Sweet mid-season carrot of Nantes 4

Carrots of Nantes 4 are popular among farmers due to their unpretentious care, excellent taste, and a high content of carotene. The variety is in demand in all regions of the country. Subject to correct cultivation techniques, a rich harvest of tasty and healthy root crops is obtained.

Characteristics and description of the carrot variety Nantes 4

Carrot Nantes 4 - mid-season variety with a high sugar content... Carrots are among the best table varieties of domestic production.

The variety is characterized by a semi-spreading, high rosette, strong tops, deep green dissected leaves. The output of marketable products is 75-80%.

Origin and development

Carrot variety Nantes 4 - one of the first varieties included in the State Register of Russia (1943)... Work on its breeding was carried out at the Gribovskaya selection station of garden plants. The originator of the variety is the Moscow agrofirm "Aelita".

Chemical composition, trace elements and vitamins, useful properties

100 g of carrots contains: beta-carotene - 19.5 mg, fructose - 9.1 mg. The energy value of one medium root crop is 25.5 kcal.

The amount of vitamins in root vegetables:

• A - 0.95 mg;
• B1 - 0.07 mg;
• B2 - 0.06 mg;
• B8 - 0.28 mg;
• B9 - 0.15 mg;
• C - 0.52 mg;
• PP - 1.24 mg;
• E - 0.91 mg.

Macronutrient content:

• potassium - 216 mg;
• calcium - 26.7 mg;
• phosphorus - 53 mg;
• magnesium - 37.4 mg;
• sodium - 19.1 mg;
• sulfur - 4.8 mg.

Microelement content:

• iron - 0.7 mg;
• zinc - 0.43 mg;
• aluminum - 0.31 mg;
• manganese - 0.2 mg;
• boron - 0.22 mg;
• vanadium - 0.11 mg;
• copper - 0.8 mg;
• fluorine - 0.51 mg;
• molybdenum - 0.23 mg.

The high carotene content has a beneficial effect on vision... Eating carrots stimulates metabolism, increases the body's immunity. Carrot juice useful for vitamin deficiency, liver and kidney diseases.

Application features

The variety is characterized by versatility in application... The vegetable is useful raw, it is used in side dishes, salads, and preparations. For children, carrots are a sweet source of vitamins; fresh juices and mashed potatoes are prepared from it.

Ripening period

Nantes 4 belongs to mid-season varieties... From the moment of germination to harvest, 75-105 days pass.

Yield

High-yielding variety, its indicators are 4.2-6.5 kg / m².

Disease resistance

Resistant to flowers, has good resistance to defeat rot, carrot fly.

Characteristics, description of appearance, taste

Cylindrical root vegetables with a rounded tip... The length of the vegetables is 16-19 cm, the diameter of the base is up to 5 cm, and the weight is 85-160 g. They are distinguished by a rich orange color. The skin is smooth, the core is orange. Carrots have no voids inside, they do not crack.When ripe, the base of the root crop protrudes above the soil surface and changes color to green or purple. The taste is excellent: the fruits are sweet, juicy, without bitterness.

For which regions it is best suited and what is the exacting climate

The variety is adapted to various climatic conditions, approved for cultivation in all regions of Russia, including in the regions of Siberia and the Urals.

The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Advantages of the variety:

• high productivity;
• long keeping quality;
• friendly germination;
• lack of voids in the pulp;
• resistance to shooting;
• excellent taste.

Disadvantages:

• exactingness to the soil;
• the need for frequent watering.

What is the difference from other varieties:

• the variety can be sown 2 times per season, not counting the winter sowing;
• Nantes 4 easily tolerates a temperature drop down to -4 ° С;
• root vegetables do not crack.

Features of planting and growing

Variety suitable for sowing several times per season. The first sowing is carried out in the spring, in March - April, the second - from mid-July.

For an early harvest sowing is carried out in November... The beds for the winter are insulated with a layer of mulch.

