When can you sow carrots outdoors. How to sow carrots: video, advice, recommendations. How to plant carrots in open ground in a bag

The peculiarity of carrot cultivation in the Urals and Siberia is the need to adapt to late spring and shortened summer. Therefore, choosing the right variety, adjusting the timing of germination and comprehensive care of the seedlings will help you get the harvest on time. In the article we will look at how carrots are planted in the spring in open ground, in the middle lane, the Urals and Siberia, what are the sowing dates and the rules of care.

How to choose a place for sowing carrots in your summer cottage?

To choose the right place for planting carrots, consider:

the position of the future bed on the site;
soil composition;
previous cultures.

As for the position of the beds, a bright, sunny place (she cannot stand the shadow) is preferable on the south side. In the north, the fruits ripen longer.

The soil of carrots is needed loose, light, not acidic. If it does not meet these requirements, you cannot get a good harvest of carrots: in heavy soils, the root crop turns out to be small and hard, in sour soils, it does not gain sweetness. You can lighten the soil by adding old sawdust or sand to it, and will help reduce acidity:

lime;
dolomite flour;
ash.

Tip # 1: do not use fresh sawdust: it draws nitrogen, precious for carrots, from the soil.

Carrots are demanding on their predecessors. If her relatives - umbrella-shaped - grew up in this place before her, then diseases and pests characteristic of them have accumulated in the soil, which will not bypass carrots as soon as shoots appear. Knowing the correct crop rotation will help you choose the right crop. If they are small, use the table below.

In addition, useful precursors are green manure such as mustard, phacelia, rye.

See the infographics for the main points of growing carrots in the country.

Preparing the soil for planting carrots in open ground

Preparation of the soil for sowing carrots begins in the fall. Digging is carried out on a full bayonet of a shovel. This removes the rhizomes of weeds, stones. Poor soils will have to "fill": apply nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers or complex mineral fertilizers - according to the instructions. You can choose innovative methods in private gardening and give preference to natural methods: 4-5 weeks before sowing carrots, add vermicompost to the soil, and then, 3-4 days before sowing, fertilize the garden with humates (biohumus). In the spring, the soil is additionally dug up and cut into small lumps.

Selecting seeds for planting

The question of the correct choice of seeds includes their selection according to the ripening time and the decision of the question of what to prefer: ordinary seeds, or hybrid ones. Hybrid plants are represented by smooth, beautiful root crops, have positive characteristics: resistance to diseases, pests, frosts, drought, high productivity, a shortened growing season ... They get hybrids from parents with specific varietal qualities. Therefore, the F1 designation means that it is a first generation hybrid. This is a guarantee that the seeds correspond to the declared description (if the manufacturer values his reputation and produces quality products). The only significant disadvantage of hybrid varieties is that if its yield, taste, etc. the buyer will like it, he will not be able to get seeds with the same properties from them: the hybrids will have to be bought again.

Fruit sizes vary depending on the variety. Short-fruiting varieties are more suitable for heavy soils than long-fruited ones.

For home cultivation, there is no fundamental difference whether ordinary seeds or hybrids are. Plus, simple varieties are much cheaper. But the disadvantages of such seeds include deviations from the characteristics of a pure variety (this is also on the conscience of the manufacturer). There is only one way out: to purchase seeds from trusted sellers.

As for the timing of the ripening of carrots, the seeds are chosen depending on the purpose for which the carrots will be sown: for fresh consumption in the season, for processing or for long-term storage. This table shows the varieties zoned for Siberia and the Urals.

Ripening dates for carrots	Time to collecting root crops (days)	Productivity and storage	Varieties
Early	65-80	Practically not stored - for fresh consumption. The yield is low.	Abaco Amsterdam Caramel
Mid-season	105-115	Average yield, better storage.	Samson Anastasia Autumn king Sentyabrina Carotel Nantes Princess Olympian Callisto
Late	120 and more	High-yielding, stable: stored until spring.	Canada Queen of Autumn Sweetheart Perfection

Tip # 2: Don't choose seeds older than last year for sowing. They greatly lose in germination and vigor.

Dates of sowing carrots in open ground

Carrots are cold-resistant plants. But if you sow carrots too early, in cold soil, the seeds, although they will not die, will lie for a long time in the cold ground, waiting for the germination temperature and weakening in the dark soil. Therefore, it is necessary to sow carrots in open ground in spring no earlier than the soil warms up to 10-12 degrees, and the air - to about 15. In the climatic conditions of Siberia and the Urals, this is the end of April - the beginning of May.

