So that the carrot grows big what to do. Burying seeds in the soil

Carrots, along with potatoes and onions, are one of the main vegetables, so all gardeners find a place for it on their plot. Proper cultivation carrots are the key to a rich harvest. Even on small areas you can get a high-quality and productive crop. And if you combine the implementation of the basic rules of agricultural technology with the advice of experienced gardeners, you can achieve great results in growing carrots, while also saving your labor costs and precious time that can be spent on vacation. In our article we will tell you how to properly grow carrots so that they are large.

Sowing dates for carrots

Experienced gardeners know how important correct term sowing. The yield of root crops directly depends on this. After all, the ripening time of different varieties varies significantly. In addition, it is necessary to focus on the desired harvest time.

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To get early carrots, the so-called "beam products", winter or spring crops are practiced. early maturing varieties. True, the first option is not possible in all climatic zones. In severe winters, seeds freeze even under a thick layer of covering material. Therefore, it is better to give preference to early spring crops. They can be carried out immediately after it warms up. upper layer soil.

Return cooling will negatively affect the level of "keeping quality" of root crops and can provoke the active formation of flower arrows. But for beam products, these flaws are not a hindrance. That is why early ripening varieties can be sown much earlier.

The main causes of small-fruited carrots

• Carrots do not tolerate swampy lowland areas, closely spaced fruit and forest tree crops. It will not be smooth and graceful, and even more so when grown in the shade, under the canopy of the garden.
• The culture needs a deep loose nutrient soil, air and water permeable. The presence of small gravel, pebbles, rhizomes and other inclusions in the soil causes distortion and crushing of the carrot root.
• The root crop needs bright lighting. Beds with carrots are arranged so that each plant receives sufficient lighting. Tall crops (tomatoes, eggplants) should not shade the tops of carrots. Carrots are best located south of tall neighbors.
• Carrots will not bear fruit in acidic soils. Therefore, a year before sowing a crop on a selected bed, the soil is deoxidized by introducing humus, chalk, lime, dolomite flour. The soil under carrots should be neutral with zero acidity within pH = 6-7.
• Ugly, branched, bursting carrot roots and small root crops are obtained with poor soil preparation, spring pre-sowing deoxidation of the soil, the use of fertilizers containing chlorine, with an excess nitrogen fertilizers, thickened crops.
• The value of carrots is determined by the quantity useful substances, which are formed in the root crop as a result of metabolic processes with the timely receipt of moisture and nutrients. Therefore, the lack of moisture and nutrition at the beginning and their excess at the end of the growing season of carrots will change not only the external forms and characteristics, but also significantly reduce the taste.

Preparing a bed for planting carrots

Carrots grow slowly and, as already mentioned, are afraid of excessive moisture. If the earth has the ability to accumulate water, then organize beds-ridges - raise the soil by 25-35 centimeters. If the earth dries well, then it is enough just to make grooves with a distance of 20-25 centimeters from each other. The earth is leveled and loosened before planting a couple of days before planting, then watered. You can cover with a film so that the earth is “steamed”. Seeds are soaked before planting. Prepared seeds are planted in a strip with a distance of one and a half to two centimeters from each other. Then the top is covered with a mixture of organic fertilizers or peat with sand, depending on the prepared soil.

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After that, the bed is again covered with a film. This is necessary to save heat and moisture, if everything is done correctly, then with this method, seedlings appear already on the sixth day after planting. As soon as the first green shoots appear, the protective film is removed. In addition, it is necessary to take into account crop rotation - the order in which crops are grown in a particular area.

Preparing carrot seeds for sowing

high yield carrots directly depends not only on the proper care of the crop in the garden, but also on the quality of the seeds used. If a gardener buys material from a trusted manufacturer, and knows for sure that friendly seedlings will turn green in the spring, then there is not much point in doing additional germination checks. Another thing is when the seeds are bought from grandmothers in the market or harvested on their own. In this case, it is worth using the entire arsenal of knowledge on how to prepare carrot seeds for planting.

To start in the spring, before planting, you need to perform a few general procedures:

• Mechanically check and discard poor quality seeds. It's not hard. You just need to inspect and manually select all small and discolored seeds from the bag. It is also necessary to throw away everything that is damaged or seems empty.
• To be sure, gardeners calibrate. All material is poured into warm water and mixes. Whatever floats up goes down with the water. The rest can be soaked in warm water for a day, then dried and proceed to sowing.
• Another calibration option is soaking the seeds in salt water. The concentration of the solution is from one to three tablespoons of salt per glass of water. The more salt in the solution, the tighter the seed calibration. After the procedure, all material suitable for sowing is washed and dried.
• Many gardeners consider it not superfluous to check before planting harvested seeds for germination (this applies not only to carrots). The procedure is carried out only if there are a lot of seeds. It takes about ten days. At the bottom of the plate you need to lay a napkin, evenly pour the seeds (100 pieces), soak with water, cover with glass and put in a transparent plastic bag. If after a while 80 seeds sprouted on the plate, then the germination rate is 80% and the material can be used. If less than 60 pieces have hatched, then you should not waste time, the germination rate is very low.

