1 carrot seeds have a relatively low germination rate - 70%. Field germination of seeds can be increased by almost 20% if you sow calibrated large seeds with a length of more than 0.7-0.9 mm.
Carrot seeds germinate slowly. To speed up 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 - end of April - beginning of May. Pre-winter sowing is carried out at the end of October - beginning of 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.
To ensure an even flow of moisture to the seeds, after sowing in the spring, the soil is compacted in rows. To speed up seed germination and obtain vigorous shoots, carrot crops I are protected with covering material - spunbond or lutrasil. Pre-winter sowing is mulched with peat or humus in a layer of 2-3 cm.
Plant care consists of weeding, loosening row spacing, thinning (if necessary), hilling, watering, fertilizing, pest and pathogen control.
The soil crust greatly 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.
The critical period 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 watering rate is about 10 liters per 1 m2. With excessive moisture, the tops of plants grow strongly, and the growth of root crops is delayed. Cracking of root crops occurs during a sharp transition from dryness to high humidity. Therefore, after the formation (molting) of the root crop begins, regular watering is necessary.
Carrots are fed once or twice a season 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.
In the first year of life, carrots almost never get sick. Only in certain areas there are strong outbreaks powdery mildew on 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, carrot seeds are affected mainly by Phoma and Alternaria blight.
Carrot roots are most affected during storage. The most common are dry (fomoz), black (alternaria), gray (botrytiosis) and white (sclerotinia) rot.
Fomoz
The causative agent is a fungus that infects various organs of the plant, causing them different shapes manifestations of the disease: on seedlings - root rot, 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 form. Dark dots are clearly visible on the spots - 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 from the head of the root crop and spreads like a cone to its base. When planting such root crops, the testes either do not grow at all or quickly fall out. It has been noted that Phoma mainly affects 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 first-year beets, as well as white merging spots with numerous pycnidia on the stems.
When the seminal glomeruli are damaged, pycnidia are also formed on them, immersed in the dead tissue of the pericarp. When sowing infected seeds, rootworm appears on the seedlings.
The spread of the fungus occurs mainly during rain or dew, when the pycnidia swell and emit a mass 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. Application of complete mineral fertilizer to root crops, and on soils poor in boron, magnesium borate. Foliar fertilizing with boron microfertilizers is also used.
Black rot, or Alternaria
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 is very similar in appearance to Phoma. On the surface of the root crop different places dark or grayish, slightly depressed dry spots form. Only with very high humidity On the spots, first a gray and then a dark green or almost black coating forms, consisting of sporulation of the fungus. The main feature of the difference between black rot and fomosis on root crops is the color of the diseased tissue. On a section it is coal-black (in case of Phomasis it is brown), sharply demarcated from healthy tissue.
When planting root crops affected by black rot, the seed bushes dry out 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 produce a low yield. Possible seed contamination.
Plants of the first year are slightly affected by Alternaria and usually in the second half of the growing season. The affected individual leaves turn yellow and die, and the infection from them spreads along the petiole to the top of the root crop and subsequently causes it to rot.
Warm, humid weather favors the development of the disease in the field. 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 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 potassium.
Sources of black rot infection are seed roots, seeds, and plant debris. In addition to carrots, the same fungus affects other umbelliferous plants - parsley, celery, parsnips.
Control measures: the same as with fomoz.
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 winter storage.
The tissue of a root crop affected by sclerotinia becomes soft and wet, without changing its color. The surface of the root crop is covered with white cotton wool-like mycelium. Over time, the mycelium becomes denser and quite large (up to 1-3 cm) black sclerotia are formed, intended to preserve the infection. Sclerotia can be preserved both in the field and in storage. After a period of dormancy, 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, rot develops slowly. After harvesting, when carrots are dormant, the fungus can spread very quickly through direct contact to neighboring root crops. Dried, overcooled, untimely harvested (immature or overripe), root crops grown on one-sided or excessively nitrogen fertilizer are especially affected by white rot. The development of rot is also enhanced by high temperature in storage. The fungus is undemanding to temperature (it can develop even at temperatures close to 0°C, but at higher temperatures - +15-20 0C - it develops especially quickly).
Under these conditions, root crops, using up 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, the predecessors of carrots should not be peas, beans, pumpkin and other plants affected by sclerotinia. Application of complete mineral fertilizer with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium for carrots, optimal timing of sowing and harvesting root crops and other agrotechnical measures that increase the keeping quality of carrots. Creating an optimal storage mode (temperature +1-2°C, relative air humidity 85-90%). Sorting out root crops, removing rot and filling selected areas with a mixture (1:1) of sand with fluff lime or chalk.
