Factors affecting fast germination
Carrots are not demanding crops, however, there are factors that can affect germination.
The most significant are:
- Seed sowing time.
- Seeding depth.
- Seeding rates.
- Quality seed.
- Seed pretreatment.
- Soil condition.
- Weather.
On average, the period of emergence of the first shoots with a fairly well-heated ground (8 degrees) is about two weeks. Germination time directly depends on temperature, so most often the seeds of this plant are planted from the second half of April to mid-May. Other sowing dates are also allowed, however, the lower the temperature, the longer it will take to wait for the first shoots. In cool weather, the germination process can take up to 3-4 weeks.
The germination period can be significantly reduced, some methods used by experienced gardeners can reduce this period by almost half - up to 7-10 days. By choosing good place for the future beds, by preparing the soil and processing the seeds, you can help the plants take root faster and form large, even fruits.
How to sow to get fast shoots
Do seed treatment
Compared to other popular vegetable crops, carrot seeds have a low germination rate. Usually 60-80% of seeds germinate from total number. This parameter also depends on the freshness of the seed - the seeds have the highest germination capacity, from the moment of collection of which no more than 2 years have passed.
It is best to use last year's seed, this will increase the chances of getting maximum amount plants in the garden.
Methods by which seeds can be prepared for planting in open ground:
- stimulating solutions.
- Disinfection.
- hardening.
- Germination of seeds in aerated water.
- The use of plant growth stimulants.
Simple remedies that can help accelerate the growth of crops are available to any vegetable grower:
- Dive into hot water for 30–40 minutes. The water temperature should be between 45 and 55 degrees.
- Steam processing. Under the influence of steam for several hours, the growth rate of seeds is accelerated by a third.
- . Germination can be accelerated by removing the seeds contained in the shell essential oils. Alcohol will help eliminate protective film, the exposure time of this method is 10–15 minutes.
If you used the method of soaking in vodka - do not forget to rinse them well under running water.
Pick the right landing time
You can sow seeds in open ground three times a season - in spring, summer and autumn (before winter).
- will be more resistant to diseases and pests, and will also allow you to get an early harvest.
- Early spring good time for planting root crops in the soil prepared in autumn. These root crops are perfect for consumption during the season.
- If the goal is to grow carrots suitable for long-term storage- it is better to plant it in late spring or summer.
Most often found spring planting. This method is most popular among gardeners.
When choosing the timing of planting, focus primarily on the temperature of the soil and air. The soil should have time to warm up, and the air temperature should not fall below 8 degrees Celsius.
Usually, optimal time falls on the period from April 20 to May 5. In summer, it is best to plant at the end of June, and in winter - at the beginning of November, a week before frost.
Bed preparation
Carrots prefer loose, sandy soils that contain a large amount of humus. In heavy clay soils, the plant develops more slowly and has a lower yield. It is important to take into account what exactly grew in the garden to carrots. The best predecessors for these root crops are potatoes, cucumbers and onions.
The soil for the beds is prepared in the spring. They dig it up and bring it in organic fertilizers. Humus is best suited for these purposes. If the soil is acidic, add ash or chalk.
A week before planting, the prepared bed is loosened, leveled with a rake and mineral fertilizers are applied - urea and superphosphates.
Microclimate
Carrot is a cold-resistant plant, its growth begins already at + 5 degrees. However, at this temperature, growth is slow, seed germination takes up to 4 weeks. With an increase in temperature to +20 degrees, growth accelerates significantly, and the time for emergence of seedlings is reduced to 8-10 days. The optimum temperature for root formation is 22-25 degrees.
For normal growth, carrots need constant moisture. Soil moisture for the best development of the plant should be 70–80%. With a lack of moisture, the fruits become stiff and may acquire a bitter taste. With excess moisture, carrots grow from the inside and crack.
In addition to temperature and humidity, crop lighting plays a huge role. carrot is a plant long day, so the formation of a bountiful harvest is possible only with good lighting.
Smart landing pattern
When sowing in the garden, stripes are formed with a depth of 1-2 centimeters. The depth of the furrows depends on the density of the soil - the denser the soil, the shallower the planting depth. The distance between such furrows should be about 15 cm.
Organization of proper care
Care
You can speed up the germination process after sowing as follows:
- Cover the bed with a layer of plastic wrap. This will keep the heat and moisture needed for the seeds.
