How to plant carrots and care for them
Miscellaneous / / June 13, 2022
Follow these tips and you will reap a rich harvest.
When to plant carrots
You can start sowing in the spring, as soon as the soil warms up to 3-4 degrees Celsius. Carrots are not afraid of cold weather and can cheerfully survive short-term frosts down to -3 degrees. True, with such early sowing, sprouts will appear in about 3 weeks. Therefore, experienced gardeners are in no hurry and plant carrots when the soil temperature is at least 8 degrees Celsius, and during the day the air begins to warm up to 15 degrees and above. In the regions of the middle lane, such weather usually sets in late April.
You can plant carrots later, even in June. This will allow you to harvest an excellent harvest in the fall.
How to choose carrot seeds
Read the information on the seed bags carefully: usually, manufacturers write about ripening dates, resistance to diseases and weather changes, as well as the average weight of one root crop.
Carrots of early varieties ripen in 2-3 months after germination. For mid-season, this period is 3-4 months, and for late - 4-5. At the same time, early carrots are not suitable for storage, but mid-ripening and late ones are great for creating stocks for the winter.
You can buy seeds not only of the traditional orange carrots. The fruits are yellow, white, purple, blue and even black.
How to prepare a place for planting carrots
Find a well-lit area that is not shaded by tall plants and buildings. 2-3 weeks before the planned sowing, carefully dig the bed on a shovel bayonet, breaking up earthen clods and removing weed roots.
After you need to saturate the soil with nutrients. For 1 square meter, add a 10-liter bucket of compost or rotted manure and one glass of wood ash and bone meal. If a the soil heavy and clayey, add 5 liters of dry river sand or peat - this will make it more loose and breathable.
Once again, dig the bed onto a shovel bayonet so that the soil is mixed with all the components, and level the surface with a rake.
How to plant carrots
If everything is done correctly, the seedlings will not be long in coming.
soak the seeds
Skip this step if the package says the seeds do not require soaking. This means that they are already processed and covered with a special nutrient layer.
To speed up the germination of ordinary seeds, fill them with warm water. You can add the growth stimulator "Zircon" - 1-2 drops per 300 ml of liquid. After 10-12 hours, discard the floating seeds: they are empty inside and will not be able to germinate. Remove the remaining containers from the bottom of the water and start sowing.
Make grooves
The distance between the rows should be 15-20 cm, and their depth - 2-3 cm. Grooves can be made with a chopper or spatula, but it is more convenient to use a long plank or board - this way the layout of the beds will turn out to be even.
Pour plenty of water into the recesses and wait until it is absorbed.
Sow carrots
Spread the seeds in grooves at a distance of 2-4 cm from each other, cover with soil and compact the surface with the palm of your hand. Moisten the bed with warm water from a watering can with a diffuser nozzle so that the seeds do not wash out of the soil.
Instead of water, you can use the Fitosporin biofungicide solution, which is diluted according to the instructions. This remedy will prevent the formation fungus and mold in the soil.
Cover the garden
Cover the crops with a film or non-woven material, securing the edges with stones or bricks. The greenhouse effect will help the seeds hatch faster.
Wait for shoots
Depending on seed quality and soil temperature, sprouts will appear in 1-3 weeks. As soon as this happens, remove the shelter so that the seedlings do not begin to rot under the influence of high humidity.
How to care for carrots
This vegetable will require very little of your attention.
Thin out seedlings
About 2 weeks after germination, when the carrots have 1-2 true leaves, pull out the extra sprouts so that there is 4 cm between them. When 4 true leaves appear, make another thinning, leaving a distance of 5-6 cm between the carrots. So root crops will not crowd out each other and will begin to actively increase their mass.
Water the carrots
In order for the fruits to be juicy, make sure that the soil does not dry out. It is necessary to moisten the beds early in the morning every 5-7 days at the rate of 4-5 liters of water per 1 square meter, and even more often in case of drought. Pour the liquid into the aisles, trying not to get on the root crops.
Stop watering 1-2 weeks before the planned harvest.
Feed your carrots
Bring in fertilizer it is necessary in the aisle, trying not to get on the roots and tops. After that, you can gently loosen the ground with a chopper or fork, without touching the carrots.
- 3-4 weeks after germination, dilute 25 g of ammonium nitrate, 30 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium salt in 10 liters of water and water the plants at the rate of 1 liter per 1 square meter of beds.
- 3 weeks after the first feeding, water the carrots with a solution of wood ash at the rate of 2 cups per 10 liters of water. Or take 15 g of potassium nitrate and 20 g of double superphosphate per 10 liters of water. The fertilizer consumption rate is 1 liter per 1 square meter.
Loosen and weed the garden
Loosen the soil between the rows after rain and watering to a depth of 3-4 cm, trying not to touch the carrots. This procedure makes the earth breathable and provides the roots with oxygen. Remember to regularly pull out weeds so that they do not take nutrition from the soil.
When can you harvest
First of all, be guided by the ripening dates of the variety, which are indicated on the seed packaging. The yellowing of the lower leaves of the plant will also indicate readiness. You can also pull one carrot out of the ground: if its size matches the promises of the seed manufacturer, start harvesting.
How to harvest carrots
If possible, start harvesting root crops in dry weather.
Get the carrots out of the ground
If the soil in the garden is light and loose, you can carefully pull out the carrots with your hands, holding the base of the tops. If the soil is dense and heavy, dig the ground between the rows with a pitchfork and take out the root crops.
Dry the carrots and remove the tops
Spread the root crops directly on the bed and let them dry for 2-3 hours. If it rains, move the crop under a canopy. After that, remove the adhering dirt from the carrots with a dry soft cloth or hands. Root crops do not need to be washed, otherwise they will be stored less. Cut off the tops at the base or just twist them with your hands.
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