Botrytiosis, or gray mold
Gray mold is caused by a fungus that, in addition to carrots, affects strawberries, grapes, sunflowers, cabbage and many other cultivated and wild plants.
On carrots, the fungus causes typical wet rot. The affected root tissue becomes soft and wet, as with white rot, but, unlike 1 rot, acquires a brownish color. On the surface of the root crop, an abundant gray coating develops, consisting of mycelium and sporulation of the fungus. Later, among the gray plaque, many small (1-2 mm), round or irregularly shaped sclerotia are formed, which represent a compaction of the mycelium. In the form of sclerotia, the fungus survives in unfavorable conditions. When they germinate, they form fungal mycelium and spores, which cause infection.
Primary infection of root crops by the fungus can occur both in the field and in storage. Further spread of infection in the storage facility occurs through spores carried by air currents.
Measures to combat gray rot are the same as for white rot: compliance with crop rotation, optimal agricultural technology, careful preparation of 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, mole crickets, caterpillars of gnawing cutworms, larvae of click beetles (wireworms), which damage the roots and basal parts of plants, are most often harmful. Carrot seedlings are most often eaten by gray beet weevil beetles, the leaves are damaged by cabbage and cabbage caterpillars. garden scoop. Bean and some other types of aphids are also often 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, it is especially harmful in areas with excessive moisture. The pupae overwinter in the surface layer of soil; flies emerge 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 occurs 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 ponds, vegetable gardens, and 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 stems in carrot crops. The egg laying period lasts 30-50 days. After 5-17 days (depending on the temperature), the larvae hatch, which bore into the root crop and make 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 violet-red hue, and if there is a significant infestation of larvae, they quickly turn yellow and dry out.
Control measures: the fly prefers thickened crops, so timely weeding and thinning of carrots reduces the possibility of colonization by the pest. After these operations, it is necessary to water the crops so that the smell of carrots does not attract insects. Gives good results joint landing carrots, onions and garlic.
Carrots are one of the main crops that gardeners plant on their plots every year. It is used in the summer-autumn period, and also prepared for the winter. With the right agricultural technology, getting a rich harvest of root crops is not difficult. Learn how to prepare beds, plant carrots in open ground in the spring and care for plants during their growing season. If you're new to vegetable gardening, these tips will be especially helpful.
To grow beautiful, even, large carrots, the soil for planting them is prepared in the fall. This vegetable, like any garden crop, has its own requirements for the site in which it will grow. Areas well lit by the sun are allocated for carrots; plants do not bear fruit well in shade. They stretch out greatly, produce a lot of green mass, but the lower part turns out to be small and thin.
It also matters after which crops to place carrots in your garden. Potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage are considered the best predecessors for it. The vegetable grows well in beds where there used to be zucchini or cucumbers. 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 soil in the beds is well prepared. On clay soils, raising agents are added. They can be peat, sawdust, sunflower husk, sand. On sandy soils where beneficial nutrients are quickly washed away by moisture into the deep layers, adding clay and peat gives a good result. The soil is not limed before growing carrots; it is done in the previous season. In the same way, fresh manure is not added to this crop, but it is allowed to be applied to predecessors.
For every square meter of bed allocated for vegetables, add 2-3 kg of humus and mineral phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. For example, 25-30 g (1.5 matchboxes) of superphosphate and 15 g (slightly less than 1 tbsp.) potassium sulfate. If there is a lack of organic nitrogen fertilizers for carrots, add an additional 15-20 g of saltpeter or urea (1 matchbox). Next, the soil is dug deeply. The clods are left without leveling them in layers; they are loosened well in the spring before planting.
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 is a cold-resistant crop; the seeds germinate and sprout at a soil temperature of + 3 °C (preferably 5-7 °C). But this is only possible if there is a sufficient amount of moisture; in dry soil, carrots may not begin to grow for a month or more.
Depending on the climatic characteristics of the region and weather conditions In each specific 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 you need to wait a little longer.
Since each gardening season has its own characteristics, they do not focus much on the date. The following indicators are adhered to: soil temperature from 5 °C, no forecasts for cold weather and especially severe frosts, and 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 have time before the fall not only to grow, but also to develop root crops. Often, when planting early, such beds are additionally covered with frost film. If seedlings are exposed to frost, some plants throw out flower stalks in the summer to the detriment of the formation of root crops.