If carrots are sown earlier, this will lead to massive germination of weeds, which will have time to grow significantly and drown out carrot seedlings. Given the ripening time of the root crop, even late varieties will have time to ripen and give a full harvest. Which needs to be grown and harvested on time. Overexposure also spoils the taste and appearance of root crops.

If the harvest is harvested much later than the established dates, then the fruits outgrow, coarse, thicken and crack the pulp. By the way, fruits can crack for another reason: an excess of moisture.

Preparing carrot seeds

Carrots are crops that sprout long after sowing: up to three weeks. In the climatic conditions of the Urals and Siberia, it makes sense to reduce these periods to a minimum. For these purposes, different techniques are used:

germination of seeds;
soak;
warming up in warm water (half an hour at 50 degrees);
soaking in stimulants (Fitolife, Epin, Humat).

After that, the seeds are hardened (placed for a week in a temperature regime plus 2-3 degrees - in a basement or refrigerator). Then it is dried to a semi-dry state. Now you can sow.

Methods for sowing carrots in open ground

Seeds on strips of paper are sold ready-made.

For sowing carrot seeds, the soil is moistened (after rain - not necessary) and grooves are made no more than 2 cm deep at a distance of at least 15 cm. Then the prepared seeds are sown. The seeds are small, so they are sown in different ways:

Seeds from a handful: they are simply scattered along the furrows by hand. The most wasteful method.
Soaked and sprouted seeds. Requires constant watering.
Seeds in the form of pills (with the necessary nutrition and protection).
In paste. Jelly is boiled from flour, cooled, nutrients are dissolved in it and carrot seeds are placed in this composition. Sow with a syringe. The seeding is fairly uniform.
Seeds glued to strips of tissue paper. The method allows you to sow carrots evenly and avoid thinning. But it prolongs the germination period.

After sowing, the seeds are embedded in the soil and the surface is compacted with a plank or simply by hand.

Moisturizing the garden to increase yields

For germination and further growth, carrot seeds need constant moisture. If there is little precipitation, it is necessary to moisten the bed constantly, preventing the surface from drying out. Mulching will help to reduce the amount and strength of watering.

Because of the tap root system, carrots cannot stand transplanting - they must be sown immediately to a permanent place. If crops are mulched, this will allow less watering of seedlings and forget about weeds. In addition, many pests do not grow under the mulch.

Thinning carrot seeds

If the seeds were not sown on paper, they must be thinned out. The first time - after the appearance of real leaves, the second - when the fruits have already begun to grow (they can be eaten). It is necessary to achieve a distance between plants of about 10-15 cm.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Question number 1: I bought the seeds of the Nantes carrot, looked after, withstood the sowing time, humidity, fertilized, etc. But in the fall, instead of a good harvest, she collected small unsightly root crops. What else could be the reason?

Answer: most likely, the seeds were purchased "in a newspaper bag" on the market. The kind grandmother could not deceive you - she collects seeds from carrots, which she bought many years ago as Nantes. But with each new reproduction of seeds, they increasingly lose the characteristics of their variety. Buy seed from trusted sellers in specialized stores. And if you collect them yourself, buy a pack of store seeds every 2-3 years.

Question # 2: While harvesting carrots, I was faced with the fact that some of the roots were of a different color: purple or pale yellow. I decided that they were in unfavorable parts of the garden, where they lacked something. I'm right?

The answer is no. This color of carrots is due not so much to unfavorable conditions as to the characteristics of their variety. The reason is the same: the seeds were purchased from an unscrupulous seller. Varietal impurities got into varietal carrots, only other varieties. Modern carrots are yellow, purple, and even pink.

If the carrots grow too thick, the result will not please you. Curved, accreted and intertwined fruits are often impossible to separate. To avoid this, maintain a distance between the plants.

Question number 3: I heard that before sowing carrots, the garden is covered with foil for several weeks to warm up the soil. But aren't carrots cold-resistant anyway?

Answer: this is done for a different purpose. An increase in temperature under the film will lead to the fact that weeds will begin to germinate, which sprout before the carrot and are able to drown it. Under the film, they quickly grow and they can simply be pulled out before sowing carrots so that they do not interfere with seeing its thin shoots.

Question number 4: carrots gave amicable strong shoots (they bought a hybrid), but in the phase of two leaves they dried up sharply, although the soil was mulched. What is the reason?