How to sow carrot seeds in an open field

Seeding methods that can facilitate this process:

1. Mix small seeds with sand: mix 1 tablespoon of seeds with 1 glass of sand, then divide the resulting mixture into 3 parts and use each part for 1 m2 of beds.
2. Mix carrot seeds with seeds of beacon plants (lettuce, radish). They sprout much earlier and thus show us where the carrot seedlings are. This gives us the opportunity to carry out the first weeding of the beds with carrots, without fear of damaging the plants, much earlier than usual.
3. Also very convenient is the liquid sowing of carrots, in which the germinated seeds are mixed with a liquid paste made from potato starch. Then carefully "pour" them into the grooves from the kettle.

Then we cover the seeds with loose sifted soil or a mixture of peat and sand, or clean peat with a slight compaction to ensure better contact of the seeds with the soil and moisture inflow.

Watering and weeding carrots

Regular watering is required. When the first shoots appear, watering should be carried out as carefully as possible, trying not to moisten the greens. Allow soil to dry out carrot beds undesirable, especially during the period of growth of the size of root crops. With a lack of moisture in the ground, by mid-summer, carrots can stop growing, and root crops can become twisted and hardened. It has been noticed that when irrigation is resumed after a drought, the root crops begin to crack and in the future are no longer subject to long-term storage. After each watering, it is imperative to loosen the plantings to a depth of 6 cm and remove all weeds. Weed grass not only reduces the supply of nutrients to root crops, but also is an additional source of nutrition for the main pest of carrots - the carrot fly. When the tops of the plant reaches a height of 15 cm, it is advisable to mulch the plantings.

Carrot fertilizer during the growing season

Helps increase productivity root top dressing. A solution of slurry, bird droppings, urine of farm animals, to which a tablespoon of superphosphate is added per bucket of composition, is used during the period of active growth of the aerial part of carrots and the formation of root crops (late May-mid-July).

1. The first top dressing is usually carried out in the 4 leaflet phase, 23-25 ​​days after mass shoots, using nitrogen compounds, for example, a solution of urea (25 g per standard bucket of water).
2. The second top dressing is done 3.5 weeks after the first. Carrots respond well to complex mineral supplements, for example, nitroammophoska (30 ml per bucket of water).
3. One and a half to two months after sowing, the stage of thickening of the root crops begins. During this period, it is desirable to introduce wood ash.

Harvesting carrots

The ripening time of carrots depends on the variety and is usually indicated on the seed bag. It is better not to throw away the bag or in advance, in the spring, calculate the expected day of harvest. Why? Carrots, pulled out ahead of time, does not ripen, does not have time to accumulate a sufficient amount of sugars, which adversely affects its palatability Oh. In carrots overexposed in the garden, on the contrary, an excess of sugars and amino acids is found, and this, in turn, makes it a tasty morsel for pests - carrot fly larvae, mice and rats. If you still do not know exactly when to harvest carrots, focus on the color of the tops. As soon as the lower leaves begin to turn yellow, the carrots are ready for harvesting. In order for the root crops to remain juicy for a long time, they should not be watered on the eve of digging.

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Immediately after harvesting, the tops of the carrots are cut off. Otherwise, it will draw some of the moisture from the roots during drying. After trimming the tops, the carrots are aired under a canopy or dried in the sun for 2-3 hours. For 7-10 days, carrot roots are recommended to be kept at a temperature of 10-14 °C. During this time, it, like the potato stored for storage, goes through a kind of “quarantine”: the places of cuts and minor mechanical damage are tightened, sick and spoiled root crops make themselves felt. Before harvesting carrots in storage, they are once again inspected and sorted out, removing all unsuitable root crops.

One of the most popular vitamin vegetables on the tables of our country is carrots. They plant it in almost all gardens and plots, but not everyone can boast of its rich harvests. Now let's figure out how to properly plant and care for it in order to count on stunning yields.

Correct beds

So, carrots are the most popular vegetable that is used in many dishes. But it's important here proper fit and good care, which you will carry out in the open field. Explore this topic in more detail. It seems that it seems to be an unpretentious root crop, but at the same time it will be better if you manage to observe some factors that the carrot will certainly respond gratefully to. She will be especially pleased with loose and fertile soils, she loves sandy loam and medium loam, they are especially rich in oxygen. Please note that varieties with very long fruits require soil loosened very deep, one and a half bayonet of a shovel.

By acidity, she needs neutral indicators, for example, 6-7 pH. The formation of a dry crust on the ridges is an unnecessary phenomenon, let them be slightly wet. Heavy and dense soil that is difficult for air to reach will not contribute to the pleasant taste of the vegetable, even with excellent care. Yes, and germinating in such soil will become a problem for seeds, while adult bushes will face fungal diseases.

Do not forget about crop rotation, the most suitable predecessors of carrots are:

• Legumes and grains.
• Cabbage.
• Garlic.
• Onion - turnip.
• Tomatoes.
• Potato.
• Cucumbers.
• Zucchini.

But very inappropriate predecessors are spicy herbs:

• Caraway.
• Dill.
• Celery.
• Fennel.
• Parsnip.
• Coriander.
• Parsley.

Planting carrots in the same place every year is also a bad idea, this can only be done after 3-4 years, then you can no longer be afraid of pests and various diseases.

Especially for her beds, places well lit by the sun are suitable. Even its direct rays are not afraid of carrot bushes. But with a small amount of sun, the crop will be small and tasteless.