Seeds mid-season varieties carrots grow from 90 to 120 days. They are sown approximately from mid-April to mid-May. Further, only early ripening species are used for planting. In most cases, soaking the seeds and additional irrigation of the beds is required. Deadline planting carrots on private farms - until Trinity.
Carrot seeds remain viable for 3-4 years. But at the same time, the best germination rates are observed with the freshest seed. Then germination rate drops sharply. The gardener has to either use large quantity seeds for planting, or observe bald rows in the garden bed. Therefore, when buying your favorite variety of carrots in a store, you should pay Special attention on the packing date. When using your own seeds, it is better to sow those that are 1 or 2 years old.
How exactly to prepare carrot seeds for planting is up to everyone to decide for themselves. The minimum that can be done is to calibrate the seed, immediately removing bad specimens. It is also advisable to treat the seeds with fungicides or soak them in potassium permanganate for disinfection. Next, they need to be dried to a free-flowing state.
Carrot seeds are sown in the ground both dry and after pre-soaking. The first option is chosen for the most early landings when there is a possibility of cold weather. Such seeds take longer to germinate, but do not die when the temperature decreases. When the soil warms up again to optimal values, they quickly begin to grow.
For getting fast shoots carrots are soaked or germinated before planting. For soaking, choose any of the options:
In all cases, before planting in the ground, the seeds are slightly dried to make them easier to work with.
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 it moist all the time. After some of the seeds swell and hatch, they are placed in the refrigerator for 10 days. This is how the carrots undergo additional hardening.
To get a rich harvest of root crops in the fall, the seeds must be planted correctly. On personal plots, gardeners usually use a row planting scheme for carrots and narrow long beds, which are easy to care for. If we talk about the distance that should be maintained when planting, then 20, 25 or 30 cm are left between the rows (depending on the variety, soil fertility, free area of land on the site). There should be 3-5 cm between plants.
How correctly carrots are sown in the spring directly determines its yield, and in some cases, germination. This is a small-seeded crop, so it is not worth digging the seed heavily into 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. Planting deeper may result in the sprouts not being able to break through. They simply do not have enough strength for this.
In amateur vegetable growing, various methods of planting carrots in open ground are used. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Try it and choose the one that is convenient for you.
The simplest and easiest way to plant carrots is by seeds. To do this, just mark the rows on the garden bed and make shallow furrows in the soil. 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 rows.
In order to correctly maintain the depth of seed placement when sowing, many gardeners use a long wooden slats. It is pressed edgewise into the ground, removed and smooth, identical furrows are obtained. If necessary, water them, and then sow seeds there. Sprinkle the top with fertile soil, peat, compost and compact it a little.
At early sowing The beds are covered with film, which allows maintaining a higher soil temperature, retaining moisture and protecting seedlings from accidental frosts. When stable heat sets in, the protective cover is removed. After all the shoots have appeared, the excess plants are thinned out.
This method requires some preparation, but it saves time when planting and reduces the number of seeds used. In addition, it allows you to accurately maintain the distance in the row between plants. This method is suitable for those who want to plant carrots without thinning them afterwards.
First, cut pieces of paper that correspond to the length of the rows. Prepare a starch paste or knead flour in water until it becomes thick sour cream. The width of the roll is visually divided into 3 equal parts. Then glue the seeds in the first row, maintain a distance of 3-5 cm and repeat everything again. To prevent plants from falling out due to some seed not sprouted, they are placed in pairs. Before planting, the tape with seeds is cut into long narrow strips, which are simply lowered into the grooves and sprinkled with soil.
In order not to thin out carrots that have sprouted more often than necessary, you can use the following method. Take a large one, slightly moistened river sand, mix it with seeds in a ratio of 5 to 1. This mixture is evenly scattered into the prepared furrows. When planting carrots with sand, the seeds are sprinkled on top with a thin layer of soil, tamped down a little, and then more peat is poured on top and the beds are covered with film so that the seeds germinate faster. Planting carrots this way will save seeds and not pull out the seedlings later.
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 with holes slightly larger than carrot seeds. All that remains is to pour the 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.
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 in beds at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. Planting carrots in granules helps save seeds and avoid thinning out too dense seedlings in the beds.
Watering and soil density are what you need to pay special attention to when caring for this plant in open ground. It is necessary to water the soil abundantly only during the period of active growth of tops. When the root crop begins to grow, watering is reduced. But you can’t leave the plants completely without water, as you can’t overwater them after a drought. Sharp fluctuations in soil moisture are the reason that the carrots will be clumsy, with cracks and numerous additional roots over the entire surface of the root crop. 2 weeks before harvesting, stop watering altogether.
