Step-by-step instructions for growing carrots from scratch

Carrots are one of the main products of our menu, containing a large amount of carotene, mineral salts, essential oils, vitamins and minerals. It is simply impossible to replace it with something else.

The culture is grown everywhere, adhering to the standard technology for preparing planting material and soil for sowing, the procedure for thinning and hilling the beds, moderate watering, weeding and loosening.

Variety selection

Carrot varieties are divided into early, mid-season and late. There are hybrids that have taken the best characteristics from their "parents". They are distinguished by high yields and disease resistance. There are varieties with the usual orange, exotic purple and even white color.

The choice is varied and able to satisfy the needs of every gardener.

The table contains the best varieties and hybrids of fruitful and sweet carrots.

In the photo - a variety of carrots Purple Elixir F1.

Planting dates for carrots

Sowing carrots depends on the desired harvest time and purpose. To obtain early carrots, spring sowing work is performed from the second decade of April to the beginning of May. Root crops are harvested from the end of June to July. In August, a crop is obtained that has reached technical ripeness.

Summer sowing is carried out from mid-May to early June. The harvested crop is suitable for winter storage.

To obtain juicy young carrots in the fall, sowing is performed in mid-July.

Podzimny sowing falls on the period from October 20 to November 15. Root crops are harvested in early summer. For planting, use areas where the snow melts early, and the soil is sandy loam and light. When sowing carrots before winter, the seeds are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, dried and sown immediately. In the spring they will absorb moisture and sprout naturally.

Reference. With late sowing - until June 20 - the growing season does not coincide with the beginning of the carrot fly activity in May, which allows you to grow a quality product.

Crop rotation rules

An important rule of successful carrot cultivation is crop rotation. The best predecessors of the crop: tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, garlic.

It is not recommended to plant carrots after dill, parsley, celery, parsnips because of the risk of infection with diseases common to these crops.

Seed preparation

The shell of carrot seeds contains a large amount of essential oils that impair their germination. The stronger the smell, the higher the concentration of aromatic substances.

The easiest way to increase germination is to thoroughly rinse the seeds in clean water with the addition of potassium permanganate, Zircon or Epin growth stimulant.

There are several more ways of seedbed preparation.

The first method involves soaking the seeds in water heated to a temperature of + 50 ... + 60 ° C for 15 minutes. Seeds that float to the surface are thrown away. For sowing, those that remain at the bottom are suitable.They are dried to flow in the open air. Such preparation guarantees germination within 4-5 days in favorable weather.

The second method takes a little more time. The seeds are soaked in an aqueous solution of "Epin" for 2-3 hours, then put in a dense linen bag and buried in the ground to the depth of a shovel bayonet. After 1-2 weeks, the seeds are dug up and mixed with 1 tbsp. l. river sand and a pinch of lettuce or radish seeds. After this treatment, the seeds swell and sprout. This increases germination by several times and reduces the number of plantings thinning. Radishes and lettuce grow faster than carrots, which helps to identify the crop area and to shallow it.

The third method allows to optimize the cultivation of carrots in the open air by 100%.

Seed preparation stages:

1. Soak in damp gauze for 2-3 days and rinse regularly in clean water (1-2 times a day).
2. Cook a paste from flour and water: 2-3 tbsp. l. Brew baking flour with 100-150 ml of boiling water and mix thoroughly.
3. Apply the paste to a piece of toilet paper with drops at intervals of 2 cm.
4. Put 1-2 seeds in each drop.
5. Air dry the strip for 15 minutes.

Next, the tapes are placed in moist furrows to a depth of 2 cm, covered with soil and tamped. Pour on top with clean, settled water. The paper will gradually decompose and the seeds will sprout. This method of pre-sowing preparation reduces the frequency of thinning, the paste does not allow the seeds to disperse in the garden, it becomes possible to calculate the approximate amount of the crop.

reference... The seeds of carrot hybrids are processed in production, so they do not need additional preparation. Such seeds are covered with a colored shell.

Soil

Loamy soil is best for growing carrots.... In clogged, heavy soil, seeds germinate for a long time, therefore, it is recommended to build boxes with suitable soil under such conditions. In the fall, they dig up the earth in them, in the spring they bring in humus and compost.

The sandy soil is too loose and poorly retains the moisture that carrots need so much. Therefore, here too, the best solution would be to install a box and replace the sod mixed with compost every year.