Cooking ridges

In order to learn how to grow carrots in open ground, you need to familiarize yourself with the information that is below. Fertilizers are important point. Rotted manure or humus (half a bucket per square meter of beds) will perfectly prepare your ridges for planting carrots. If the earth of your site is heavy, then it should be diluted with sawdust, it will loosen and be saturated with oxygen. And wood ash will add potassium to the soil. This will sweeten the taste of the carrot and make it more tender. And you can dig a plot for carrots already in the fall. It is better to dig up one and a half bayonet, so the earth will loosen better, and it will be easier for you to harvest in the fall - it will be easier to pull out the carrots. In the spring, it remains to walk with a rake - and you can start sowing.

As we said above, only rotted manure is used, fresh will lead to flowering bushes and branching of the carrots themselves. Even excellent further care won't fix the situation. Be careful with nitrogen components, their excess will lead to coarsening of root crops and the accumulation of nitrates in them.

And carrots can also be planted in the winter, it will turn out like spring crops. With the first warmth, it will already hatch and it will be possible to start harvesting a couple or three weeks earlier. But here you can not count on its long storage, it is better to use it right away or put it into blanks. If you still decide to plant it before winter, and you have harsh, frosty winters, pile a thick layer of foliage on top of the beds, you can sawdust or straw. In extremely severe frosts, even this may not protect the seeds from death.

So more often it is sown all the same in the spring. Here you can also calculate everything by timing - if you need early carrots, then plant part of the area with early varieties, this can be done when the temperature rises to + 8C. The beds will still be filled with moisture from melted snow, so all factors will be in favor.

Further, unexpected frosts, cold snaps will affect the crop by the fact that it can not be stored for long, it will begin to bloom, so that only in mid-April it is possible to start sowing mid-ripening and late varieties that are planned for storage. Sowing can be continued until the end of May during a long spring, but the main thing is not to delay planting, otherwise the seedlings will have to wait a very long time.

If long and heavy rains are predicted, try to have time to weed out before them, they will benefit the seeds.

Preparing seeds for planting

This article will tell you how to grow good carrot in the country. Experienced summer residents It is advised to plant carrots already in the form of germinated seeds. Here, the ripening time is reduced and the risks of non-germination of seeds have already been minimized. The germination procedure is simpler than a steamed turnip, and consists of

Place the seeds for 10 hours in warm water. The dummy will immediately float to the top.

Other options for accelerating seedlings.

You can soak the seeds for a day in water + 30C, changing the water every 4 hours. You can do this not only in water, but also in a solution of wood ash in the proportion of 1 tbsp. spoon per liter of water. The temperature and shift schedule are the same. Then the seeds are taken out and kept in a piece of clean cloth in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Collect the seeds in a gauze or linen bag and keep it in hot (+ 50C) for 20 minutes, then in for 2-3 minutes. cold water.

In the same bag, the seeds are lowered into the ground for 10 days, buried.

Competent sowing

When sowing carrot seeds in both autumn and spring, wet beds are needed. We prepare grooves of medium depth. From too shallow furrows, the wind can simply blow away all the seeds. And from deep shoots you will wait a very long time. Row spacing is 15 cm. Seeds are scattered 2 cm apart. With light soils, the embedment depth is sufficient 2-3 cm, and in heavy soils - 1.5-2 cm.

When sowing unsprouted seeds, you need to grind them in your palms so that all the hairs are removed.

And after sealing the furrows, it is necessary to compact the earth with a board, roller, or clapping with your hands. Then they fall asleep on top of mulch 3 cm thick. This will prevent a dry rind that can prevent seedlings from hatching.

Carrot sprouts at +15+18C. Untreated seeds germinate in 18-25 days. Short frosts at -4C are not terrible, you can not even insulate the beds. But if the frosts are long, they can lead to the flowering of the bushes.

If you decide to plant carrots in the winter, then the deadlines for this are the end of October or the beginning of November. 3 weeks before sowing, it is necessary to prepare a place. After planting the seeds in the furrows, peat is poured onto the ridges with a 3-centimeter layer. For warming. And in the spring, when the snow melts, it is necessary to cover the ridges with a film. After germination, the film can be removed. And remember, only light soils are suitable for autumn sowing.

Proper agricultural technology

Now you have been able to learn about how to grow a crop of carrots. And you already understood that growing carrots is not difficult even for beginner gardeners.

Care of the ridges consists of the following manipulations:

• thinning.
• Loosening the more often, the better.
• Frequent weeding.
• Regular watering.
• Top dressing.

The first thinning should be carried out when 2 leaves appear on the seedlings. We leave 2-3 cm between them. After 3-4 leaves, we carry out repeated thinning with a distance of 4-6 cm, at the same time we can weed the beds.

At proper watering you can count on a sweet and rich harvest. Carrots are very fond of water, with a lack of it, the fruits will become lethargic and bitter in taste. So you need to water all spring and summer. Water should go into the soil by at least 30 cm. With a lack of moisture, lateral roots form on the fruits, and its presentation becomes not comme il faut. And with excessive watering, the roots can crack, and the tops grow, so finding a middle ground in watering is your task.

We water once a week, but according to the following scheme:

• Immediately after sowing, pour 3 liters of water per square meter of beds.
• After the first thinning, we spill 10 liters per 1 m2.
• After good development leaves, we increase the volume of watering by 2 times.
• And one and a half to two months before harvesting, we reduce watering. They are carried out every 10-12 days, 10 liters per square meter. And 2-3 weeks before harvest, watering is completely stopped.