- Water the crops warm water once every 2-3 days.
- Loosen the soil regularly, it is much easier for seeds to break through light, air-saturated soil.
Thus, in order to accelerate the growth of carrots and get bountiful harvest, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures. Pre-sowing treatment seed, competent preparation soil and high-quality care for crops will help to get tasty and beautiful root crops.
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Carrots are a very necessary vegetable in the kitchen! All year round we add it to hot dishes, use it in fresh and mix salads. The cost of carrots in the store is low, so maybe it would be more convenient to just buy root crops as needed, without spending time growing it? However, closer to spring, store-bought carrots begin to rise in price significantly, their quality deteriorates noticeably, and those who do not stock up on time have a hard time.
That is why in every garden there is always a bed for this beloved vegetable crop, and experienced gardeners exchange experience with beginners on how to properly plant carrots in order to get a rich harvest of healthy root crops.
If you have not had to grow vegetables before, and you have no idea how to plant carrots, or you can’t grow normal tasty root crops, our article will definitely be useful to you. We will talk about how to plant carrots with seeds, how to care for young shoots, and how to protect the garden from.
Video about preparing carrot seeds for planting
Depending on the variety of seeds you bought, the timing of their sowing will also vary. So, in the twentieth of April, you can start sowing early ripe varieties, from April 25 to May 5, they begin to sow mid-season varieties, and planting carrots intended for winter storage, held June 10-15.
Under the carrot bed, it is recommended to choose a site where there are not too many weeds, since the weeds will sprout before the carrots and prevent it from growing. The soil should be loose, preferably with sand content. In heavy soil, root crops can turn out to be curved, clumsy, small. If the ground is constantly elevated level moisture, root crops will rot, and in dry land, carrots will turn out to be “wooden”.
Consider also after which crops you will sow carrots. It is best to choose those areas where cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, cabbage, potatoes or greens (except lettuce) grew last year. After parsley, it is better not to plant carrots, as pests that are dangerous for carrots can remain in the soil.
In heavy soil, root crops can turn out to be curved, clumsy, small
Dig up the soil in the garden in the fall, and in the spring, walk along the ground with a flat cutter. Additionally, you should not dig up - settled earth is preferable for carrots. Most importantly, do not add fresh manure to the soil, as carrots do not tolerate its acid. The bed can be fertilized with mineral fertilizers a couple of weeks before planting carrots.
Planting carrots is done by seeds immediately in open ground. Prepare seeds in advance:
- soak for two hours clean water room temperature;
- scatter the seeds over a damp cloth and cover with another damp cloth on top;
- keep the seeds in the room, periodically stirring them gently;
- soak the fabric when dry;
- when the seeds are completely swollen and begin to hatch, move them to the refrigerator for 10 days for hardening.
Simple and accessible on how to properly plant carrots
It is enough to maintain a distance between the seeds of 1.5 cm
Sprinkle the bed reserved for carrots with ash, cut it through each groove up to 2.5 cm deep, leaving row spacing of 20 cm, and 12 cm along the edges of the ridge. Pour the grooves with water and sow the prepared seeds. It is enough to maintain a distance between the seeds of 1.5 cm. Level the furrows with earth. Above the bed at a height of 15 cm, it is recommended to stretch the film so that shoots appear faster, and with the advent of greenery, the film can be removed.
Experienced gardeners, in an effort to simplify the process of sowing seeds, sometimes come up with quite unusual methods how to plant carrots: someone mixes the seed with sand before sowing, while others pre-paste one seed at a time on tapes of thin paper (you can use toilet paper). Carrot seed is picked up with a toothpick, dipped in paper glue or in a paste and applied every 5 cm on paper. Such paper tapes laid in the furrows and sprinkled on top of the earth.
Video about growing carrots
Plant a radish along the edges of the bed, it will sprout pretty quickly, marking the rows of carrots, and you can start loosening the row spacing early (carrots love frequent loosening). It is also very useful to plant on a carrot bed. onion, because its smell drives away carrot flies - the most dangerous pest of carrots.
At first, the bed should be watered abundantly, and when the first shoots turn green, reduce watering to twice a week. Although not all of the seed material will sprout, the seedlings will still need to be thinned out after the formation of the first leaf, leaving the strongest plants.