After each watering, loosen the soil as deeply as possible (carefully near the root crops themselves) so that it remains soft and airy. Feed carrots with this fertilizer: dissolve in a bucket of water
The rows of carrots are watered with this solution only 2 times: a month after they sprouted and another 2 months after that.
Carrots are harvested in the fall, when their roots reach the size and shape corresponding to the variety. Dig them out with a shovel on a dry, not rainy day. The collected root crops are dried a little in the beds, then placed in boxes or nets and lowered into the cellar for storage.
Expert opinion
Maria Vlasova
Gardener
Ask a question to an expertPlanting and growing carrots in open ground is a simple and exciting task. Follow the rules for planting and growing this crop and in the fall you will be able to get excellent harvest orange root vegetables.
Our article will help you reap a rich harvest of large, crispy carrots. By following the tips below, you will learn how to choose the right varieties for growing outdoors.
We have collected all the information necessary for summer residents and gardeners. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with tips on preparing seeds and beds, as well as learn the specifics of sowing carrots and caring for them.
When planting seeds it is important correct term sowing, because the yield of root crops depends on this. You also need to take into account that the ripening of varieties occurs in different ways and the timing of harvest depends on this.
To obtain early products, the so-called “bunch”, winter or spring sowing is carried out. It is better to give preference to early spring sowing, since in severe winter the seeds may freeze.
This vegetable is grown without seedlings. But it is better to sow the seeds after it has become stable. warm weather. In spring, sowing is carried out at the end of April or beginning of May, but you can also sow in the first ten days of June. For winter it is sown at the end of October or beginning of November. To prevent the crops from being too thick, a teaspoon of seeds should be mixed with a glass of sand.
There are many varieties and hybrids of carrots. Some varieties are sown in the winter, others in the spring; they differ in yield and storage duration.
Figure 1. Early varieties: 1 - Amsterdam, 2 - Karotel Parisian, 3 - Parmex, 4 - Dragon, 5 - Finchor Early varieties are characterized by rapid germination, but the root vegetables do not have a pronounced sweet taste and are not intended for long-term storage. Popular early varieties include (Figure 1):
Mid-season varietiesripen by early autumn and can be stored for several months(Figure 2):
Figure 2. Mid-season varieties: 1 - Nantes, 2 - Vitaminnaya, 3 - Moscow Winter, 4 - Red Giant Late-ripening varieties are intended for long-term storage and consumption in winter, fresh or cooked. The most popular varieties are considered (Figure 3):
Figure 3. Late varieties: 1 - Vita Longa, 2 - Yellowstone, 3 - Queen of Autumn, 4 - Shantanay Experienced gardeners advise sowing several varieties at once with different harvest dates.
Fresh seeds are selected for sowing to ensure high plant germination. The first shoots appear approximately 3-4 weeks after sowing. Crop seeds require preliminary preparation, which is carried out immediately before sowing, in order to speed up the germination process.
Methods pre-sowing preparation seeds(Figure 4):
Figure 4. Preparing seeds for sowing You can also put the seeds in fabric bags and bury them in the soil for 10-12 days to harden them and speed up germination. Alternatively, they can be mixed with peat and moved to a warm place for germination.
In the spring, furrows are made in the prepared bed at a distance of 20 cm from each other, watered with water, sprinkled with ash and seeds are sown. Depending on the time of planting, the seeds are also prepared: in the spring they should be swollen, and the sowing depth should not exceed 4 cm. The top of the bed is covered with earth, mulch and covered with film (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Selecting a site for sowing carrots For winter sowing They use dry seeds, which are immersed in the ground only 2 cm. Additionally, the bed can be sprinkled with snow to increase the yield.
To grow carrots, you need to choose well-lit areas where the sun shines throughout the day. In addition, you need to take into account the order of growing crops in a certain area. It is impossible to plant crops in the same bed every year, since violation of crop rotation will lead to a decrease in yield. Also, it is not planted after parsley, dill, parsnips and celery. But cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage and potatoes are considered good predecessors (Figure 6).
This crop has a number of specific growing characteristics. She loves light very much and does not tolerate shading. It is resistant to drought and at the same time hardy to frost.
Figure 6. Carrot sowing order Choose for cultivation fertile soils with good drainage. However, growing a crop for more than 3 years in one place is not recommended.
