What is the name of the mini carrot variety

It would seem that you will not surprise anyone with carrots. However, the variety of varieties and hybrids of this bright, tasty and healthy vegetable is truly amazing. Among the most interesting and unusual varieties, mini-carrots stand out. Recently, it has been gaining popularity among Russian gardeners due to its short ripening period and amazing taste. In the article, we will talk about the varieties of mini-carrots, the nuances of growing, storage and use.

Description of the mini carrot variety

Mini-carrots are a special cultivar characterized by their miniature fruit and short ripening period. This vegetable is often referred to as baby or baby carrot.

Reference. In some cases, mini-carrots are a common root vegetable that has not reached full size and is harvested before full maturity.

The best varieties of mini carrots

Among the variety of varieties, the following stand out:

1. Caracas - early cold-resistant variety. Suitable for growing on an industrial scale: a powerful leaf apparatus is convenient for harvesting with a top-lifting combine, the variety is undemanding to thinning.
2. Carotel - mid-season, resistant to shooting variety. It takes 100-110 days from germination to full maturation. Suitable for winter sowing. Conical fruits from 9 to 15 cm long and weighing 80-160 g. Possesses good keeping quality and transportability.
3. Marlinka - medium early variety (95 days). Fruit length up to 10 cm, weight - 90-170 g. They have soft and juicy pulp.
4. Polar cranberry - early ripening (65 days) cold-resistant variety. Root crops of non-standard rounded shape, like radish. They have a smooth, thin skin with small eyes. Poor keeping quality, but excellent taste.
5. Rondo - a hybrid of Czech selection. From germination to harvest, 80-85 days pass. Root crops are small (3-5 cm), round shape. Does not give arrows, is resistant to cracking.
6. Khibiny greenhouse - early ripening (54-70 days before collection of bunch carrots, 90-100 - until full maturity) high-yielding variety, bred in the domestic Arctic. The root crop is round, small, weighing up to 35 g.

Origin and development

Mini carrots became popular in the early 1980s. Farmer Mike Yurozek from California (USA) was denied the sale of a large batch of vegetables due to the fact that they were substandard - too thin, short, forked and twisted. To save the day, the farmer peeled the carrots and cut them into small cylinders. In this form, the product fell in love with many Americans, since it was completely ready for use.

On this wave, interest aroused in the varieties of dwarf carrots that existed long before the "discovery" of Yurozek: Grelo, Davantur. The subsequent work of breeders in different countries has led to the modern variety of mini-carrots.

Chemical composition and useful properties

Baby carrots contain almost the same complex of vitamins and minerals as a regular size root vegetable.

Mini carrots are rich in:

• beta-carotene - 10-13 mg per 100 g of product, which is 2-2.5 times higher than the daily requirement of an adult;
• vitamin A - 2000 mcg;
• vitamin C - 5 mg;
• calcium - 27 mg;
• potassium - 200 mg;
• phosphorus - 55 mg;
• iron - 0.7 mg;
• copper - 800 mcg.

Unlike many other vegetable crops, during heat treatment, carrots not only do not lose their beneficial properties, but increase them. Better absorption of trace elements is facilitated by the combination of carrots with fats: dairy products or vegetable oils.

Reference. Carrot juice with milk or cream is recommended to drink before going out into the sun - the tan will acquire a beautiful shade.

Useful properties of carrots:

1. Beta-carotene protects the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, is responsible for its healthy appearance and smoothness.
2. Vitamin A improves vision.
3. Carrots serve as a prophylactic agent for iron deficiency anemia.
4. It is indicated for diseases of the cardiovascular system, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis.
5. Helps to cope with vitamin deficiency.

Application features

Mini carrots are good both raw and cooked. It can be used in salads, soups, vegetable stews, mashed potatoes, as a side dish or as a pie filling. Fresh mini carrots are good as a light snack and as a healthy alternative to sweets.

In stores, fresh mini-carrots appear at the very beginning of summer, at other times of the year they are sold whole frozen or canned.

Reference. Glazed mini carrots are a favorite side dish for children in France. For its preparation, peeled root vegetables are mixed with water, honey and vegetable oil. Then simmer in a hot skillet for 7 minutes. Sprinkle the finished dish with lemon juice and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley.

Ripening period and yield

Depending on the variety, the growing season of the crop ranges from 50 to 110 days.

The small size of root crops does not prevent mini-carrots from yielding from 260 to 770 centners per hectare of plantings.