Seeds of different plants germinate at different speeds, for example, marigolds appear from the ground three days after they were sown. Tomatoes, depending on the temperature and soil moisture, may take from 3-7 days to sprout. Peppers germinate in about 10 days. But the shoots of carrots have to wait up to several weeks, doubting that they will ever appear at all. In the article, we will look at how to plant carrots so that they sprout quickly, consider ways to accelerate seed germination, involving not only the processing of the seeds themselves, but also the implementation of a whole range of necessary agricultural practices:
- Landing site selection.
- Soil preparation.
- Using the optimal landing pattern.
- Optimization of soil temperature and moisture content.
Selecting a site for sowing
When choosing a place for sowing carrots, it should be noted that heavy loams are not suitable for it, but light soil containing a sufficient amount of sand in its composition, on the contrary, is ideal.
The speed of the appearance of sprouts also depends on the degree of soil warming, therefore, for sowing carrots, you should choose areas well lit by the sun. At the same time, the land should not be overdried, otherwise the plant may not sprout until it receives enough water.
As for the predecessors, the following cultures are best suited for this purpose:
- Tomatoes.
- Cucumbers.
- Cabbage.
- Potato.
It is after them that largest harvest beautiful healthy root crops.
Soil preparation for planting carrots
To grow carrots, fertile, cultivated soil is required, the preparation of which should be started in the fall - fertilize and dig. The plant responds positively to the following fertilizers:
- wood ash.
- humus.
- Nitrofoski.
The introduction of dry ash into the soil is used for loosening the soil and accelerating the growth of seeds. Ash neutralizes acidic soils. Ash should not be stored outside in the barbecue, but in a dry place Tip # 1 Do not get carried away with the application of nitrogen fertilizers, as this can lead to fattening of plants, a decrease in the quality of root crops and plant immunity.
For carrot seeds great importance their high-quality adhesion to the ground, for which the soil after planting must be compacted in rows, while a layer of loose soil should be poured on top ( better than peat or sand) about 10 mm thick.
The optimal scheme for planting carrots
As for the row spacing, it depends on the method of processing the beds. If weeding and loosening is planned to be carried out with a chopper, then the rows can be placed at a distance of 20 cm or more. And if a walk-behind tractor is used for this purpose, then the row spacing should be at least 60, or even 70 cm.
Tip # 2 When sowing carrot seeds in furrows, you can disinfect the soil at their bottom by watering from a watering can with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. This manipulation will not only kill most pathogens, but also scare away some pests.
Between individual carrot seeds, it is desirable to maintain a distance of at least one and a half centimeters. After sowing, the rows mulched with loose material must be watered (it should not be cold).
The optimal scheme for planting carrots is 20 cm between rows and the distance between seeds in one row is 1.5-3 cm. We create a suitable microclimate in the thickness of the soil
Carrot seeds for germination should receive a sufficient amount of moisture in the soil, but if the soil is too dry, then it is necessary to water it, followed by covering polymer film. This measure creates a greenhouse effect and is also necessary in cold weather.
A high-quality light-stabilized polyethylene film of a sufficiently large thickness (100 - 150 microns) is best suited for this purpose. It must be laid on low arcs or logs lying along the row spacing, so that there is a distance of 120 mm between the polymer and the soil. The edges should be well fixed, for example, dug in with soil so that sufficiently strong spring winds do not transfer the shelter to the crowns of nearby trees.
It is important not to miss the moment of germination (generally, it takes one week from the laying of polyethylene to the majority of the seeds to sprout). If after this the bed remains covered, the sprouts will stretch out and the plants will weaken or even die.
Criteria for selecting seed
When choosing carrot seeds, preference is given to zoned seeds (prepared for the conditions of the region). When sowing carrots, not only the special preparation of seeds, but also their quality is of great importance. It is guaranteed that you can buy good healthy and strong seeds only in stores owned by manufacturers or who are their exclusive distributors.
Virtually every well-known seed brand produces a variety of different varieties carrots, most of which belong to the four main varieties, the characteristics of which are given in the table:
|
Carrot cultivar |
Plant characteristics |
Ripening terms |
| Nantes | The leaves are small (the mass of greenery is up to 25% of the total mass), the roots are cylindrical in shape, have blunt tips, a round small core, which practically does not differ in color from the bark. They have a good sweet taste and high keeping quality. | early, middle |
| Shantane | Large, erect leaves (green mass - 40%). Conical root crops have a large core | middle, late |
| Gueranda | Foliage is medium erect. Root crops, in the form of a cut cone, short with a large (more than 60% of the diameter of the carrot) faceted core. The fruits are highly nutritious | Early |
| flakke | The leaves are large (the mass of green parts is 50%). Round, spindle-shaped root crops with a large core, occupying up to 65% of the total diameter of the fruit | Late |
As can be seen from the table, carrots belonging to the Nantes and Guerande varieties are suitable for obtaining the earliest shoots and harvest. Next, based on your own preferences, you should choose the most early varieties and get a little of each.
