Content
In its practical application, gardening and horticulture have always been time-oriented. This is the growing season and the associated planting time. We have to pay attention to the timing of their feeding and the time the moon is in a certain phase. The timing of harvesting and the duration of its storage are not ignored. Being in the same causal relationship, these terms pursue one goal - the timely receipt of a good harvest.
Now is not the time when the harvest was the key to the successful existence of the whole family. For a long time, all fruits and vegetables can be bought inexpensively in the store. Moreover, this can be done all year round. And economically, growing vegetables and fruits on your own is hardly a profitable business. It is rather a pleasant pastime in the fresh air, and at the same time a personal hobby. All of the above applies to the cultivation of carrots.
Carrots - worries and results
Carrots are among the five most popular home garden vegetables. Along with potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, this root vegetable has not spared a single vegetable garden. It is difficult to name the culinary section, wherever there is a place for the use of ordinary carrots. Its popularity is great, but the concerns when growing a seemingly simple root crop are considerable.
The article is not about tiny root crops the size of a little finger, but about full-fledged, varietal specimens of carrots, which make up 80% of the total crop. And about specimens that are not ashamed to demonstrate not only to their own guests, but also to connoisseurs-neighbors. And to admit to myself that I did everything right to get a good harvest. In the distant past, there were not sprouted seeds, thinned seedlings and beds of carrot embryos stuck together from the tightness. Failures are hard to deal with, but only with them comes experience.
When growing carrots, there are no trifles
Every child knows a riddle about carrots, and a gardener knows a hint to this riddle. After all, in order to put a girl in a dungeon, and at the same time to see her scythe, a lot of energy must be spent and sweat shed. Otherwise, it will not be a girl, but an undergrowth from the cellar. And there will not even be a braid, but so - a thin, withered twine. There will be several preliminary tasks:
- choose the necessary bed with suitable predecessors;
- fill it with fertilizers in the fall, in accordance with the recommendations for varietal agricultural technology;
- to analyze horticultural literature and Internet forums on new products and reviews on unfamiliar carrot varieties;
- pay special attention to zoned varieties with different ripening periods for carrots;
- buy or order carrot seeds of your favorite varieties;
- outline, in accordance with varietal recommendations, the possible timing of planting carrot seeds. Distribute plantings in beds depending on the maturation period of root crops;
- preparation of carrot seeds for planting;
- spring preparation of beds under planting carrot seeds... Insulation of the landing site early varieties carrots.
- planting carrot seeds and performing varietal, agrotechnical measures for growing root crops.
Choosing the right landing site
Carrots, as beauties from a dungeon, are capricious and demanding culture. She needs light, light soil and good predecessors. The latter include tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage and legumes. Carrots can return to their original place no earlier than 4 years. At the place where the decision was made plant carrots, you should prepare a bed with high sides in the fall. The soil in it should be light and well filled with humus. The use of manure should be completely excluded.
Very good results are obtained by the method of preparing the beds for planting without digging it in the spring. There are several options for such training:
- autumn mulching of the bed surface with mowed, semi-matured grass. Before planting, the mulch must be temporarily removed. After the carrot seeds are planted, they should be returned to their place before the first shoots appear;
- spring preparation of the beds using early plantings of green manure. The grown green manure should be cut off with a flat cutter. After that, cover the entire bed with foil for several weeks to overheat;
- trench preparation of the beds in early spring. The trench, 300 mm deep, is filled with a mixture of humus and sand. It spills well with water and matures for several weeks.
Choosing a variety is difficult, but interesting
All the beauties sitting in dungeons are not alike. The same happens with carrots. All are good, but how to distinguish one from the other. For this, there is, for each carrot, a certain type of type. Knowing him, any gardener will be able to choose exactly the variety that meets his requirements. One is interested in the shape of the root crop, the other - its size or color, the third - the growing season or keeping quality.
If we have only 7 of them, then there are several dozen of them abroad:
- "Amsterdam" - thin, medium-sized, early ripening. Cylindrical in shape with a blunt tip. The skin is thin and delicate. Poorly stored;
- "Nantes" - large sizes, all ripening periods, juicy and very sweet. Has a cylindrical shape;
- "Flakke" or "Vleria" - large roots of late and medium ripening. Root crops are spindle-shaped. Differs in low content, in its composition, carotene;
- "Chantenay" - medium-sized, tapered roots, short and thick in shape. They are characterized by insufficient keeping quality;
- "Berlikum" - Root crops of large size and conical shape. Stored well and tasted great;
- "Mini carrots" - early ripening root vegetable of small size. Used for conservation or freezing;
- "Parisian shorttel" - small fruits with a high carotene content. Delicious carrots for fresh consumption. Poorly stored;
- "Transitional varieties" - there are all root crops that are difficult to be attributed to any particular cultivar type.
Having dealt with the existing varieties, the buyer of seeds will know for sure what kind of harvest he can get at the end of the season. At the same time, he will be able to choose seeds with specific characteristics for a given variety type.