A plot for carrots is chosen in a sunny place. The soil should be nutritious with a neutral pH of 6.5-7 units.

Acidic soil is deoxidized with ash, slaked lime or dolomite flour - 400-500 g per 1 m². Then the site is dug up.

Fertilizers are applied in the spring. Any organic compound, except manure, and complex mineral additives are suitable. For example, 10 liters of peat, 5 liters of humus, 30-40 g of superphosphate are introduced per 1 m².

Sowing technology

The selected area is loosened to a depth of 10-15 cm, then leveled and long furrows 5 cm wide and 2 cm deep are formed. The row spacing is 25-30 cm.

To obtain friendly shoots, the seeds are planted to the same depth.

Experienced gardeners are advised to make a solid substrate. For this, the furrows are leveled and compacted with a bar. Then spill water and sow seeds at intervals of 1.5-2 cm. To facilitate the process, 1 tbsp. l. planting material is mixed with a glass of river sand, the resulting mixture is divided into 3 equal parts and sown each for 1 m².

The seeds are covered with loose sifted soil or peat mixed with sand for better contact with the ground and ensuring the flow of moisture.

After sowing, the beds are not watered so that the seeds do not move into deep soil layers. To retain moisture, the site is covered with a dense film, which is removed after the emergence of shoots.

How to care for plantings

How to grow a healthy crop of carrots? The main secret of successful cultivation is proper care. The most crucial moment is the germination of planting material, so it is important to create favorable conditions for this.

After watering, a dense crust forms on the surface of the soil, which is carefully loosened, trying not to touch the seeds, and then tender sprouts. To prevent its appearance, the beds are mulched with peat.

The best time for loosening is right after rain. If there is no rain for a long time, the carrots are first watered and then loosened.

After the appearance of 2 true leaves, the crops are thinned out, leaving a gap of 3-4 cm. The procedure is repeated after 2-3 weeks, leaving a distance of 4-5 cm. First, the soil is watered, then the excess plants are pulled out. The greens are pulled up, without loosening, so as not to cut off the main root of the remaining carrot, otherwise lateral roots will appear, forming a "horned" root crop. Thinning is performed in the evening so as not to attract insects to the site that are greedy for the carrot aroma. Holes in the ground are covered and compacted.

Hilling is carried out as the root crops grow, since the top of the carrot is exposed and turns green, forming solanine, which gives bitterness. The procedure is carried out in cloudy weather or in the evening.

The culture prefers moderate watering. The plant forms roots at the end of the growing season and does not tolerate excess moisture - cracks appear on the roots.

In drought, plantings are watered 3 times a week, in moderate weather - 1-2 times in 7 days. Young plants should not be filled with water, 4 liters per 1 m² is enough. With the subsequent growth, the amount of water increases. In the middle of growth, carrots are watered once a week using 8-10 liters of water per 1 m².

Provided that a sufficient amount of fertilizer is applied before sowing, it is possible to grow an excellent crop without additional fertilizing. With a lack of nutrient components, plantings are fertilized 2-3 times over the entire period:

• I feeding is carried out 30 days after full germination: 25 g of "Nitrofoski" per 10 liters of water.
• II feeding is applied 15 days after the first: 1 liter of wood ash per 10 liters of water (combined with watering).
• III foliar dressing is performed in early August: 10 g of boric acid per 10 liters of water.

Disease and pest control

Carrot fly is the main pest of carrots... You can grow a crop in one place for several years in a row without problems and at one moment find twisted tops and larvae in root crops.

To combat the pest, onions, marigolds, cilantro, garlic are sown nearby. Plants have a strong odor, which repels the fly.

The most effective way to prevent the spread of the pest is to mulch the beds with agrofibre or peat or sawdust up to a layer of 5 cm. The main thing is not to let the fly get into the ground where it lays its eggs. It is recommended to constantly renew the mulch layer.

If infection is not avoided, the tops are sprayed with chemical preparations "Actellik" or "Inta-vir".

Carrots are practically not susceptible to infectious diseases. Occasionally there is an alternariosis, or "black leg", due to violations of the rules of agricultural technology - sowing seeds without preliminary disinfection, untimely harvesting of weeds. Signs of the disease: the leaves darken at the edges and curl, dark, dry rot develops in the roots. For prevention, the beds are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.

