How and when to plant carrots?

Carrots are a vegetable crop that can be found on almost every site, regardless of the region. At the same time, in order to get a rich and high-quality crop, it is important to know exactly how and when to plant it correctly. At the moment, in the arsenal of modern gardeners there is a more than a wide range of relevant agricultural techniques.

The choice of a specific time for sowing carrots depends not only on the varietal characteristics of the culture. Also favorable for planting days are determined by the climate of the region and weather conditions in a particular period. It is important to take into account the air temperature and the degree of soil warming, as well as forecasts of weather forecasters.

By the way, gardeners often prefer to determine the optimal timing of the corresponding work according to the lunar calendar. In this case, we are talking about the waning moon, since it is commonly believed that it is during these periods that the root system is actively developing.

It is recommended to plant vitamin roots in open ground when it has already warmed up to + 4-6 degrees, but still retains moisture from melted snow. At the same time, the daytime and nighttime air temperatures are + 10-12 and + 2-5 degrees, respectively. In addition, in order to accurately determine the time of planting, and so that it is not too late to carry out agrotechnical work, it is necessary to take into account the ripening time, which looks as follows, taking into account the varietal characteristics:

• early - 80-100 days;
• average - 110-120 days;
• medium late - 120-140 days;
• late - from 140 days.

Particular attention must be paid to the duration of the vegetation stage of plants, as well as to the nuances of the climate in a particular area. The last factor is of key importance and, taking into account it, it is possible to determine the optimal timing of planting crops by region:

• South of the Russian Federation (Krasnodar Territory, North Caucasus, Stavropol Territory, Republic of Crimea) - from early March to early April;
• the middle lane, including the Moscow region - from mid-April to May;
• St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region - 2nd decade of May;
• Siberia, the Urals and northern regions - a fairly short period from late May to early June.

Carrot species with different periods of fruit ripening are planted on the site in several approaches. Often, an early-ripening variety is sown on the beds at the beginning of the first summer month after harvesting early greens.

In this case, the main task is to prevent the seeds from germinating prematurely. To do this, they need to be planted 1.5-2 weeks before frost, when the soil has time to dry out and "grab" as a result of cold snaps. The thermometer during this period will no longer rise above 2-3 degrees Celsius. Depending on the region, such favorable conditions for sowing develop at the following times:

• south - from late November to early December;
• Moscow region and the middle zone of the Russian Federation - from late October to early November;
• regions of Siberia and the Urals - October;
• northern territories - end of September.

On the one hand, the vegetable crop in question cannot be characterized as whimsical and particularly demanding on growing conditions. However, there are a number of key rules regarding the correct choice of a site for planting. The harvest can be obtained in any case, but its quality and volume will be in question.

It is recommended to choose the most even places for carrots, taking into account the following requirements.

• Illumination of the site. It is important to remember that the culture loves the sun and does not tolerate shade and even partial shade. Lack of sunlight leads to the fact that the tops grow stunted, and the roots themselves turn out to be thin and weak. Ideally, the beds should be lit throughout the day, and even partial shading of the site can negatively affect the yield and taste of the fruit.
• Composition and condition of the soil... Slightly acidic and neutral loose soils will be preferable for carrots, and alkaline and acidic soils are categorically contraindicated. For active growth and full-fledged development of culture, soils with a high concentration of sand or sandy loam are most suitable. If the plants are placed in dense loam, then most often they bear small fruits that quickly rot during storage.
• Predecessors in the beds. The best options are cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, cabbage, potatoes, and cereals. It is strongly discouraged to grow carrots after dill, fennel, parsnip, parsley, as well as the most described culture and any umbrella. It is important to remember that violations of the rules of crop rotation inevitably lead to extremely negative consequences.
• Neighboring cultures. As practice shows, peas, tomatoes and radishes growing nearby have the most beneficial effect on the yield of root crops.

When choosing a site, you must remember that the most unfortunate options will be:

• large slopes;
• thickets of wheatgrass;
• beds after the above unfavorable predecessors.

It is necessary to pay attention to the preparation of the selected site since the fall. It is important that during the winter months all applied fertilizers have time to be absorbed, which in itself will increase their effectiveness.... The ideal conditions for the vegetable in question is moisture-permeable and well-aerated soil. It should also be loose and as fertile as possible. Another important point is the complete absence of stones and any rhizomes.

Key features of soil preparation:

• in the fall, the beds are dug up with the removal of all plant residues;
• digging depth is 1.5 bayonets, since large horizons provide favorable conditions for the growth of root crops when ripe in depth (in parallel, future harvesting is facilitated);
• during digging, a mixture of sand and peat is introduced into loamy heavy soil at the rate of 1 kg per square;
• if a site with a high sand content is selected, then it is recommended to add humus or manure;
• humus is introduced into the soil with low fertility in the fall, and in the spring (before sowing), organic matter is allowed;
• for acidified soil, the addition of lime or chalk is provided (a glass of substance per 1 sq. m);
• in the spring, before planting, the soil in the beds can be simply loosened and leveled.