Ripening table of varieties
№ p / p | Name varieties | Variety type | Root characteristics | |||||
The form root vegetable | Dimensions, mm. | The weight
g. | Vegetation, days | Consumer qualities | ||||
Early ripening carrots | ||||||||
1. | Carotel Paris | Paris Carotel | Round shape of carrots
| Carrot diameter close to 40 | 25 | 65 — 85 | Dessert taste. Carrot yield is low. Grows well in heavy soils. | |
2. | Finhor | Nantes | Conical, smooth carrot | Carrot length 150 - 170 Diameter close to 60 | 150 | 80 | Dessert taste. Rich in carotene. Resistant to disease. Poor keeping quality of carrots. | |
Medium ripening carrots | ||||||||
3. | Chantenay Royal |
Chantenay
| Conical, short carrot | Carrot length 150 - 170 | 200 | 90 — 110 | For long-term storage and fresh use. Good keeping quality of carrots. Productivity from 4 to 9 kg / m2 | |
4. | Yaroslavna | Nantes | Cylindrical, blunt | Carrot length180 - 220 | 100 | 100 — 115 | Good taste. Productivity from 2 to 3.5 kg / m2 | |
Late ripening carrots | ||||||||
| Berlicum Royal | Berlikum | Cylindrical | Carrot length 200 - 230 | 200 260 | 110 — 130 | Universal consumer appointment | |
6. | Chantenay 2461 | Chantenay | Thick, tapered. | Carrot length 150 Diameter close to 60 | 300 | 120 | Excellent keeping quality. Average taste. Productivity from 4 to 9 kg / m2 |
Moreover, their landing should be carried out at different times.
Planting seeds
Seeds need preparation too
Many gardeners have been saddened by the poor quality of carrot seeds more than once. But sometimes the situation could be corrected with your own hands. In other words, the seeds need to be prepared before planting. Carrot seeds are very small, pubescent and covered with an oily ether film, which prolongs their germination. All methods of preparing seeds for planting and are aimed at combating it:
- first of all, the seeds are placed in a saline solution prepared from 1 liter of warm water and 2 tablespoons of common salt. Floated instances should be thrown away. Then they are placed in a gauze bag and dipped in warm water.
The seeds are kept in it, rinsing periodically, until the water cools completely.
For greater confidence in the positive result of the preparation of carrot seeds, the procedure can be repeated again. After that, the carrot seeds should be washed under cold water and dried well. - The next stage of preparation will be seed germination or direct planting in the garden. Carrot seeds should germinate within a week, depending on the ambient temperature. Unprepared carrot seeds germinate depending on the weather, from 30 to 40 days;
- a rag bag with carrot seeds must be buried in barely thawed ground. The insertion depth must be at least 300 mm. Before sowing, the seed bag should be dug up and the contents used directly for planting. Germination time with such preparation is reduced by 3 times;
- it is necessary to soak carrot seeds in warm rain or melt water for 10 - 12 hours. Discard the floating carrot seeds during the soaking process. After the specified time has elapsed, the swollen seeds must be placed between layers of wet wipes.
After three or four days, the carrot seeds should sprout. Their length should not exceed 5 mm. In this form, you can plant carrot seeds; - good results in preparing seeds for planting are obtained by soaking them in a solution of trace elements or infusion of ash. But infusion in various acids and peroxides raises great doubts.
This will make it possible to remove the bristles present on them and facilitate the preparation process itself.
There are no trifles when planting carrots
Early spring is the most long-awaited and favorite time for all gardeners and gardeners. She is also the most tense. The time for theoretical studies and preparatory work is over. Serious field work begins when any delay or wrong action will lead to a sad result. Every nuance will have to be taken into account:
- terms of planting works. To get an early harvest - the second decade of April or early May - the harvest can be harvested from the end of June. For summer planting in mid-May, planting carrots for winter consumption. Pre-winter planting - until mid-November will allow for very early root crops for summer use.
- air and soil temperature, taking into account the expected changes.By the end of April, when the soil temperature will be close to 100and the air won't get colder 160, the sowing process can begin.
- the presence of covering and mulching material. This is especially true for pre-winter plantings and when there is a danger of recurrent frosts. Once frozen, carrots may not die, but go into bloom;
- how to sow. The practice of planting small seeds has not worked out one best way. Each gardener chooses a convenient option only for him. This can be an option with seeds glued to a tape, rolling them in ash or creating certain suspensions. The main thing is to achieve even distribution of seeds along the length of the bed.
- a method of preparing the garden itself. It is better to do this with a narrow board (up to 100 mm), with an effort pressing it into the ground to a depth of 30 mm. After planting the seeds, sprinkle them with fluffy humus.
Pleasant worries
The most difficult work has been left behind. The process of garden art and acting has begun and it can only be stopped by force majeure. It remains only to enjoy the first shoots, and occasionally thin them out in accordance with varietal agricultural technology. As the seedlings mature, feed the young sprouts with complex fertilizers, avoiding chlorine-containing and excessive mineral compositions. This is especially important after each thinning.
The thinning process and timing is fairly simple:
- the first thinning should be done after the appearance of 3 true leaves. The distance between the shoots should not be less than 30 mm;
- the second - a month later. And the distance should be about 60 mm;
- all excess sprouts must be immediately removed from the garden in order not to attract the carrot fly by the smell.
Harvesting carrots too early will lose their taste and aroma. At a later date, the crop will lose quality due to various damages, which will affect the keeping quality of carrots. A small share of attention to the condition of the leaves of plants and the harvest will reward for this both in quality and quantity.