How to sow carrots so that they sprout quickly?

Carrots are traditionally considered a capricious culture, because sometimes it takes a very long time to wait for the first shoots. There are several ways to accelerate seed germination. In order to use them, you need to familiarize yourself with the features and instructions of effective options.

Carrots belong to the category of vegetable crops that are not usually grown through seedlings. The seeds are planted directly in the garden bed and further care begins. The period from sowing to the first germination is very important, since the quantity and quality of the future harvest depends on how well the seeds germinate. Among the most common factors affecting the germination of carrot seeds are the following.

• Seed quality. When choosing a seed, you need to take into account a number of features. The seeds should have a characteristic carrot smell, not have cracks, spots. Sheath color is as bright as possible. Ideally, last year's seeds should be planted. An acceptable option is those whose age does not exceed 3 years.
• Soil characteristics and fertility. The most suitable option for carrots is loose soil with moderate acidity.
• Sowing depth. If the seeds are planted in autumn, the depth should not be less than 4-5 cm. Otherwise, they may freeze. During the spring sowing period, a 1-2 cm deepening is sufficient.
• Weather. If, after sowing the seeds, cool and rainy weather began, then the bed is covered with polyethylene or a special material - spunbond. This is necessary because carrots prefer sunny weather.
• Moisture. In order for the seeds to swell and germinate, they need abundant and timely watering.

The seed germination rate is influenced by their pre-sowing treatment. It includes a whole range of activities that need to be carried out. They are as follows.

• Rejection. The essence of this activity is to remove empty seeds. To do this, you need to collect water in a small container and pour carrot seeds there. The good ones will sink to the bottom, and the bad ones will float on the surface. It is better to throw them away.
• Disinfection. To do this, dissolve 1 g of potassium permanganate in 200 ml of room temperature water. In the solution, carrot seeds must be soaked for at least 15 minutes.
• Essential oils may be present on the surface of the seeds, which also slow down the germination process. To remove them, you need to soak the seeds in warm water for another 10 minutes.
• At the final stage, the seeds must be fished out of the water and placed on a damp cloth. (it is better if it is a material of natural origin). From above they need to be covered with the same material and left in this state for 1-2 days for the carrots to germinate. If everything is done correctly, the germination process should begin.

After all stages of processing, the seeds can be safely sown into the prepared soil.

Planting time depends on the selected carrot variety. There are three categories of varieties: early, mid and late ripening. Depending on the category, the following planting date is set in the spring for a quick emergence:

• for early varieties, the end of April or the beginning of May is ideal, when a stable air temperature is established (at least +3 degrees);
• medium varieties of carrots are usually planted in open ground from May 1 to May 20;
• the late ones should be sown from mid to late May.

Some gardeners prefer to sow carrots before winter. In this case, it is possible not to germinate it, but it should be deepened more into the ground.

As already mentioned, the sunniest place is chosen for the carrots on the site. It is best to start preparing the garden in the fall, even if spring sowing is expected. It is important to take into account the predecessors that grew on this bed last year. The following vegetable crops are most suitable for carrots:

• tomatoes;
• cucumbers;
• cabbage;
• potato.

In the fall (after harvesting), it is necessary to prepare the bed step by step. To do this, you need to dig it up on the bayonet of a shovel, remove all existing weeds. After this, the stage of introducing the necessary fertilizers begins. Initially, you need to add compost, humus, wood ash to the soil. After two weeks, you need to dig up the soil again and add mineral fertilizers again. Since carrots love loose soil, peat and sand can be additionally added to improve this indicator.

Carrot seeds should be sown in furrows. They can be done with a garden tool or a regular stick. The most important rule is not to go deeper than 2 cm. Otherwise, the seeds will sprout for a very long time.

It is important to understand that the ideal conditions for the rapid germination of carrot seeds are loose and moist soil with a temperature of +8 degrees and an air temperature of +15 degrees.

The technology of sowing seeds is no less important. There are certain tricks here, which are as follows.

• Carrot seeds must be sown in the grooves. The distance between them should be approximately 20 cm.
• The width of the furrows is about 5 cm, and the depth is no more than 2 cm.
• Seeds are planted one at a time at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. If you plant carrots too densely, then this arrangement will cause rot and the appearance of diseases.

Some gardeners sow 2 seeds each, which is a gross mistake. They will only interfere with each other. And when the carrots begin to grow, they will have to be thinned out and all unnecessary ones removed.

Subject to all of the above preparatory measures and conditions, carrot seeds should germinate fairly quickly. In some cases, this process takes several days. If gaps were found in some places, then it is recommended to make replanting with prepared seeds.

And in order to prevent pests from attacking carrots, for example, carrot flies, plants such as tobacco, sage or rosemary should be planted in the neighborhood. To get a good harvest, you need to take proper care.