Nuances and difficulties of growing

Carrots are demanding in terms of conditions and care. She prefers fertile and at the same time loose soil with good aeration, with which weeds are removed in a timely manner.

Outdoors

When growing outdoors, it is important to select and prepare the right site. The best place is considered to be where the manure was applied 1-2 years before planting. Carrots respond to fresh manure with ugly, branchy and tasteless root vegetables.

Poor quality crops are obtained when:

• the introduction of chlorine-containing fertilizers;
• the presence of plant residues in the soil and an excessive amount of small stones;
• excess moisture in the soil - roots grow "hairy", with excessively lush tops, cracking;
• moisture deficit - roots release lateral roots, the pulp coarsens;
• excess nitrogen - carrots are highly branching;
• violation of seedling thinning technology.

In the greenhouse

Growing carrots in a greenhouse has several advantages:

• vegetables ripen faster than in the garden;
• easier to control the amount of nutrients in the soil;
• planting care is minimized;
• the risk of infection by viruses and fungi, insect attacks is reduced.

In heated greenhouses, year-round planting is possible. In ordinary simple structures, when sowing in early April, the harvest is harvested in May.

For planting, select varieties with an early ripening period. The soil is dug up, loosened, debris and weeds are removed. On the site, even rows are formed with a depth of 2 cm with an interval of 20-25 cm.

The rules of care are the same as for growing outdoors.

Reference. Seeds and soil are disinfected before sowing due to the difficult processing of plantings in the greenhouse.

In different regions

The rules of agricultural technology for carrots are the same for all growing regions, but the planting dates differ:

• in the middle lane (Moscow region), sowing work is carried out in the last days of April - early May;
• in the Urals, North-West (Leningrad region), in Siberia - in May;
• in the southern regions - in the second decade of March - early April.

Reproduction

Carrots are a biennial seed-propagating plant. They can only be obtained from varietal carrots.

After harvesting and sorting, the largest and healthiest roots are selected. The tops are cut, leaving 2-3 cm from the head. The testes are kept in the cellar separately from other vegetables. Planting is carried out in the spring, when the threat of frost disappears.

The beds are fertilized with compost and loosened, then holes are formed and each is watered with warm clean water. After absorbing the liquid, a root crop is placed in the hole, leaving the top at ground level.

The beds are watered and mulched with peat or sawdust. Further agricultural technology is standard for the crop.

After 60 days, a stem with a peduncle is formed. The dark beige color of the umbrella indicates the readiness of the seeds for harvest. The umbrellas are cut and hung to dry, wrapped with gauze so that the seeds do not crumble. Next, dry umbrellas are fingered with hands, the seeds are poured onto cloth or paper and dried in the open air.

Harvesting and storage

The crop is harvested in several stages:

1. Grown up roots at the stage of milky ripeness can be pulled out of the ground selectively. This unplanned thinning provides the remaining specimens in the ground with more room to grow, nourish, and hydrate.
2. The harvest is harvested depending on the variety. Early carrots ripen in July, mid-ripening - in August, late - in the second half of September - first half of October.

It is undesirable to rush with harvesting, since root crops gain weight until the second decade of September. However, it is not recommended to be late either - frozen carrots are poorly stored and rots.

From light sandy loam soil, the roots are pulled out by the tops. On dense soil, you cannot do without a shovel. The excess soil is shaken off, the vegetables are sorted: the whole are sent for storage, the damaged ones are sent for processing, the sick are thrown away.

From root crops selected for winter storage, the tops are cut to the head. Then they are dried under a canopy for 4-6 days and put in wooden or plastic boxes in layers, sprinkled with wet river sand or shifted with moss.

Council. Sprinkle the carrots with crushed chalk or onion skins to prevent rotting.

There is another original way of storing carrots - glazing. Clay is diluted with water to a state of thick sour cream, roots are dipped in it and placed on grates to dry. This shell retains moisture inside the root crop. The optimum storage temperature is 0 ... + 2 ° С. The storage must be dry.

Conclusion

The technology of growing carrots is simple, but it requires compliance with a number of rules. It is important to carry out pre-sowing preparation of seeds without a colored shell or harvested by hand to increase germination and protective forces. The soil should be light and nutritious, with neutral acidity.

Cultural agrotechnology provides for double thinning of plantings, hilling of beds, moderate watering, cleaning of weeds, loosening of the earth crust and mulching of the beds.