It should be remembered that healthy seeds should have a uniform, spotless color and an undamaged surface.
Rules for storing carrot seeds
Any seeds have a shelf life limit, and carrots are no exception. For this vegetable, the shelf life of the seed is 2 to 3 years. During storage, the following rules must be observed:
- Packed seeds should be in burlap or paper.
- The temperature in the room where they are stored should not exceed +17°C and not fall below 0°C so that the seed does not freeze.
- Air humidity should be no more than 50%, because in a humid environment, seeds can germinate or become moldy.
Seed Growth Stimulation
Most modern way to obtain early shoots of carrots is the soaking of its seeds in solutions of special substances - growth and development stimulators of plants. They improve the germination of both healthy and weakened seeds, increase their germination energy and reduce the time from sowing to the appearance of friendly shoots.
The composition and characteristics of some of these drugs contains the table below:
| Name of the drug | Active substance | Characteristic |
| Krezatsin | Cresaxyacetic acid triethanolamine salt | Non-toxic substance, its constituent molecules are destroyed in soil substrate conditions to silica |
| Emistim | Gibberellins and cyticons | Produced by symbiotic fungi Asremonium Cichenicola, which in natural conditions lives on ginseng roots |
| Appin | Appin | An analogue of the natural hormone epibrassinolide obtained by artificial synthesis |
| Agate 25k | Complex microbiological product | Obtained by inactivation of Pseudomonasaureofaciena H16 bacterial cells, followed by enrichment with a complex of micro- and macroelements, bioactive drugs and immunogens |
Physical methods to accelerate seed germination
Sowing unprepared seeds, even in well-moistened soil, will not allow you to get enough early shoots. To speed up the process, there are a number of available physical ways, among which the following methods are most widely used:
- Soaking seeds on a napkin.
- "Carrots in a bag"
- Sowing seeds before winter.
Now about each of them in more detail.
Soaking seeds on a paper towel
This method is most often used by gardeners, it allows you to achieve early friendly and dense entrances. The ego essence lies in laying out the seeds on a napkin moistened with water, which has room temperature. The air temperature in the room where soaking is performed should be between +23°C and +24°C. On average, the seeds begin to germinate on the third day of soaking, during which it is necessary to keep the napkin moist.
"Carrots in a bag"
This way is more difficult:
- When the first thawed patches appear, you should dig a hole one spade bayonet deep.
- Seed material is placed in a canvas bag.
- The packaging is wetted with water, placed in a prepared pit, covered with earth and covered with snow.
- A mark is placed at the site of the hole.
- After 10 - 12 days, the seeds peck, after which they are removed.
- Germinating seeds are mixed with a small amount of dry river sand and sown in the garden on the soil surface.
- A shallow harrowing of the site is being carried out.
- The bed is covered with a polymer film.
Uniform shoots, as a rule, appear after 5 - 6 days.
Winter sowing of carrots
This method can be used in regions with mild but snowy winters. Where the soil freezes even in the presence of deep snow cover, it is better not to apply the technique.
Podzimny sowing gives larger fruits of carrots. It is usually carried out in October. For planting before winter, such varieties are suitable as: Dobrynya "Gavrish", Monastic "Gavrish", Beauty girl "Gavrish", F1 Nantik Resistafly "Semko-Junior", F1 Nantskaya Semko "Semko-Junior", Pharaoh "Search", Children's sweet "Aelita", F1 Our Nanny "Aelita", etc. From domestic varieties for winter sowing fit the following:
- Incomparable.
- Vitamin-6.
- Nantes-5.
- Shantane-2461 and some others.
Given the good frost resistance of the crop, you can try this method on a small area in different regions, because a possible record-breaking early harvest will pay off the risk.
Answers to current questions of gardeners
Question #1: How can seed be disinfected with available, inexpensive and safe home remedies?