Preparing for landing

Seed material requires preparation: it is soaked for 1-1.5 hours in water. Suitable seeds will sink to the bottom, empty ones will float on the surface, they are thrown away. High-quality seeds are disinfected in a pink solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of "Fitosporin" (5 drops per 1 liter of water) for two hours.

Important! After disinfection, seeds are not washed with water.

The seeds are then placed between two layers of damp cloth to germinate.... This takes 5-6 days. Seeds can be sprayed with a solution of the growth stimulator "Zircon" (4 drops per 1 liter of water).

Attention! For podzimny planting seeds do not germinate.

Ground requirements

Nantes 4 grows well on loamy, sandy loam, peat soils. The beds are located in a lighted place, avoiding low-lying areas.

The soil is prepared from the fall. With deep digging, humus, cow dung, wood ash are introduced. In the spring, the site is loosened, the top layer is leveled with a rake.

Predecessors

According to the rules of agricultural technology, the culture is planted after tomatoes, onions, zucchini, cucumbers, garlic, salad.

Important! Planting carrots after dill, parsley, celery is not recommended. After they are grown in the soil, a favorable environment for the reproduction of parasitic insects is created.

Timing, scheme and landing rules

Spring sowing is carried out after the topsoil warms up to + 8 ... + 10 ° С... This happens in the last days of April - early May. In the prepared area, grooves are made 1.5-2 cm deep, moistened with warm water.

The seeds are laid out with an interval of 2 cm, covered with a layer of earth, and compacted a little by hand. A distance of 25-28 cm is left between the rows. The beds are covered with lutrasil (spunbond) at night to keep warm.

Growing features

Before planting, the soil is loosened, hard lumps, stones are removed so that the growing roots do not run into obstacles.

For this variety, high beds are made, about 28-30 cm... To prevent the soil from crumbling, the garden bed is limited with planks.

The nuances of care

When growing varieties choose sunny areas, as the culture does not tolerate even slight darkening... With a lack of sunlight in root crops, the sugar level decreases, the yield indicator drops.

Watering mode

Since the seeds are placed in moist soil, in the early days there is no need for watering... Watering the beds begins 3-4 days after planting. Before sprouting, watering is carried out every day in the morning.

After the sprouts appear, the soil is moistened every other day, at the same time, make sure that the water jet does not wash out the seeds. When the seedlings grow up to 12-15 cm in height, the beds are watered every 3 days. Adult plantings are moisturized once a week. In dry weather, the frequency of watering is increased to 2 times a week.As crops grow, they increase the abundance of watering.

Attention! The soil is moistened to a depth corresponding to the length of the root crops.

2-3 weeks before harvest watering is stopped.

Thinning and weed control

Culture thinning required after emergence. When the plantings thicken, the root crops will grow small, insect pests can easily start in such beds... The first thinning is carried out when the shoots reach 9-10 cm.

The weakest shoots are removed, increasing the distance between the remaining ones. The second thinning is necessary during the formation of root crops. The distance between the plants is increased to 4-5 cm. During the growth of the bushes, weak specimens are periodically removed. As a result, a distance of 8-10 cm should form between the plants.

Weeding is necessary throughout the growing season... The active growth of weeds depletes the soil, and root crops lack nutrients. The growth and development of culture is inhibited.

Top dressing

First feeding carried out 2 weeks after the emergence of shoots. Prepare the composition: 20 g of urea, 15 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water.

Fertilize second time 3 weeks after the first, during the formation of root crops. Prepare a solution: 20 g of potassium sulfate, 25 g of superphosphate per 10 l of water.

The third top dressing is performed by introducing ash: a glass of wood ash is poured into 10 liters of water, insisted for 2 days.

The fourth feeding is carried out for pouring root crops with juice, improving the taste of carrots: 4 g of boric acid, 1 g of potassium permanganate are dissolved in 10 liters of water.

Attention! Top dressing is carried out only on wet soil.

Fresh organic matter is not recommended as fertilizer (chicken droppings, fresh manure). This will lead to active growth of the tops, rotting of root crops in the soil or during storage.