Fertilizers are applied twice per season. This is done 1 month after germination, then again a month later. The solution is applied by the root method, the following mixture is spilled:

• 15 gr superphosphate,
• 15 gr urea,
• 20 gr potassium nitrate,
• 1 tbsp nitrophoska,
• 2 cups wood ash.

This is all added to a bucket of water. Water the beds with this composition after the main watering.

Over 4 thousand years of cultivation of this crop, a huge number of varieties have been obtained. This and with different terms ripening, and resistant to cold and disease, with different shelf life and with different tastes. There is where to turn around for any gardener.

Together with the above, carrots are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. Few meals are complete without it. At proper care it will be born with a pleasant sweet taste, and will delight you not only in the first and second courses, but also in desserts and even in pastries. Moreover, these rules are not so complicated.

On the modern kitchen gardens. Smooth beds with openwork green leaves adorn the plots of even beginner gardeners. But only those who adhere to rules growing carrots .

Choosing a place for the garden

• Carrots should be placed in well lit areas. Growing in the shade will lead to a significant reduction in yield and deterioration in taste. Therefore, it is worth allocating an area for carrots that is under direct sunlight throughout the day.

• In addition, it is necessary to take into account the order of growing crops in a particular area.

Can't plant carrots annually on the same bed or after such plants: Ideal "predecessors" for this root crop will be:

Sowing dates for carrots

Experienced gardeners know how important the right sowing time is. The yield of root crops directly depends on this. After all, the ripening time of different varieties varies significantly. In addition, it is necessary to focus on the desired harvest time.

To get early carrots, the so-called "beam products", they practice winter or spring crops early maturing varieties. True, the first option is not possible in all climatic zones. In severe winters, seeds freeze even under a thick layer. Therefore, it is better to give preference early spring crops. They can be carried out immediately after the top layer of soil warms up.

Return cooling will negatively affect the level of "keeping quality" of root crops and can provoke the active formation of flower arrows. But for beam products, these flaws are not a hindrance. That's why early maturing varieties can be sown much earlier.

Carrot varieties

Among the many varieties of carrots, you can easily pick up best option for both spring and winter sowing. The most productive are:

• Alenka;
• Touchon;
• Nantes;
• Vitamin;
• Queen of Autumn;
• Flakke.

Alenka - an early variety of carrots. It acquires a presentation within 50 days after germination. The length of root crops reaches 12-15 cm, weight - up to 145 g.

"Alenka". Photo from fermilon.ru

"Touchon"- early ripening carrots, which can be used for cooking two months after the first sprouts appear. The average weight of root crops is 150 g, length is 20 cm.

"Nantes" belongs to the middle category. Full maturation occurs no earlier than 85-90 days after planting. Dumb-ended root crops gain weight up to 165 g. The average length is 16 cm.

"Vitamin" – mid-season variety with a high concentration of carotene. These carrots are ready for harvest 110-120 days after emergence of mass seedlings. Root crop length - up to 15 cm, weight - up to 150 g.

"Queen of Autumn"– late-ripening carrots, ideal for winter storage. For full maturation, it needs 125-135 days. The mass of one root crop is about 160 g, the length is up to 20 cm.

"Flakke"- a representative of the category of late varieties. Harvest begins 100-120 days after sowing. The length of the root crop reaches a mark of 30 cm, average weight fluctuates between 150-170 g.


Clockwise: Autumn Queen, Flakke, Nantes, Vitamin.Photo from fermilon.ru

The answer to the question of how to grow a good crop of carrots in your country house is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

The quantity and quality of the crop directly depends on the type and condition of the soil.

This useful culture quite demanding in care, loves the light very much and does not tolerate even a slight shading. At the same time, carrots are one of the most drought-resistant crops; they easily tolerate frosts and remain viable during a prolonged cold snap.

The quality of the grown carrot crop is highly dependent on the condition and type of soil. To obtain a rich harvest, it is necessary that the soil be light in texture, its arable layer be deep, fertile and with good drainage. Carrots are best suited to sandy and light loamy soils with a neutral or slightly acidic environment.

The soil for carrots should be light in texture.

Speaking of the arable layer, it must be borne in mind that in eco-farming it is formed not as a result of digging or deep plowing, but with the help of green manure roots - cultivated and weed plants grown as organic fertilizer, microorganisms and worms. They structure the soil layers so carefully that no mechanical effect can be compared with them.

From others vegetable crops carrots also compare favorably with the fact that it is unpretentious to what plants were the owners of the garden before it, but still the best predecessors of carrots are cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, all types of cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and any legumes.

Do not grow carrots in the same place for more than 3 years.

How to properly prepare the soil and seeds for sowing

Soil preparation

A bed for carrots begins to be prepared in the fall. Stones are selected from the ground that can prevent root crops from growing. Then humus or compost is added to the poor soil at the rate of 10 liters per 1 sq. m, in sour - chalk, in heavy - sawdust, river sand and peat. In addition, the bed can be covered with mulch or sowed with green manure.

In the spring, about a week before sowing, clods of earth are broken up with a rake on future beds and their surface is leveled. Then the beds are watered with water at a temperature of + 30-40 ° C, and then covered plastic wrap, which will help protect the soil from drying out and create conditions for its warming.