Answer: The simplest and affordable way disinfection of seed carrots - soaking it in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Question #2: Does the timing of thinning carrots matter?
Answer: Of course it has. The sooner this procedure is carried out, the better for the plant. After all, if this is done late, then the tips of the tap roots of the remaining root crops can be torn off, which will lead to their branching and loss of presentation.
Question #3: This year I planted seeds on a tape and the seedlings turned out to be too rare. With what it can be connected?
Answer: If we exclude low-quality seeds, then with a high probability it can be assumed that the reason is in the unleveled surface of the bottom of the groove into which the tape was placed. For this reason, not all seeds were in contact with the soil and, accordingly, not all germinated.
Question #4: How to check seeds for germination?
Answer: A month before sowing, some of the seed is soaked by wrapping it in damp cloth and according to what percentage of seeds has ascended, germination is assessed.
Question #5: Is it possible to disinfect seeds by physical methods at home?
Answer: Yes, you can. Seeds can be heated for a quarter of an hour in water heated to 52 ° C, then immersed for 3 minutes in cold water. After that, the seeds are slightly dried to a loose state and immediately sown in the ground.
On our table is constantly present - a root crop, which is a source of carotene, our orange miracle. It is one of our favorite and most important vegetables.
No other vegetable can replace it, because it contains many substances useful for our body: a large amount of vitamins, essential oils, phospholipids, sterols, mineral salts, trace elements.
And even, the middle of the root crop, which many gardeners dislike, contains apigenin, a substance that has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart. Finely grated carrots can heal burns, purulent wounds.
In Russia, carrot juice was used to treat inflammation of the nasopharynx, heart and liver diseases. Also, carrot juice relieves fatigue, spring beriberi, if you drink it in half a glass 3 times a day.
And almost everyone knows that it is very useful for people with vision problems.
Carrots are widely used in cooking, both raw and in the preparation of a wide variety of dishes, as well as for juice.
A bit of history
According to pundits, carrots were first grown in Afghanistan, where the largest number of its species still grows. Initially, carrots were grown not for the sake of the root crop, but for the fragrant leaves and seeds.
The first mention of eating carrot root is found in ancient sources in the 1st century BC. AD
Archaeological studies show that carrots were grown much earlier - almost 2 thousand years BC.
Modern carrots were brought to Europe in the 10th-13th centuries, and in our country it appeared during the time of Kievan Rus.
At first, yellow and white root crops were grown, and only at the beginning of the 18th century did mention of orange carrots appear.
And the legends also say that in the Middle Ages, carrots were considered a delicacy of the dwarves and they exchanged this root crop for gold bars...
carrot requirements
Carrots are quite a demanding crop, and especially to the soil. It likes to grow in fertile, light, loose, permeable and weed-free soil.
The best site for planting carrots will be the one on which manure was applied 1-2 years ago, since carrots react very poorly to fresh manure. In this case, many ugly, branchy root crops grow with very poor taste.
Also, non-standard carrots can grow under the following conditions:
if fertilizers containing chlorine are applied, the roots will bend or branch;
if you deoxidize the soil on the eve of planting, the carrot becomes multi-tailed;
if there are any obstacles in the soil, for example, pebbles, organic residues and the like;
if there is excess moisture in the soil, the root crop becomes hairy or cracks, the tops grow excessively;
if you make and feed unnecessarily nitrogen fertilizers- carrots begin to branch;
if we thin out seedlings incorrectly;
if during the growth of carrots there is not enough moisture - at the same time, carrots, trying to take the moisture it lacks from the soil, release lateral roots, which is bad for it palatability and appearance(the pulp becomes rough, the root crop is short and "horned").
Based on this, it is necessary to approach the preparation of the soil for planting carrots with all responsibility.
Firstly , it is better to prepare it in the fall: carefully dig; if it is necessary to deoxidize the soil, then add lime or dolomite flour for digging; you can also add phosphate and potash fertilizers. But, in general, it is best to make all kinds of additives in the soil for carrots, given what type of soil is in your area.
If you have peat soil, then it would be good to add river sand, humus and clay soil to it.
If the soil is clayey - river sand, peat, humus, and with fertile chernozem soil, we only add sand in the spring.
Secondly , in the spring, the plot for carrots, prepared in the fall, must be loosened deep enough, adding a pre-complex mineral fertilizer; try to select all the pebbles so that nothing interferes with the growth of the plant.