Note: It is better to sow radishes along the edges of the bed. After the seedlings emerge, the rows will be more clearly marked, and it will be easier to loosen the plants.
It is useful to plant onions near the garden bed, as its smell drives away pests. You need to water abundantly until the first shoots, then reduce watering to twice a week. After the formation of the first leaf, the seedlings must be thinned out.
For getting good harvest It is necessary to loosen the rows, especially after watering and rains, regularly destroy weeds, fertilize and fight diseases and pests.
Excess and weak plants are pulled out, and strong ones are lightly sprinkled with earth. During cultivation, thinning is carried out several times (Figure 7):
Figure 7. Watering, fertilizing and loosening carrots Water the garden bed regularly, about once a week. Before watering, the soil must be loosened. Excess moisture leads to stunted root growth and increased growth of tops. With a sharp transition from dryness to high humidity, root vegetables crack. If there is a delay in watering, it is resumed gradually. The last watering is carried out no later than three weeks before harvesting.
Note: For irrigation, use water heated throughout the day in barrels or other containers. It is better to water in the evening.
After falling out large quantity precipitation on heavy soils forms a crust, which prevents the germination of weak plants, and also impairs gas exchange and increases the evaporation of moisture. To destroy it, the soil is treated with a flat cutter or a homemade ripper. It is impossible to be late with loosening, since the first shoots develop slowly and the weeds overtake them in growth. Loosening is carried out carefully between the rows, best in sunny weather.
Plants are fed in the 3-4 leaf stage. Fertilizers are applied at a distance of 10 cm from the rows into moist soil. During the first feeding, add nitrogen fertilizers, the second time - potassium and phosphorus. Weak plants are fed with solutions of slurry, bird droppings or mineral fertilizers. Fertilizers made from infusions of wood ash and plant compost are also considered effective.
The author of the video will tell you how to properly care for carrots at all stages of cultivation.
Fungi are considered the most common diseases of carrots. They attack leaves, cause rotting of roots and change their taste. Major diseases include (Figure 8):
Ripe root crops are affected, but the first signs can be seen on the stems. Elongated gray-brown spots appear on the petioles and leaves. Dark-colored depressions form on root crops.
The fungus quickly spreads to other root crops during winter storage, so the crop must be sorted regularly and stored at a temperature no higher than +10 degrees. To combat the fungus, the tops are destroyed after harvesting and potassium phosphate fertilizers are applied.
The fungus enters the soil along with manure. The development of fungus is facilitated by the presence of weeds, dense planting and improper storage.
The fungus begins to appear during storage, and the root vegetables gradually become soft. Fluffy mycelium appears on damaged areas white with drops of moisture. The disease can be prevented by spraying the stems with products containing copper and potassium fertilizers. The cellar must be disinfected before storing vegetables.
A fungus that attacks all parts of the plant. Dark stripes appear on young shoots at the base of the stem. This can lead to the death of the plant at the beginning of the growing season. When adult crops are damaged, yellow areas appear on the leaves, which gradually darken. The affected areas of the lower part of the stem dry out and the plant dies. The disease can be prevented by spraying with a decoction of horsetail, nettle or celandine.
A white coating that resembles a fly from a distance. Most often, first-year plants and seeds are affected, as well as specimens with water deficiency and growing on infertile soils. The affected areas become rough and brittle. Various complex fungicides are used for control.
Figure 8. Diseases of carrots: 1 - fomoz, 2 - white rot, 3 - brown spot, 4 - powdery mildew In addition, pests can destroy the crop, such as (Figure 9):
Figure 9. Carrot pests: 1 - carrot fly, 2 - psyllid, 3 - fall armyworm, 4 - naked slugs It is important to determine when to dig up carrots, because they must remain in the soil for at least 80 days. If you dig it up earlier, it will not have time to absorb all the useful substances. If you overdo it, the root vegetables will gain excess moisture and begin to crack and deteriorate.
Figure 10. Harvesting and storing root crops Early varieties can be dug up in the second half of summer. The harvest time of mid-season varieties can be determined by the yellowed tops. Late varieties are dug up at the end of September - early October.
After collecting root crops, they need to be dried. Small ones can be stored in the garden. They dig a hole, pour clean sand into the bottom and lay in carrots without tops, sprinkled with sand. Cover with soil and throw leaves on top.
In storage, carrots are kept in open plastic bags, boxes or boxes, sprinkled with moistened sand (Figure 10).