Characteristics, description of appearance, taste

Mini carrots have a cylindrical fruit with a blunt tip. Fruit sizes: 5-8 cm in length, 1.5-3 cm in diameter. However, there are varieties with rounded root crops. The high carotene content gives baby carrots a bright orange color.

Miniature roots are juicy and sweet.

Disease resistance and climate demanding

Mini carrots are resistant to cracking, shooting, rot and leaf blight. The variety is characterized by great variety, therefore it is suitable for growing in almost any climatic conditions:

• for the Central Black Earth Region, the Marlinka variety is suitable;
• in the Middle lane, in the Urals and in Siberia yields mini-carrots Caracas;
• with proper care, the harsh climate of the northern regions is tolerated by the Polar Cranberry and the Khibiny Greenhouse.

The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Benefits:

• rich taste,
• accelerated maturation.

Disadvantages:

• exactingness to the soil,
• poor keeping quality in early varieties.

Features of planting and growing

The cultivation of mini carrots is in many ways similar to the cultivation of other cultivars. The main feature is predominantly winter planting and a shorter growing season.

Preparing for landing

Seeds before boarding it is required:

1. Sort. This is easily done by placing the seed in a saline solution (1 teaspoon salt in 1 cup water). Reject specimens that have surfaced, and rinse the rest in running water and dry.
2. Disinfect in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
3. When planting in regions with a cold climate, harden: pour the seeds with water at room temperature, then place them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

After each procedure, the seeds are dried so that they do not germinate ahead of time.

Ground requirements

Mini carrots are light-requiring, so a well-lit area is required to plant them. Other requirements include:

• good drainage, since the culture does not tolerate stagnant water;
• neutral soil acidity;
• fertile light soil - black soil, loam or sandy loam are ideal; in other cases, humus and peat are introduced into the soil a month before sowing.

Predecessors

It is better to plant carrots in an area where nightshades (tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes) or cabbage were grown. After these plants, the soil is saturated with nutrients necessary for a rich harvest.

On the former cucumber beds, carrots are sown no earlier than 2 years later, otherwise an excess of organic matter will lead to decay of the plantings at an early stage.

Reference. Pungent odors emanating from onions - onions, garlic, wild garlic - are capable of scaring off the carrot fly. To save root crops from this pest, joint planting of these plants is practiced.

Bad predecessors are considered to be other umbellates (the family to which the carrot belongs) - parsley, dill, caraway seeds, parsnips and celery - due to the danger of the multiplication of pathogenic fungi and bacteria.

Timing, scheme and landing rules

For winter planting, choose the middle - end of November. Earlier planting is fraught with seed germination and the emergence of seedlings, which will die with the onset of the first frost. Overwintered mini-carrots will harvest in June.

In regions with frequent thaws and return frosts, spring planting is preferable. They choose the moment when the snow has already melted, but the soil has warmed up to no more than + 8 ... + 10 ° С. Depending on the climatic zone, this can be the second half of April or May. Covering material will help protect crops from frost.

To get a harvest with good keeping quality, choose mid-season and mid-early varieties. The optimal dates for their disembarkation are May-June. The same period is suitable for replanting early varieties.

Important! Carrots do not tolerate excessively moist soil. About a month before planting, the site is covered with a film to protect it from rain and melting snow.

Despite the diminutiveness of root crops, it is recommended to maintain a distance between grooves of 2 cm and a depth of seeding of 2-2.5 cm.

The nuances of care

Carrot planting care includes watering, thinning and plant nutrition, protection from weeds, diseases and pests.

Watering mode

After the first shoots appear, watering is carried out at intervals of 1 time in 3 days, the water consumption is 3 l / m². As the plant grows, the frequency of irrigation is reduced to 1 time per week. In this case, about 10-15 liters of water are required for 1 m² of plantings. Watering is stopped a couple of weeks before harvesting.

Reference. The best effect is given by watering in the morning or evening hours, when the activity of the sun is reduced, and the air is warmed up by no more than + 20 ... + 25 ° С.

Thinning and weed control

Weeds and thickened planting interfere with the normal development of carrots. Therefore, immediately after the appearance of 2 true leaves, weeding the beds and simultaneous thinning are carried out. To achieve optimal density, a distance of 4-5 cm is left between the plants.

Soil herbicides ("Gezagard", "Reglon Super") help to reduce the number of weeding. The preparations dissolved according to the instructions are treated with the soil.