Another important condition for the growth of carrots is good illumination of crops. Shading has a very negative effect on plant growth, especially in the initial stages.
If our plantings are thickened and there are a lot of weeds, then the carrots stretch out, the formation of root crops slows down and a lot of small root crops (the so-called undercut) are formed.
Carrots are relatively cold hardy and drought tolerant plants. Its seedlings can tolerate frosts down to minus 2 about C, and already adult plants and up to minus 4 about FROM.
But in those root crops that have suffered frosts, the keeping quality is still reduced.
Carrot seeds germinate at temperatures above 3 about C, and the optimum temperature for its growth is about 18-25 about C. If the temperature rises above 25 about Plant growth slows down.
When choosing a site for planting carrots, it is also desirable to take into account the fact that the best predecessors for it are plants such as: tomatoes, legumes, cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers, green crops.
Sowing dates for carrots
There are several dates for sowing carrot seeds and they depend on when and for what purposes we want to get a crop.
So, for example, to get an early harvest, carrots must be sown from mid-April to early May ( early spring sowing). Carrots sown during these periods can be harvested in a bunch from the end of June to the end of July, and from August we already get a real root crop for summer consumption.
The next sowing date is from mid-May to early June ( summer sowing ). This is the main period for sowing carrots, which we will lay for winter storage.
If we want to get young carrots in the fall, then short-fruited varieties can be sown as early as mid-July.
BUT winter sowing seeds (from October 20 to November 15) can provide us with an even earlier harvest. But not every site is suitable for these purposes. For winter sowing, you need to choose such a place on our suburban area, where in spring the snow melts earlier and the soil should be light, sandy loam, so that in spring there is no flooding of crops.
When sowing seeds before winter, they are only disinfected, and then dried. In the spring, they will pick up moisture, swell and germinate naturally. It is not recommended to germinate seeds, as the sprouts will freeze. Using these sowing dates, we will be able to have fresh carrots from summer to next spring.
In addition, when sowing late carrots until the 20th of June, the development of plants does not coincide with the greatest activity of the carrot fly (in May), which makes it possible to grow better root crops.
How to sow carrot seeds
Essential oils found in carrot seeds in large numbers prevent rapid access of moisture to the embryo and delay germination. Therefore, before sowing, it is necessary to carry out seedbed preparation seeds: disinfection, soaking, germination.
You can read about how, as well as correctly, in previously published articles.
Then the treated seeds are dried and sown. With this treatment, seedlings appear much earlier (after 6-10 days), while if sowing with dry seeds and in insufficiently moist soil, the emergence of seedlings can take up to 40 days.
It is best to grow carrots in garden beds. Before sowing, we thoroughly loosen the prepared beds to a depth of 10-15 cm, then level the surface and make narrow grooves up to 5 cm and a depth of about 2 cm. You should not make grooves deeper, as this can significantly slow down the germination of carrots. We make grooves at a distance of 25-30 cm.
In order for us to have friendly and uniform seedlings, the seeds must be planted to the same depth.
And also experienced gardeners it is advised to sow carrot seeds so that they are soft on top and hard on the bottom.
To do this, we level the bottom of the grooves and seal them with a beam specially prepared for this purpose.
After that, we spill the grooves with water and sow the seeds in moistened soil, trying to keep the distance between them 1.5-2 cm.
Sowing small carrot seeds at such a distance is quite difficult. I want to advise several methods of sowing, with the help of which you can facilitate this process:
Mix small seeds with sand: mix 1 tablespoon of seeds with 1 glass of sand, then divide the resulting mixture into 3 parts and use each part for 1 m 2 of beds.
Mix carrot seeds with seeds of beacon plants (lettuce, radish). They sprout much earlier and thus show us where the carrot seedlings are. This gives us the opportunity to carry out the first weeding of the beds with carrots, without fear of damaging the plants, much earlier than usual.
Also very convenient is the liquid sowing of carrots, in which the germinated seeds are mixed with a liquid paste made from potato starch. Then carefully "pour" them into the grooves from the kettle.
Then we cover the seeds with loose sifted soil or a mixture of peat and sand, or clean peat with a slight compaction to ensure better contact of the seeds with the soil and moisture inflow.
Watering the ground after sowing is not worth it, as the seeds can move into deeper layers of the soil and will germinate for a long time, or even may not sprout at all. To avoid drying out of the soil, the bed on top can be covered with plastic wrap.