Answer: the presence of mulch does not replace watering, but only allows it to be reduced, somewhat delaying evaporation. Your seedlings did not have enough moisture: their amount under the mulch is still monitored.

Question number 5: how can you mark the rows in the carrot garden? It would be more convenient to water and weed the aisles ...

Answer: sow together with carrots seeds of crops that germinate faster: lettuce, radish. They will play the role of "beacons" until the carrots appear. In addition, they ripen much faster: from one garden bed you will get a harvest of two crops at once.

Recommendation for growing carrots in the open field by the method of combined planting with onions

This method consists in the fact that the carrots are planted in rows alternating with rows of onions. This method has a number of significant advantages:

The onion fly cannot stand the smell of carrot tops in the neighborhood.
The carrot fly, on the other hand, is afraid of the smell of onions.
Carrots growing next to onions do not suffer from gray and white rot.
When sowing different varieties of carrots in the same garden, onions will be an excellent separator.

Onions planted next to carrots also repel pests such as aphids or bears.

Gardeners' mistakes when sowing carrots in spring

Do not apply fresh organic fertilizers to the soil: the roots from this grow small and ugly, although the tops above the bed are lush and juicy. In this case, the fruits accumulate nitrates, and the smell of manure attracts pests (bear, for example). However, in the non-black earth zone, organic matter is indispensable - it improves the structure of the soil. The way out is to apply manure 2-3 years before sowing carrots, or add well-rotted humus (4 kg per square meter).

Do not sow carrots in dry soil. At the same time, carrots emerge for a long time, and if there is not enough moisture after germination, the root crop is forced to go deep in search of moisture, stretching and coarse.

Don't sow the carrots too thick, hoping that you pull on and fix it. When thinning, you will be faced with the fact that some plants have to be pulled up along with the neighboring ones, or, when pulling out one plant, break the roots of another, since they are intertwined. In order not to insure yourself with unnecessary consumption of seeds (what if they grow badly?), Pay special attention to their freshness and quality: buy seed material only in proven places.

Almost all summer residents plant carrots. This is understandable, because the root vegetable occupies one of the important places in any kitchen. And planting carrots is no big deal. I put seeds on the garden bed and wait for the harvest. However, things are not so simple. This article will tell you about some of the secrets of growing and caring for carrots in the open field, what needs to be done before sowing, as well as how to deal with uninvited guests.

What to consider when planting carrots in open ground with seeds.
Soil preparation.
Planting carrots by seeds in open ground.
Outdoor carrot care and proper watering of carrot beds.
Disease and pest control.

What to consider when planting carrots in open ground with seeds

To all of us from childhood, the familiar carrot is not such an easy vegetable to grow, it is quite capricious. In order to get a truly generous harvest, and the harvest is preserved without loss, it is necessary to take into account some serious points:

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

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

Soil preparation

A good owner begins to prepare the carrot beds from the fall days. Carrot beds 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, not compacted, then you can simply walk with a rake or, better, a flat cutter. In other cases, you should seriously tackle 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. Manure can be added, but it must be well rotted. Carrots do not like fresh manure and will respond to its introduction with thick and dense tops, fruits with thick peels, unpleasant taste, small and ugly forms.

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

Planting carrots by seeds in open ground

Some summer residents plant seeds simply in the ground, however, it is much better to put carrot seeds soaked for 3 to 4 days, and then dry them a little. This will allow you to identify non-viable seeds and significantly speed up the germination process. Experienced gardeners know how to plant carrots with seeds in the open field. But, since the seeds are very small and it is difficult to plant them, the gardeners have come up with some ways to ensure that the small seeds lie flat and do not all fall into one place.

Planting carrots in open ground with seeds is as follows:

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

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

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

Outdoor carrot care and proper watering of carrot beds

Growing carrots and care in the open field requires a certain systematicity. This is especially true for watering. It is very important to know how to water your carrots outdoors. Indeed, with a lack of watering, young roots may not reach the water, and the seedlings will die, and the overflow threatens to turn tasty and juicy carrots into livestock feed. Watering should be done 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 promotes hairiness in the carrots and makes the fruit grow crooked. But weaning the plant from watering is also risky. If the carrots are on water starvation for a long time, and then suddenly a rainy period comes, all the fruits will crack. Watering carrots in the open field should not be frequent, but systematic. Already from the moment of the first shoots, carrots can be fed, she will gratefully accept this.

In addition to watering, thinning is necessary. When planting, small seeds, at times, fall so close to each other that they do not allow the fruit to develop fully. If we neglect thinning, the carrots will grow thin, frail, which will quickly rot during storage, and they will not be suitable for the table.