Seed preparation

Carrots are extremely photophilous - attempts to grow this crop, both in the shade and in partial shade, are completely useless.

Carrot seeds have low (only 55-75%) germination. Therefore, it is necessary to sow exclusively fresh seeds.

Carrots sprout for a long time and unfriendly. This happens approximately 14-20 days after sowing. Such a long germination is explained by the fact that essential oils are present in the seeds of carrots, which prevent the penetration of moisture into them, as a result, the process of swelling and germination slows down. Seed growth begins only after the essential oils are washed off from their shell, therefore, when the weather is dry, the germination of root crops is delayed. To prevent this from happening, carrot seeds must be prepared for sowing.

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Methods for pre-sowing seed preparation

• soak;

The seeds fall asleep in fabric pouches and immersed in warm (+30°C) water for a day, which must be changed every 4 hours. Seeds can also be soaked in a nutrient water solution of wood ash (1 tablespoon of ash per 1 liter of water). After soaking, the seeds must be rinsed in clean running water.

Experienced gardeners to obtain best result combine soaking with hardening. To do this, wet cloth bags with seeds are placed in the refrigerator and kept for 2 to 5 days.

• heat treatment;

Cloth bags with carrot seeds are dipped for 20 minutes in hot (+50 ° C), and then for 2 minutes in cold water.

• bubbling;

Thanks to bubbling, the seeds ripen faster.

Seeds are soaked in water saturated with air or oxygen. The bubbling vessel must be made of non-oxidizing materials. A hose is connected to it, through which from the compressor or oxygen cylinder supplies air. A filter from an emery wheel is put on the end of the hose. Above it is placed a grid for collecting seeds, fixed at the ends of the container. The container must have a drain hole. saline solution or water.

In the process of bubbling, the entire layer of water is uniformly saturated with air. On a small, non-industrial scale, a home aquarium compressor can be used. In this case, the ratio of water and seeds should be 5:1. The sparging time for seeds of each crop is different. For carrots, it is from 17 to 24 hours. If air is supplied, and not oxygen, the duration of bubbling is increased by a third.

• burying seeds in the soil;

Cloth bags filled with dry seeds are buried in cold soil for 10-12 days to a depth of one bayonet of a shovel. Seeds treated in this way germinate 4-5 days after sowing.

You can mix the seeds with wet peat and place them in a warm place for one week, where they will germinate. Then sow them as usual.

After using any of the above methods, carrot seeds must be dried for 20-25 minutes at room temperature. Then they are sown in open ground.

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How to sow carrots and care for them

Carrots are grown in a seedless way. At the same time, the terms of its sowing in open ground are as follows:

• in winter: 2nd half of October - 1st decade of November;
• in spring: 3rd decade in April - 1st decade in May and 1st decade in June.

Carrots have small seeds, which makes it difficult to sow them. In order to prevent thickening of crops, a little trick is used. A teaspoon without a hill of seeds is mixed with a glass of sand and 10 square meters are sown with this mixture. m.

Carrots grow better narrow beds with no more than 4 lanes. If it is planned to grow only carrots in the garden, the sowing technology is as follows. Before spring sowing, grooves are cut on a previously prepared ridge. The distance between them for medium and early varieties is 15 cm, for late - 20 cm. The grooves are watered. In colder climatic zones, hot water heated to + 50 ° C is used for this. Then the beds are powdered with ash and the prepared seeds are sown on them at a distance of 1.5-2 cm.

Sowing depth and seed condition depend on the season:

For summer and spring sowings, swollen seeds are used. They are planted to a soil depth of 3-4 cm. After sowing, the grooves are carefully sprinkled with soil and mulch (humus or peat). After sowing, the beds are covered with a film, which is raised on bricks by about 5 cm.

Before winter, carrot seeds of early varieties are sown to a depth of approximately 2 cm. They must be dry, and the thickness of the mulch layer is 3-4 cm.

Before winter, carrots are sown when the temperature in the soil drops below + 5 ° C. If the winters are not snowy, the beds with crops are additionally covered with snow, with a layer thickness of 40-50 cm. This technology allows you to harvest 14-20 days earlier.

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Carrot care requires the following conditions

• temperature regime;

For germination of carrot seeds, a temperature of + 3 ... + 5 ° С is sufficient. The air temperature + 20 ... + 22 ° С is considered optimal for normal growth and the formation of high-quality root crops. At the same time, carrots are resistant to cold, their shoots are able to withstand frosts down to -3-4 ° C and die only when the temperature stays below -6 ° C for a long time. The tops of mature plants die when the temperature is below -8°C.

• watering mode;

The volume and frequency of irrigation directly depend on weather conditions and plant age. Basically, carrots need to be watered once every 7 days according to the following scheme:

1. 3 liters of water per 1 sq. m of land at the very beginning of the growing season.
2. 10 liters per 1 sq. m after secondary thinning.
3. 20 l per 1 sq. m during the period of growth of root crops.

When approximately 2 months remain before harvesting, it is necessary to water once every 10-14 days 10 liters of water per 1 sq. m of soil. When 2-3 weeks remain before harvesting the root crops, watering is stopped.