In addition, under the film, the earth warms up much faster. The film will need to be removed after shoots appear.
How to care for carrots
Carrots need our constant attention. Caring for it is periodic loosening of the soil, timely watering, top dressing if necessary, regular weeding and pest and disease control. The most crucial moment in the cultivation of carrots is the germination of seeds and the emergence of seedlings.
At this point, the formation of a soil crust is possible, which must be carefully destroyed (preferably after watering), as it prevents the timely emergence of seedlings. To prevent the formation of a soil crust, crops can be mulched with peat.
After the first shoots appear, you can proceed to the first loosening. At the same time, we act very carefully, trying not to damage the delicate sprouts.
The best time for loosening is immediately after the rain, and if there is no rain for a long time, then we first water the carrots, and only then proceed to loosening.
When the carrots have 1-2 true leaves, we thin out the crops, leaving a distance of 3-4 cm between the plants. The second thinning is done 2-3 weeks after the first and after it the distance between the plants should be 4-5 cm.
With a smaller distance, the roots will not reach normal sizes, especially late-ripening varieties.
In order not to form ugly root crops, thinning of crops must be carried out correctly.
First, the bed is watered and only after that the extra plants are pulled out. Moreover, we pull up, and not to the side, without loosening, otherwise the left carrot may break main root and lateral roots will begin to grow, forming a "horned" root crop.
Thinning is best done in the evening, as the smell of carrots when plants are damaged can attract pests. Rejected plants should preferably be taken away from the garden and covered with earth or compost to drown out the smell.
Let me remind you once again that weeding and thinning should be carried out after rains or watering, and immediately after these operations, the bed should be watered again.
At the same time, the soil around the abandoned plants must be slightly compressed, and the holes in the ground should be filled up.
An operation such as hilling is also important, because during growth the upper part of the root crops is exposed and turns green in the light, forming solanine, which penetrates into the carrots during storage and gives it bitterness.
Hilling root crops is also best done on cloudy days or in the evening, so as not to attract carrot flies.
How much water do you need
Watering for carrots is of great importance, as this plant does not like both excessive moisture and dryness.
Carrots have one feature - late crop formation. The growing season lasts approximately 4 to 5 months.
And the growth of root crops begins only after the end of leaf growth, in the last quarter of the growing season.
Therefore, during the growth period, plants are very demanding on soil moisture, and in the end they do not tolerate its excess well and, if carried out abundant watering, root crops can crack.
In warm and sunny weather, when moisture from the soil quickly evaporates, carrots are watered 3 times a week.
Do not flood young plants too much; approximately 4 liters of water per 1 m 2 will be enough for them. With the growth of root crops, the amount of water is gradually increased.
In the middle of the growing season, carrots can be watered once a week, while already using 8 to 10 liters of water per 1 m 2.
What to feed?
If we have fertilized the soil well for planting carrots since autumn, then it is possible to grow a good crop of root crops even without top dressing.
But still, it is better to do 2-3 more top dressings during the entire growing season.
the first top dressing is desirable to be done a month after germination (1 tablespoon of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water), second- 2 weeks after the first. In early August, carrots can still be fed with a solution of potash fertilizer - this third top dressing. Root crops will become sweeter and also ripen earlier.
And it is best in the second half of the growing season, when watering carrots, add ash infusion to the water (1 liter of infusion per 10 liters of water), since ash is the best potash fertilizer, which is remarkably absorbed by all plants.
In addition, ash protects plants from many diseases and pests. You can even just sprinkle the carrot beds with wood ash once a week before watering.
Very good to spend foliar top dressing carrot solution boric acid(1 teaspoon per 10 liters of water). It will be enough to carry out such top dressing twice: during the period of active growth of the underground part of carrots (the first half of July) and when the carrots begin to ripen (the first half of August).
When and how to harvest carrots
Harvesting carrots can be carried out in several stages.
Firstly, as soon as the root crops grow up, they can be pulled out selectively for food. From this, in the beds, the remaining plants become freer and they receive more nutrition, moisture and begin to increase their mass faster.
BUT late varieties carrots intended for winter storage are harvested from the second half of September to the first half of October, before the onset of frost.
It is not worth rushing with harvesting, because root crops grow intensively in the second half of September. But at the same time, it is impossible to be late, since carrots that have fallen under frost are poorly stored and die.