Taking care of carrots in the open field contains another very important stage - loosening. As described above, carrots without this procedure grow crooked, small and ugly. Loosening is often combined with weeding or thinning. Weeding is also needed to prevent strong weeds from shading the sprouts.

Disease and pest control

One of the pests of the vegetable is the carrot fly. In order to get rid of it, it is better to arrange the beds in 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 does not even look at the carrot bed, it is better to sprinkle the bed with hot pepper, gold or tobacco dust, and do it with mowed grass or straw.

Timely thinning and loosening helps with carrot rot. Another pest is the mole. To combat this bully, shops offer a variety of tools. It will take a lot of effort and time to properly care for carrots in the open field, however, a luxurious harvest is worth it.

It is difficult to imagine a vegetable garden where carrots would not grow. Even if the plot is very small, not one gardener will miss the opportunity to grow an orange beauty on his own.

For 1 m² of land you need to take:

25-30 g superphosphate;
2-3 kg of humus;
15 g of potash fertilizer;
15-20 g nitrogenous.

Before planting, the soil is "leveled" with a rake, after which the site is ready for sowing. Now it's time to tackle the planting material to increase germination.

You can choose 1 of 4 preparation options:

Put the seeds in a bag and dip them in water, the temperature of which is 50 degrees. After a couple of minutes, take out, cool in cold water.
Soak in 30-degree liquid for a day, changing it at least 1 time in 4 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator for a few days. Plain water can be replaced with nutritious water - add a tablespoon of ash to a liter of liquid.
If you have a bubbler, you should use it. For about 20 hours, the seeds are kept in a Silk or Epin solution.
Put the seeds in a small bag and bury them in the ground to the depth of a shovel bayonet.

Ways of sowing carrot seeds

Now how to plant carrots in the open ground in spring. Previously, the entire bed on which the root crop will grow is sprinkled with ash. Then grooves are made. Their depth should be 2.5 cm.The distance between the rows is at least 20 cm, and from the edges of the garden bed - 12 cm.

One interesting way to seed carrots is by mixing with sand. The calculation is made as follows: 2-3 tablespoons of seeds and a bucket of dry sand. Stir, then scatter over the prepared wells. Water, sprinkle with earth, and wait for shoots.

By the way, there is an opinion that it is more convenient to plant carrots with granules. In this case, it is imperative to spill the soil with water before and after planting so that the shell dissolves. At the same time, the distance between the grooves is maintained at 15-20 cm, and between the seeds - 5 cm. Otherwise, the process is the same as when using ordinary seeds ...

Additional points and feeding

In order to prevent the development of diseases, it is imperative to carry out pre-sowing preparation of seeds and soil, and then engage in thinning in order to prevent thickening (this does not threaten if you choose granular seeds).

It is also necessary from time to time to do a small top dressing of carrots, but in no case be confused: in the fall - potassium, not nitrogen, because the second stimulates growth, which is not needed in winter; and vice versa, respectively ...

The average calculation is as follows: 40 g per 1 square meter.

Carrots are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. Every gardener tries to plant it. Getting a good harvest isn't that difficult. The main thing is to observe the sowing time and know some of the nuances. We will talk about them now.

Planting dates for carrots

First, I must say that carrots differ from each other in terms of ripening. There are early, medium and late varieties.

Depending on this, the period when you can sow carrots in open ground will change.

Early varieties of carrots can be sown after relatively positive temperatures (about +3 degrees) are established outside. This period usually falls at the end of April and beginning of May. Planted carrots in this way ripen in the summer.
Medium and late varieties of carrots are planted around the same period - from May 1 to May 20. Sometimes this period is extended until the beginning of June. Such carrots are suitable for long-term storage.

Some experienced gardeners practice planting carrots in late fall. This allows you to harvest much earlier - by about two weeks. The optimal planting time in this case is the end of October and beginning of November. The main thing is that there are no return temperatures above zero. Otherwise, the seeds may germinate. Let's add that this method has one big drawback. If the winter turns out to be very harsh, there is a high probability that the seeds will freeze out and will not sprout in the spring.

The process of preparing for sowing carrots

Before you start sowing carrots, you need to take care of. This crop does not grow well on heavy loamy soil. Therefore, it is better to set aside a bed with light soil under the carrots (it is good if the earth is mixed with a small amount of sand).

You can not bring fresh manure under the bed with carrots. This will negatively affect the development of this crop - the root crop is likely to grow weak and will be very poorly stored.