When growing, it is necessary to monitor the soil moisture. The soil should not have both excess and lack of moisture. Carrots, even for a short time, do not tolerate excessive moisture, which causes rotting of root crops, and with prolonged drought, its root crops stop developing, which negatively affects the quality of the crop.

• weeding;

Carrots sprout slowly, and the beds with it quickly sprout with weeds. To avoid the growth of weeds that inhibit the development of carrot shoots, they must be disposed of. The first time carrots are weeded 10-12 days after the first true leaf appears on the plant. The second is 8-10 days after the next true leaf appears.

Weeding is combined with loosening the soil and thinning seedlings and is carried out after heavy rain or regular watering.

• top dressing;

After 3-4 weeks, which have passed after the seeds hatched and the first sprouts appeared, the first feeding of the plants is carried out. aqueous solution chicken manure, mullein, humus or ash (1:10). If necessary, during the formation of root crops and plant growth, feeding is repeated. In areas where organic farming is practiced, due to which a layer of humus is formed in the soil, top dressing is not necessary.

To avoid thickening, carrots are thinned out twice: 11-12 and 19-20 days after the first shoots appear. After the first thinning, the interval between adjacent shoots should be approximately 3 cm, after the next thinning - 5 cm. This procedure is best done in the morning, after which the bed must be watered. Experienced gardeners cultivate the soil on which carrots grow with ground red pepper (hot, hot or bitter). This will muffle the smell characteristic of carrots and protect them from carrot flies. Another effective method protection against this pest - combined planting of carrots and onions. Do not neglect mulching, which significantly saves the effort and time required to obtain good harvest.

Carrot- biennial root crop vegetable plant celery family.

In the first year of life, it forms a rosette of leaves and a root crop, in the second - flower stalk height up to 1 m or more and seeds. The shape of the root crop is round, conical, fusiform or cylindrical to varying degrees, the color is varied - from white to red, pink and purple, but more often orange. The flowers are small, collected in the inflorescence "complex umbrella". Vegetation period of early ripening varieties is 98-100 days, late-ripening -120-190 days.

Nutritional value of carrots

The nutritional value of table carrots is determined by the high content of carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamins C, B, B1, B6 and PP are present in smaller amounts. In addition, carrots contain essential amino acids, pectins, protein, fats, essential oil. According to the content of boron, carrots are in first place among other crops.

Carrot juice contains vitamin C -8 mg%, carotene -8.3 mg%, thiamine (B1) -0.07 mg%, riboflavin (B2) -0.06 mg%, niacin (P) -0.8 mg% , vitamin U - 12 mg%.

Carrots are processed into juice, which is well absorbed by the human body and has medicinal properties. It is recommended to take it with high fatigue, a tendency to colds, skin, eye, gastrointestinal diseases. Carrots are consumed raw or boiled, used as a component of various canned foods.

The most favorable conditions for the formation of carotene are air temperature + 16 ... 18 ° C and moderate rainfall. Large root crops usually contain more carotene than small and medium ones, and top part more than the middle and bottom.

Unwanted Items

Carrot hybrids, like other vegetable crops, accumulate a significant amount of nitrates. But they rarely exceed the permissible concentration limits for carrots.

The maximum danger may be associated with the use of rotten root crops. The fact is that some fungi - causative agents of carrot diseases, release toxins that are dangerous to humans and warm-blooded animals. Spreading through the body of the plant, these toxins also enter healthy parts, can get into food and cause disease, especially in the elderly and children. Therefore, it is necessary to take all measures to protect carrots from diseases both during the growing season and during storage.

1. Do not apply manure and composts under carrots, as this leads to a deterioration in the keeping quality of carrots, to a disease during storage, in addition, the dry matter content in root crops decreases.

2. Do not apply increased doses of mineral fertilizers, as this leads to the accumulation of nitrates, a decrease in the content of vitamin C and other vitamins, bitterness appears, the consistency of root crops becomes rough.

3. Do not pour cold water.

4. Watering should be sufficient, but in no case excessive.

Growing carrots

Carrot varieties

From varieties containing a high amount of vitamins, for Central region the following are zoned:

Gribovchanin F1 (VNIISSOK) - mid-season, from germination to ripeness 100-120 days. Cylindrical root crop (Nantes type), with a blunt tip, a medium-sized head, flat, the color of the bark and core is orange. The weight of the root crop is 120-150 g. The taste is good. Dry matter content 12.4%, sugar 7.8%, carotene 14.9 mg per 100 g of raw material. Productivity -4.5-5 kg ​​/ sq. m.

Delicacy (VNIIR N.I. VAVILOV AND RUSSIAN SEEDS) - mid-season. The root crop is very long, cylindrical (sortotype Nantes), red, the head is concave. Heartwood and bark are red. The weight of the root crop is 84-160 g. The taste is good and excellent. Dry matter content 9.2-12.7%, total sugar 5.5-8.1%, carotene 6.8-13.0 mg per 100 g of raw material. Productivity -2-4 kg / sq. m. Maximum yield-5 kg/sq. m.

Imperator (RUSSIAN SEEDS, AGROFIRM POISK) - late-ripening. The root crop is very long, cylindrical, with a slightly pointed tip (sortotype Berlikum), the head is even. Heartwood and bark are red. The weight of the root crop is 80-190 g. The taste is good. Dry matter content 12.6-16.0%, total sugar 6.6-9.0%, carotene up to 20.7 mg per 100 g of raw material. Productivity 1.6-2.9 kg / sq. m. The maximum yield is 4 kg per sq. m.