Carrots can be pulled out by the tops if your soil is light. On denser soil, this will be quite difficult to do, and you can’t do without the help of a shovel. Shake off excess soil with your hands.
After pulling out, we sort the root crops: we leave the whole and healthy ones for winter storage, we put the damaged ones aside for quick processing, and it is best to throw away the small and sick ones.
Then, for those root crops that we are going to lay for storage, we cut the tops to the very head.
If you liked the cultivated variety of carrots and you want to get your own seeds of this variety, then select the best root crops (seeds) and leave about 2-3 cm of tops from them.
Then we dry the carrots processed in this way under a canopy (but not in the sun) and put them in storage.
How to store carrots
We store carrots in the basement (cellar) in wooden or plastic boxes. We put it in boxes in layers, pouring it with wet sand and try to arrange the root crops so that they do not touch each other.
It is also good to use moss instead of sand.
I want to advise another way to store carrots - "glazing" with clay. This is done as follows: we dilute the clay with water to the consistency of thick sour cream, dip the roots in this “glaze” and put them on a wire rack so that the excess glass liquid and the coating dry.
In such a shell, our carrots almost do not lose moisture and remain fresh until spring. But of course, at the same time, the storage temperature should be around 0 0 C and the storage should be dry.
If for some reason the previous methods of storing carrots do not suit you, then you can still thickly sprinkle the root crops with crushed chalk, while reducing the likelihood of putrefactive processes.
And if you additionally sprinkle the root crops with onion peel, then they will be stored even better.
In this article, Dear friends I only touched on the issue growing carrots, but, about all their diversity and about diseases and pests that annoy carrots, I plan to tell in the following articles.
See you soon, dear friends!
Carrot is one of the most labor-intensive crops. It takes about a month for carrot seeds to germinate. With improper care, root crops turn out to be small and crooked, and they are stored rather poorly. Gardeners are trying by any means to speed up the process of seed germination in order to enjoy a good and beautiful harvest.
Fast seedlings of carrot seeds
The right place for planting is one of the main conditions for growing carrots. When choosing, be sure to take into account the rules of crop rotation. In addition, the place where carrots will grow should not be limited in sunlight.
Carrots feel great in loose, light, fertile soil. For spring sowing seeds, the beds are prepared in the fall. Immediately before planting, the beds are loosened, humus and ash are added. In no case is it recommended to use fresh manure. Carrots differ from other vegetables in their high sensitivity to nitrogen fertilizers, so nitrates quickly accumulate in it.
And when to sow carrots? Sowing seeds begins when the probability of frost is close to zero, and the soil temperature does not fall below 5°C. According to gardeners, the time of sowing carrots should coincide with the beginning of bud break on lilac bushes.
How to achieve fast shoots of carrots
Carrot seeds contain essential oils that prevent the rapid penetration of moisture. Therefore, dry seeds begin to germinate no earlier than after 20-25 days. To speed up seedlings, the seeds should be washed in warm water and soaked for a day. Some gardeners recommend adding wood ash to the water that is used to wash the seeds (in the ratio of 1 liter of liquid, 1 tablespoon of fertilizer).
In order for carrot seeds to sprout faster, they need to be poured into a rag, then tied well and buried in the ground on a shovel bayonet. After some time, the seeds need to be dug up, rolled in starch and planted in previously prepared and well-watered grooves to a depth of no more than two centimeters. From above they are sprinkled with loose soil, lightly tamping. With this method of planting, watering is not carried out until the first shoots appear. If it is very hot outside, you can water a little without blurring the grooves.
You can speed up the germination of seeds with the help of a film coating. For this, the land intended for planting is covered with ashes. The distance between the rows is about 20 centimeters, and the depth of the grooves is 2.5 centimeters. The prepared recesses are well filled with water, and only after that the sowing of seeds begins, leaving a distance of 1.5 centimeters between them. After completing the planting, the recesses must be covered with soil and a film coating should be installed above the beds at a height of 15 centimeters. As soon as the sprouts begin to germinate, the film can be removed.
There is another way in which carrot seeds germinate faster. To do this, you need a plastic bucket, wire and nylon. According to the inner diameter of the bucket, you need to make a wire frame and fit it with nylon (you can use old tights). After that, hot water must be poured into the bucket, while the material should not be flooded. Prepared seeds are poured into a container, not forgetting to cover with a lid. If you put the bucket in a warm place, seedlings will appear much faster.