It should be remembered that even and presentable-looking carrots grow only in loose soil. If the plant develops in dense soil, then the fruits will eventually turn out to be crooked and thin. Fertilization is no less important. For example, in situations with clay soil, the following additives per square meter will be relevant:

• coarse sand - 0.5 buckets;
• compost or humus - 5 kg;
• ash - 0.3 kg;
• lime (for acidic soil) - 0.5 kg;
• mineral fertilizers - 2 tbsp. l.

There is no need for any treatment when using commercially available granulated and glazed seeds. This seed has already been processed and covered with a nutrient coat. It is important to remember that such granules must not be soaked in order to preserve this very protective layer. In other situations, the following steps will need to be taken.

1. Sorting, in which the seeds are placed in a salt solution for 5 minutes. Floated instances are discarded because they are not similar.
2. Heat treatment, which involves soaking the material first for 20 minutes in hot (50-60 degrees), and then for 2-3 minutes in cold water.
3. Treatment with stimulating drugs. The seeds are placed in a cloth soaked in appropriate solutions.
4. Drying until flowable.

For many gardeners, especially beginners, the answer to the question of whether it is worth germinating the seeds of the described culture is relevant. In order to stimulate germination, you can do the following.

1. Spread the seed on a damp cloth, ensuring the temperature is within 20-24 degrees.
2. Soak the seeds for 5-6 days until they swell. It is desirable that they do not have time to hatch, but it is worth considering that if small sprouts appear, they will be eliminated during planting.
3. Dry material until free-flowing and sow immediately.

There is also a fairly ancient folk way to accelerate the germination of carrots. In this case, we are talking about the following algorithm:

1. seeds are poured into a small cloth bag;
2. in the spring, they are buried in warm and damp earth to a depth of about 25 cm;
3. stand up to 2 weeks for swelling;
4. remove the bag and dry its contents on paper or cloth;
5. sow after drying.

Modern farmers in their arsenal have many different agricultural techniques and tricks associated with planting carrots. Moreover, each method has its own characteristics, pros and cons. Regardless of the method chosen, it is important to take into account that the seeding depth should be:

• heavy loams - no more than 2 cm;
• sandy loam soils and sandstones - from 2 to 3 cm.

An equally important point is the size of the beds and the row spacing determined by them. In this case, the latter should be at least 20 cm, otherwise it will be difficult to process the landings. The intervals between the seeds are 3-4 cm.

When choosing a planting method, it is strongly recommended to take into account the peculiarities of such an agrotechnical technique as thinning. With a competent approach to sowing, its labor intensity can be reduced many times.

Here, first of all, it is worth highlighting the main disadvantage of the landing technology. Using the conventional method, it is quite difficult to control the amount of seeds that are placed in the grooves. This often leads to thickening of the plantings after germination. It is no secret that thinning is a time-consuming procedure that requires corresponding time expenditures.

At the same time, an insufficient amount of material leads to a significant decrease in germination. It is also important to note that the classic method involves the use of exclusively dry seeds. Because of this, the material swells longer, germinates more slowly.

This method is considered to be the most convenient. The purchase of granules eliminates the need to use any special devices and devices. It is important to remember that they are coated with nutrients and are relatively large in size. This makes the pellets much easier to distribute when planting at the desired intervals.

The gaps between the units of planting material are from 5 to 7 cm. Plants will sprout almost simultaneously, and each root crop will be in its place.

Today, one of the simplest and at the same time effective ways of sowing small seeds is to prepare a mixture with sand in certain proportions. And here it is necessary to take into account two key points.

• The prepared material is mixed with fine, clean and well-dried sand. The number of the latter is determined by gardeners individually. It is important that, as a result, the materials are distributed evenly and with the required frequency during planting. The recommended ratio is 1 dessert spoon of seeds per liter of sand.
• Use the mixture dry or slightly moistened. It should be borne in mind that in the process of its distribution on the site, the seeds themselves, as a rule, will not be visible.

At the initial stage, cardboard trays, in which the bottom is pre-cut, are laid out on the ground and gently pressed. After that, the seed is placed in the base and irrigated abundantly. Further, the growth and development of plants will take place according to the classical scheme. The main advantages of this method include:

• effective moisture retention;
• almost complete absence of weeds;
• dosage of planting material, which in most cases eliminates the need for seedling thinning.

The above are far from all the methods of planting popular vitamin root crops that are relevant today. Some experienced gardeners, for example, successfully practice planting carrots with drunk and dried coffee. In this case, the seeds are mixed with the indicated mass. Another tried-and-true option is comb seeding (similar to potatoes).

One of the common options is this is the planting of the described culture together with paste. For a liter of cold water, add 1 spoonful of flour or any starch and, constantly stirring, bring to a boil, after which the resulting mixture is cooled to 30 degrees. At the next stage, a package of seeds is slowly poured into a warm paste, constantly and thoroughly mixing. It remains only to pour all this into a watering can and with its help distribute the composition along the grooves.

Another simple method is called tape. The procedure is as follows:

1. cook the paste with the addition of boric acid;
2. apply paste on paper previously laid out on a flat surface;
3. distribute the seeds evenly on the ribbons with an interval of 2-2.5 cm;
4. after drying, roll the paper into a roll and leave until spring;
5. spread the ribbons into prepared grooves in the beds.