Disease and pest control

If the rules of agricultural technology are not followed, root crops are affected by phomosis... It is expressed in the appearance of brown spots on vegetables and dark empty areas. When signs of disease appear, the soil is treated with an aqueous solution of the "Maxim" preparation (1: 1).

When infected with brown spot root crops and tops are covered with rusty spots, seedlings wither and die. Diseased plants are sprayed with a solution of the fungicide "Gamair" (2 tablets of the drug per 1 liter of water).

Black rot may appear on the tops - Alternaria... Stems become covered with yellow spots, foliage curls, patches of dry rot are visible on root crops. The disease is treated with the fungicide "Acrobat MC": 20 g of the agent is diluted in 5 liters of water, the plants are sprayed.

Frequent pest of crops - carrot fly... Its larvae feed on leaves, as a result the plant dries up. To scare away insects, plantings are pollinated with ash, tobacco. Seedlings are sprayed with Bayleton (0.5 ml per 1 liter of water).

Slugs destroy leaves in a short time... To scare away insects, the preparation "Thunderstorm", crushed eggshell is scattered around the plantings.

Harvesting and storage

Harvesting is carried out at the end of August... If you overexpose the roots in the ground, the flesh will become loose, cracked. After harvesting, vegetables are sorted, dried and transferred to a storage location.

How and when to collect

Yellowing of the lower leaves of the tops indicates that the roots are ready for harvest.... Choose dry weather for cleaning. Vegetables are pulled out of the ground by holding the tops or with a pitchfork. Root crops are shaken off from soil residues, laid out on a dry surface to dry for 5-7 days.

After that, the carrots are sorted, removing damaged specimens... Before bookmarking on long-term storage the tops of root crops are cut to prevent germination.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

Carrots are stored in wooden boxes, sprinkled with layers of vegetables sand... The storage room maintains an air temperature of 0 ... + 4 ° C, humidity - 85-90%. When the humidity rises, rot will appear on the roots.

The room must have constant ventilation.While maintaining a favorable microclimate, the crop is stored for 7-8 months without losing its taste. The keeping quality of the variety reaches 97%.

What can be the difficulties in growing

When preparing the beds, they monitor the uniformity of the soil... If the growing root vegetable rests against stones, hard lumps of earth, it begins to grow to the side and bends.

If you dry out the garden, and then over-water the soil, this will provoke cracking of the root crops.

The peculiarity of the variety is the growth of the carrot base above the soil level... After rains and watering, the beds are raised, raking up the soil to them from the row spacing.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Experienced gardeners advise:

1. Purchase seeds for which the packing date is no more than 1 year. Such seeds will have a higher germination rate. When planting seeds with a two-year or more shelf life, this figure will drop to 50-60%.
2. Don't buy granulated seeds. Such seeds are in a shell; to dissolve it, you will need abundant watering, they will germinate longer.
3. Before the emergence of shoots, moisten the beds with watering cans with splitter nozzles or apply drip irrigation. Strong water pressure can wash seeds out of the soil when watering.

Reviews of the carrot variety Nantes 4

The Nantes 4 carrot variety is in demand among gardeners.

Nina, Yaroslavl: “Variety Nantes 4 is planted by many of my friends. She always has friendly shoots, good taste, it is stored for a long time in the cellar. I'm happy with the variety ".

Elena, Bryansk: “I tried to plant this variety in spring and before winter. The variety tolerated frosts easily. Autumn plantings rose earlier. It turned out that I was harvesting from early summer to autumn ".

Ivan, Moscow region: “I like this variety. Carrots do not crack, do not deform, very sweet. Grandchildren love to nibble on fresh young carrots ".

Conclusion

The mid-season carrot variety Nantes 4 is in great demand among gardeners. The variety is popular due to its ease of care, high yield rates, versatility in application. Carrots are distinguished by excellent taste, sweetness and juiciness. It can be grown in various areas of the country.