Content
The most popular carrot is colored orange. Some varieties may differ in brightness. The color of the root crop is influenced by the coloring pigment. Many have seen white carrot seeds in shops for gardeners and gardeners. Its color is due to the absence of coloring pigments. Many summer residents would be interested in conducting an experiment on growing white carrots, especially since some of them are already successfully growing.
Types of carrots
New varieties of vegetables appear on store shelves every year. No one can be surprised by the unusual color of peppers or tomatoes. As for carrots, this root crop is very common in our beds. The most common shades:
- orange (coloring pigment carotene);
- yellow (the same pigment, but in a smaller amount);
- purple (coloring pigment anthocyanin).
Also, the root crop can be of various shapes:
- conical;
- cylindrical;
- oval and others.
The most common carrot is cylindrical in shape. This root crop is also found in the wild, but it is customary for us to plant its cultivars. Let's talk in more detail about white carrots and what their benefits are.
White carrot
A thermophilic root crop that came to us from Asia. The feature is as follows:
- it is more juicy than many other varieties of the usual root crop;
- it is crisper than its orange counterparts;
- it is sweeter.
However, in the wild, white carrots have a characteristic bitterness, which breeders have carefully removed from varietal root crops.
Varieties of white carrots have an excellent effect on digestion, they are no less useful than all the others, so you should not adhere to the opinion that the absence of a coloring pigment negatively affects the beneficial qualities of the root crop.
White carrots are used for food in the same way as orange ones: they can be boiled, fried, stewed and eaten raw. Where it is common, white varieties are used in desserts and soups.
If we talk about varieties of white carrots, then each should be given due attention. There are still quite a few of them; you can find a variety of the usual carrots of a different interesting shade only in large cities, but this does not prevent gardeners from ordering seeds through online stores.
The most common varieties
Speaking about varieties of white carrots, it should be noted that gardeners want to grow unusual varieties for three reasons:
- curiosity;
- comparative analysis;
- finding the perfect carrot variety.
Often, a color unusual for our country can scare a person away. It may have been bred using GMOs. Consider several varieties, none of which will be harmful, on the contrary, it will turn out to be very tasty and will decorate any table.
These include:
- Lunar White;
- Belgian white;
- White Satin.
Description of varieties
Unfortunately, very little of colored carrots are sold in Russia; they can rarely be found in the vastness of the CIS. Gardeners try to order unusual varieties either via the Internet or bring them from travel. The three varieties of white carrots presented above have already been grown more than once in our soil, which indicates that you should not be afraid to sow seeds.
"Belgian white"
White Belgian is widely known outside of Russia. It is very beautiful, has a fusiform shape, its flesh is white with a yellowish tinge, and the top can be colored green.
Root crops are large, rather long.In order for the seeds to sprout, the air temperature must be at least 10 degrees Celsius, the time for germination is 10 to 14 days. It grows superbly in the open field. It is used for cooking and frying, and under the influence of high temperatures it acquires an unusual pleasant aroma. The variety is early ripening, from the moment of the first shoots to technical ripeness it will take only 75 days to wait.
Lunar white
A variety of white carrots with an interesting name is quite small, thin, but juicy and sweet. In length, it reaches 30 centimeters, but some roots may be slightly smaller. Lunar White is ultra-early maturing, matures in 60-75 days.
Like any other variety of this culture, this one does not like to be sown separately. A distance of 4 centimeters must be maintained between each seed, and 18 centimeters between rows. The optimum temperature for ripening is 16-25 degrees. With its early maturity, Lunar White can be grown even in the Urals and Siberia. Carrots are used to prepare various dishes, including soups.
White satin
Another variety of white carrot varieties that have a bright taste. This is a hybrid with a creamy shade in root crops, which, when ripe, turn out to be even and rather large. Their shape is cylindrical, the tip is sharp, as can be seen in the photo. The fruits are long, reaching 20-30 centimeters. When planting, the seeds are not deeply buried (only 1 centimeter) and leave a distance of 5 centimeters between the roots.
Like other hybrids, it is demanding for warmth, good lighting, fertility and looseness of the soil, as well as moderate watering. There are no peculiarities of growing white root crops.
Sometimes summer residents plant orange carrots in the spring, and in the summer, when they are harvested, they turn out to be white inside. Many people face such a problem, let's try to figure out what's the matter.
Challenges in growing traditional varieties
Speaking about white root crops, one cannot but touch on this topic. The main problems lie in improper cultivation. However, first things first. The color of the bark and flesh in natural conditions may vary slightly. This is normal. There are also hybrids with an interesting stepped color, which is necessarily stated on the package with the seeds.
There are only three reasons why the carrot core is white or creamy:
- Poor quality seeds.
- Re-pollination of cultivated carrots with fodder.
- Growing in hot, humid climates.
To begin with, the seeds can be of poor quality. Save the packaging and do not buy them anymore, because today there are not only manufacturers who do not monitor quality, but also stores selling an outright fake.
Pollination is the second reason that often occurs when dyeing carrots. Please note that there should be no wild carrot crops nearby:
- if cultivation takes place in the field, then the radius is two kilometers;
- if you grow a crop in your own garden, where there are buildings, then the radius should be about 800 meters.
The third reason concerns humid and hot climates. Carrots do not like too much water, like any other root vegetable. This will affect not only the color, but also the shape of the fruit.
You can find out other secrets for growing this crop by watching the video below:
Conclusion
White carrots like the other colored, is very rare in our dachas. It would be interesting for every gardener to try to sow it yourself and get a harvest. If there is such an opportunity, be sure to use it. The result will pleasantly surprise you.