Top dressing

During the growing season of mini-carrots, 3 dressings are recommended:

1. At the stage of 3-4 true leaves, the plant needs nitrogenous and potassium fertilizers. For these purposes, a solution of 2 matchboxes of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water is suitable.
2. After 2-3 weeks (tops consists of 4-6 true sheets), fertilizing is carried out with complex fertilizers, for example, nitrofoskoy - 2 matchboxes per 10 liters of water.
3. In the growth phase of the root crop, there is an outflow of nutrients from the aerial part. For the formation of sweet and juicy fruits, phosphorus, boron and manganese are needed. Superphosphate (60-80 g per 10 l of water) will help maintain the vitality of the plant.

To remove nitrates, you can fertilize the soil with potassium-containing preparations 30 days before harvest.

Disease and pest control

The main cause of plant diseases is a violation of agricultural technology. As a rule, this is an incorrect crop rotation, excessive watering without adequate drainage, thickening of the plantings, the presence of weeds and insufficient loosening.

Carrots are most susceptible to fungal diseases:

1. Phomosis manifests itself in the form of dark brown spots on the tops, petiole and the root crop itself.
2. Alternaria (dry or black spot) is characterized by dark spots, curling foliage and a bitter taste of carrot flesh.
3. Cercosporosis leads to darkening of the tops, deformation and crushing of root crops.
4. Brown spotting is more common in young plants, the first sign is a darkening of the tops at the base, as the leaves grow, they begin to turn yellow and acquire a brown color.
5. Powdery mildew reveals itself by the characteristic white bloom on plants.
6. Rhizoctonia (felt rot) is a putrefactive plaque on roots, which gradually thickens and forms a crust.

Among bacterial diseases, carrots are especially often affected by bacteriosis: the lower part of the tops turns yellow, then brown areas are formed on the root crop.

The following drugs are used for treatment:

• decoctions of herbs (celandine, nettle, horsetail);
• Bordeaux liquid;
• copper oxychloride (HOM);
• contact chemical fungicides - "Rovral" ("Iprodion"), "Skor" ("Difenoconazole");
• biofungicides - "Fitosporin-M", "Micorad MALSANO" ("Trichodermin").

Malicious pests of carrot plantings are carrot fly, moth and flies. Fight them with:

• industrial insecticides ("Intavir", "Karatan", "Karate Zeon", "Medvedoks");
• folk remedies (tobacco-soap and saline solution, infusion of onions or garlic);
• repellent plants (calendula, marigolds, onions, garlic);
• mulch between rows (wood ash, coniferous sawdust).

Harvesting and storage

The ripeness of the root crop is determined by the state of the ground part... The dying off of the lower leaves indicates the readiness of the plant for harvesting. Also, the gardener should be guided by the terms specified in the instructions for the seed.

Harvest in dry weather - damp carrots will not be stored for a long time. If necessary, the roots are dried in the open air, hiding from direct sunlight under an awning.

Reference. Extend the period storage the removal of the tops helps - it is trimmed or torn off with twisting movements.

Storage features and keeping quality

Early varieties of mini-carrots have poor keeping quality, therefore, it is recommended to eat them or prepare them in any way possible: freeze, preserve or dry them in the nearest time after harvesting.

More maturing mid-ripening and mid-early varieties - Karotel and Marlinka. Such carrots are stored in a cool dry in the cellar for several months.

Tips from experienced gardeners

To speed up germination and improve the rooting of small carrots, cover the bed with a film until 3-4 true leaves appear at the shoots.

The variety is great for growing on a windowsill. However, for planting, it is better to choose the spring months so that the plant gets enough sunlight.

Carrots do not tolerate stagnant water, as moist soil is a fertile environment for the growth of fungi. High-quality drainage and moderate watering will help to secure planting.

Reviews of the variety of mini-carrots

The baby carrot has received the well-deserved love of summer residents. Proof of this is their rave reviews.

Maria: “The little carrot is a real find! Minimum growing effort and maximum enjoyment on the plate. Little kids are eating these "little ones" by both cheeks! "

Ivan: “Desperate to grow carrots in our permafrost (Murmansk region).I tried the Khibinskaya greenhouse variety - it feels great under the film, it takes out temperature changes with a bang. "

Conclusion

Mini carrots are an interesting alternative to the usual carrots. Miniature roots contain a lot of beta-carotene and have a pleasant taste and unusual appearance. Agricultural technology for this variety differs little from the cultivation of the usual varieties of carrots, therefore it does not cause difficulties for domestic gardeners.