Seed preparation

Novice gardeners usually do not attach much importance to this item, but in vain. Thanks to proper seed treatment, the plant develops much better and gives a bountiful harvest. There are a lot of ways to process seed. Perhaps the most effective of them is soaking the seeds in potassium permanganate (weak solution). This method allows you to protect future root crops from pests and all kinds of diseases.

Some gardeners soak seeds in various growth stimulants to get an early harvest. In this case, the question of how to sow carrots so that they sprout quickly disappears by itself.

The optimal size of the beds: width 1 meter, length 5. Of course, these are only approximate parameters. The final version depends on the preferences of the gardener. Before planting carrots in spring, using, for example, a shovel handle, you need to make furrows. It is in them that the seeds are sown.

The width of such a groove is about 6 cm. The distance between them is 20 cm. Before you start planting carrots, the grooves are carefully spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate. This is done so that the roots are less sick.

Planting carrots

Carrot seeds are sown in prepared furrows at a distance of 1-1.5 cm. The crops are sprinkled on top with peat (you can add sand). It would seem, why do this? The answer is quite simple: if the soil is dense, then the seeds germinate very poorly, but if, on the contrary, then you can count on friendly seedlings. After the seeds are planted, it remains only to shed well (use cold water) the bed.

Acceleration of the seed germination process

Of course, any gardener always wants seedlings to appear as early as possible. There are many ways to speed up this process. We will tell you about the method, which is based on the use of conventional polyethylene. Everything is very simple. You need to take a film and cover the garden with it in such a way that an air gap of about 12 cm remains between the polyethylene cover and the ground. After that, you need to give time for the seeds to germinate. When using this method, one week is usually enough. When shoots appear, the polyethylene is removed. If this is not done, the seedlings that have not yet gained strength may die.

Choosing "neighbors" for carrots

As we already said, in order to get a good harvest of carrots, you need to know about some nuances. One of them is the correct choice of "neighbors" (those plants with which a given agricultural crop grows well). In fact, carrots can get along quite well with many plants. The list of the most successful "neighbors" includes: garlic, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, and peas.

And one more little trick: to prevent plantings from being hit by a carrot fly, experienced gardeners recommend surrounding them with tobacco, rosemary or sage. Plants that negatively affect the development of carrots include dill and anise.

In this article, we have answered many questions. After reading it, it will become clear when to plant carrots in open ground, how to sow this crop, and also how to accelerate the rate of seed germination. Using the above recommendations, you can easily grow on your personal plot, to the envy of your neighbors and to your delight, a rich harvest of carrots. The main thing is to be patient and everything will definitely work out.

Sowing carrots and not thinning out, very easy - video

Carrots are a popular and favorite vegetable crop in every summer cottage. Rich in trace elements, carotene, vitamins, substances that increase immunity and help to heal many ailments. Carrots are one of the main crops in baby foods. And it is very sad when the labors spent on its cultivation end in crooked, ugly squiggles of dubious taste, because in the case of carrots, the external corresponds to the internal content. How to grow carrots even, large, tasty, with a high content of nutrients?

What is needed for a good harvest of carrots

To grow a decent harvest, you need to pay attention:

on the biological characteristics of carrots,
to comply with the requirements of growing technology,
on the structure and fertility of the soil, its preparation for sowing,
acidity of the soil,
features of providing moisture.

When to plant carrots outdoors

Carrot seeds germinate at a soil temperature of 4-6 ºC, so they can be sown as soon as the ground warms up to that temperature - usually by the end of April. Late and mid-season carrot varieties can be sown after April 20th to the first week of May inclusive. On medium soils, you can sow carrots in the second week of May, and on light soils until the very end of the month. Seeds in the soil are not afraid of frosts down to -4 ºC. It is good to sow carrots before heavy rains. Try not to be late with sowing, otherwise the seeds will germinate for a very long time.

Soil for carrots

The place for carrots should be well lit by the sun and be even, but a slight slope of the site is acceptable. You cannot use the beds on which cumin, fennel, parsley, parsnips, dill, beans and carrots were grown in the past year for growing carrots, since these vegetables quickly absorb the micro and macro elements they need from the ground, depleting the soil, and the carrot harvest will sooner everything, meager. It takes at least three years to plant carrots after such predecessors. But after potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, garlic or onions, carrots grow well.