Lidiya F1 (SEMKO-JUNIOR) — mid-early. From germination to maturity 90 days. The root crop is long (27-30 cm), conical, with a pointed tip, the head is small, even, the flesh is juicy, tender, the bark and core are orange. The mass of the root crop is 80-100 g. The taste is excellent. Dry matter content 11.2-14.1%, total sugar 5.9-7.3%, carotene 12.2-15.5 mg per 100 g of raw material. Demanding on soil fertility. Grown on high ridges with a loose arable layer of soil. Productivity 6.0-6.2 kg / sq. m. Resistant to color.

Marlinka (VNIISSOK) - medium early. The root crop is conical, obtuse, with flat shoulders, orange, with a smooth surface. Medium sized head. The bark and core are orange. The root crop is at the level or slightly protrudes above the soil surface. The pulp is tender, juicy. The weight of the root crop is 91-174 g. The taste is good. Dry matter content 11.9%, total sugar 7.1%, carotene 12.8 mg per 100 g of raw material. Commercial yield 2.6-5.8 kg/sq. m.

Nelly F1 (SEMCO-JUNIOR) — medium early. From germination to maturity 90 days. Root crop 25-28 cm, cylindrical shape (Nantes type), with slightly

We grow vegetables without nitrates with a pointed tip, the head is small, even, the bark and core are orange, slightly protruding above the soil level. The mass of the root crop is 80-120 g. The taste is excellent. Dry matter content 11.5-14.6%, total sugar 5.8-7.4%, carotene 11.8-15.3 mg per 100 g of raw material. Demanding on soil fertility. It is grown up on high ridges with a high friable arable layer. Productivity 5.4-5.8 kg / sq. m.

Olympian F1 (VNII VEGETABLE, SEMKO- JUNIOR) — mid-season. From germination to ripeness 108-115 days. The root crop is cylindrical, blunt-ended, with weak greening, the bark and core are orange, completely immersed in the soil. The weight of the root crop is 105-123 g. The taste is good. Dry matter content 14.9%, total sugar 8.7%, carotene 20.2 mg per 100 g of raw material. Productivity 4.5 - 6.5 kg / sq. m.

Autumn King (SEARCH) - mid-late. Root crop middle length to long, fusiform with a blunt tip (variety type Nantes), convex head. Heartwood and bark are orange. The mass of the root crop is 100-250 g. The taste is good. Dry matter content 11.7-16.4%, total sugar 6.6-9.1%, carotene up to 22.4 mg per 100 g of raw material. Productivity 1.7-4 kg / sq. m.

Pharaoh (SEARCH) - early ripe. Root crop of medium length to long, cylindrical with a blunt tip (variety Flakke / Carotene), the head is convex to even. Heartwood and bark are red. The weight of the root crop is 110-145 g. The taste is good. Dry matter content 10.0-16.5%, total sugar 5.9-10.7%, carotene up to 19.3 mg per 100 g of raw material. Productivity 1/7-3.1 kg / sq. m.

Fairy (RUSSIAN SEEDS, INTERSEED) - early ripe. From germination to ripeness 95-105 days. The root crop is cylindrical with a slightly pointed tip (variety type Nantes), red, the head is concave. Heartwood and bark are red. The weight of the root crop is 82-175 g. The taste is good. Dry matter content 8.9-18.1%, total sugar 5.2-10.2%, carotene 11.7-21.9 mg per 100 g of raw material. Yield 4.6 kg/sq. m.

Accommodation

Carrots need areas with light sandy, loamy or peat soils. On heavy, floating soils, root crops grow irregular shape, branched. Carrots prefer neutral and slightly acidic soils. At first, it grows slowly, so weeds strongly inhibit young plants, and, therefore, it is desirable to allocate areas free from perennial weeds for carrot crops. The best predecessors- cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, early potatoes, under which they brought organic fertilizers. You can not place carrots after sunflowers and plants of the celery family (carrots, parsley, dill, parsnips, etc.). Liming adversely affects carrots.

Soil preparation

Soil cultivation for carrots begins in the fall with digging the site. It is necessary to dig on a full bayonet of a shovel. In areas with a small cultivated layer, as well as in areas that are too wet, ridges are formed. In infertile areas during autumn digging, organic fertilizers are used in the form of compost or humus - half a bucket per square meter. m. Manure is not used, as this reduces the quality of root crops (ugly shape, decrease in dry matter content and decrease in keeping quality). The plowed and dug up area is left unloosened for the winter.

In early spring, the soil is leveled with a rake, and if the soil is heavy, then it is dug up again. For spring digging of a plot of 1 sq. m contribute 9 g of urea, 9 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium chloride and 40-50 g of ash. At spring processing the plot is dug up 3-4 cm less than in autumn, so as not to turn the weed seeds to the surface. The surface layer of the soil must be well loosened before sowing.

Sowing

Dry carrot seeds germinate slowly: when favorable conditions on the 15th day, and in cold dry weather - on the 25th-30th day. They swell slowly and cannot stand standing water even for a short time. To speed up germination, the seeds are pre-soaked in hot water(48-50°C) for 20 minutes and cooled to 10-15°C. You can then keep the seeds for a day in a solution of trace elements or biological stimulants growth and development (Agat-25K, Epin, Albit, Zircon). The seeds are then scattered thin layer in some dish, covered with a damp cloth on top and kept at + 15 ... 20 ° C for several days, moisturizing when dried. When single seedlings appear, the seeds are mixed with river sand and sown in moist soil.

AT recent times began to produce encrusted seeds, covered with a film with protectants, growth stimulants and microelements. Their use greatly simplifies the sowing of seeds, increases the germination and resistance of plants to diseases. Encrusted seeds, of course, do not need to be exposed pre-sowing treatment, they can be sown into the soil, spread evenly at the right distance, which reduces the difficulty of weeding.

Carrots are sown on soil previously leveled with a rake in furrows with a distance between furrows of 18-20 cm and at a distance of 2-3 cm in a row to a depth of 1.5-2 cm on loamy soils and 2.5-3 cm on light sandy and peaty soils. To obtain more sparse crops, you can mix carrot seeds with 4-5 parts of sand.

Germination begins at a soil temperature of +3...4°С, but optimum temperature for germination +30°C. After sowing, the soil is lightly rolled. To accelerate germination, it is recommended to immediately cover the crops with a translucent film or mulch with peat. As soon as shoots appear, the film is removed to avoid stretching the sprouts. Shoots of carrots withstand temperatures down to -3 ... 4 ° C.

For perhaps more early receipt harvest, winter sowing is used. Choose a flat, weed-free area with light soil, where there is no danger of crusting and washing the seeds with melt water. Sow in late October - early November, before the soil freezes, but with the onset of stable frosts, when the soil temperature drops to + 1 ... 2 ° C, and the air temperature is not higher than + 9 ° C. Humus, granular superphosphate and potassium chloride are added to the area where winter sowing is supposed. At winter sowing dry seeds are used. Planting depth 1 cm. Sowing is mulched with peat or humus with a layer of 2-3 cm.

Root crops obtained during winter sowing are poorly stored, they must be consumed during the summer and early autumn.

plant care

Carrots need a lot of moisture, especially during seed germination and in initial period growth. When a crust is formed before the emergence of shoots of lighthouse crops, the site is harrowed with a light rake. Loosening in the future is carried out after each watering or rain.

Carrot plants develop very slowly and form 2-3 true leaves only 1-1.5 months after germination, but at this time the root system develops rapidly - even before the cotyledons reach the surface, the roots reach a length of 10 cm, forming simultaneously side shoots densely covered with hairs. In an adult plant, the main mass of roots is located at a depth of 60 cm, but individual roots penetrate up to 2 m.

To protect carrots from pests (carrot flies), it is recommended to plant carrots together with onions, and plant pyrethrum along the edges of the ridge.

Timely thinning is of great importance. The first thinning is carried out with 1-2 true sheets. In thickened places, seedlings are thinned out, leaving plants 1-2 cm apart. The second thinning is carried out in the phase of 4-5 leaves, 2 weeks after the first. At the same time, the soil is loosened and the plants of the lighthouse culture are harvested. Removed plants can be used for food. After thinning, the seedlings are lightly spudded and watered. The final distance is 4-6 cm.

Carrots are a drought-resistant crop, waterlogging is harmful to root crops, but a sufficient amount of moisture is necessary to obtain a good harvest.

The need for watering is also indicated by the wilting of plants and the darkening of the color of the leaves. In July, carrots are watered 2-3 times, 5-6 liters (half a bucket) per 1 sq. m. It is necessary to water gradually, in two or three passes, so that the soil gets wet deep enough (up to a depth of 45-50 cm). Water for irrigation should not be cold, it is advisable to warm it in the sun during the day. Do not water during hot daytime hours - carrots begin to get sick with rhizoctoniosis.

In the second half of the growing season, when plants have a powerful root system, they are less demanding on soil moisture. high humidity leads to massive cracking of root crops.

Feed the plants once or twice a season mineral fertilizers(based on 1 sq. m): urea -1 g, superphosphate -10 g, potassium salt -15 g. The first dressing is carried out with 4-5 leaves, the second - after 3-4 weeks. Top dressing is carried out in the grooves that are laid between the rows. After fertilization, the grooves are covered with earth.

Harvesting

Harvesting of carrots for summer consumption begins when the diameter of the root crop reaches 1 cm. A high yield of root crops, the richest in chemical composition, is formed in the second half of September, therefore, for winter storage, root crops are harvested in September-October. At this time, the diameter of the root crop will be 2.5-6 cm. The carrots dug up with a garden pitchfork are pulled out, shaking it off the soil, and the tops are immediately cut off at the level of the root crop head.

Storage

Harvested carrots should not be kept in piles on fresh air. Small, ugly, cracked root crops are used for processing, and healthy ones are stored for storage. The storage temperature of carrots is -1...2°С.

At home, carrots are stored in boxes, layered with sand, high-moor peat, vermiculite, etc. Root crops are also stored in open plastic bags and on special racks. Carrots are well stored, covered after harvesting with a layer of clay or slaked lime (chalk). To do this, the root crops are immersed in an aqueous creamy suspension (7% by weight of the root crops). With increased ventilation, the layer dries out in 1-2 days. Such a film protects the root crops from wilting and rot damage.