The garden bed is prepared in the fall so that it settles. It is made loose. To do this, add sawdust, humus, peat or sand. For liming, chalk, lime, dolomite, ash are used. You should not use manure for growing carrots, since you get not very beautiful and poorly stored root crops. Humus should be applied to poor soil - a bucket per square meter. If the groundwater is close, the bed is made high. The arable layer is well formed with the help of green manure roots - plants that create a good soil structure. They are sown in the garden in the fall, in order to plant carrots in this place in the spring. Also, worms and microorganisms create a good soil structure.

In the spring, a week before planting, the bed is leveled, loosened, treated with a 0.3% solution of vitriol, watered with warm water, and then covered with a polyethylene film. During this time, it will retain moisture and warm up well in the sun.

How to prepare carrot seeds for sowing

The germination rate of carrot seeds is low - 55-75%. In this regard, the seeds should be taken fresh. In addition, carrots do not germinate evenly. The first shoots should appear in 2-3 weeks. Seeds germinate for a long time due to the presence of essential oils on their surface, which slow down the penetration of moisture. Before growing good carrots, the seeds must be prepared for sowing.

Use a weak solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of ½ teaspoon of fertilizer per liter of water or a mixture of nitrophoska and boric acid (1/3 teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon per liter of water, respectively). The seeds are scattered on a gauze folded several times, and also covered with it on top and poured with a solution for a day. The liquid level should be just above the fabric. Then they are washed with water and refrigerated for three to four days.

Sowing carrots in open ground

Since it is inconvenient to sow very tiny carrot seeds, it is recommended to mix them with sand in a ratio of 1:50 (a teaspoon to a glass of sand) in order to avoid the appearance of too thick crops. A glass of this mixture should be enough to sow 10 square meters of the garden bed.

Experienced gardeners recommend creating narrow (no more than a meter wide) beds with 4 furrows for carrots. These areas are very convenient to work in because they can be worked without getting your feet on the ground. The optimal width of the tracks is 0.4 m. On a large area, you can lay several tracks wider - about 0.7 m, it will be possible to carry a wheelbarrow on them.

If the bed is set aside only for sowing carrots, then the "technological process" of planting will be as follows:

grooves are cut in the prepared area:
for early and middle varieties - with an interval of 15 cm;
for late varieties - after 20 cm;
water is poured into the grooves;
dust them with ash;
sow seeds.

The depth of the grooves and the degree of seed maturation are determined by the time of planting. In spring and summer, swollen seeds are sown in grooves 3-4 cm deep. Soil is poured on top and mulched using peat or rotted manure. The sown area is covered with a film laid on beams or bricks so that it is at a height of 5 cm.

Is it possible to plant carrots before winter

So what? If the garden is well cultivated, why not? Seeds begin to germinate already at a soil temperature of + 5 ° C. What if you arrive at the site much later? In addition, early carrots will not hurt anyone, especially on the table. Another plus: by the time the weeds begin to sprout, the beauty will have grown a beautiful lush braid. Therefore, she does not threaten to be hammered. Of course, such root crops are not suitable for long-term storage, you will have to lie too long. But for early use - just right.

The principle of winter sowing is very simple. To do this, prepare a garden bed in the summer. Around October, the furrows are cut in the usual pattern. And prepare dry soil in buckets. They are placed in the underground, cellar, shed. In a word, where the earth does not freeze into a lump and remains loose. With the onset of persistent frosts, about -10 ° C, they come to the garden. Almost the entire layer of snow is removed from it, leaving about 1-1.5 cm. Carrot seeds are placed in the prepared grooves directly on the snow. Sprinkle with soil prepared in buckets. And from above they throw back the removed snow. Everything. Now in the spring, as soon as the bed warms up to about + 6 ° C, the carrots will start growing. In the middle lane, it is about mid-April. And the usual method involves starting sowing only in the third decade. Thus, winter planting allows you to harvest at least a month earlier.

Carrot care

Carrots need a lot of moisture, especially during seed germination and early growth. When a crust forms before the emergence of seedlings of lighthouse crops, the site is harrowed with a light rake. Loosening is further 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, simultaneously forming lateral shoots, densely covered with hairs. In an adult plant, the bulk of the 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, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the 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 removed. The removed plants can be used for food. After thinning, the seedlings are slightly huddled and watered. The final distance is 4-6 cm. Carrots are a drought-resistant crop, waterlogging is harmful for root crops, but a sufficient amount of moisture is needed to obtain a good harvest.

Harvesting carrots

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 them off the soil, and the tops are immediately cut off at the level of the root crop head.