How to grow a good and large carrots

the main » Garden » Carrot

Carrots are the most sought-after vegetable among consumers. It can be purchased on store shelves all year round. But the root crop will bring the big advantage if to grow up it independently on the seasonal dacha. This can be done subject to certain rules for growing carrots.

Virtually any culture before planting in the spring must be fertilized, and this can be done in the spring after planting in the country, or later fertilized directly into the hole. How to properly care for carrots, how much and what kind of fertilizer to apply, about the little tricks of dung and humus, how to carry out frequent watering and how to love the plant will be discussed in the article.

The timing of sowing carrots in the open ground

Before sowing seeds in the open ground, the gardener must decide why he grows carrots and when he wants to get a harvest. Sowing dates:

1. Early spring sowing from April 15 to May 15. All June it is already possible to collect carrots on a bunch, and with the advent of August enjoy the sweet root crops.
2. Summer seeding from May 15 to June 10. Harvest will be at the end of September, this carrot is laid in the cellar for winter storage.
3. Sub-winter sowing from October 20 to November 15 allows you to use a young root before harvesting the main crop. The main thing is to choose the right place for the beds - it should be on a hill so that the spring thaw of the snow does not drown the seeds.

If you sow in all possible time, then fresh vegetables will be on the table all year round.

Choosing a place for garden beds in the garden

It is no secret that carrots are an unpretentious root crop, but to obtain a rich harvest, it is still necessary to create comfortable conditions. When choosing a place for garden beds, the gardener should take into account:

• this vegetable culture is developing well on a lighted area;
• fertile loamy-sandy soil with 4% humus and neutral acidity of 6-7 pH;
• earlier, potatoes, tomatoes, corn and legumes were grown at the place of sowing;
• not to be used for growing beds where spicy herbs (dill, parsley, fennel, etc.) have grown before;
• can't plant a vegetable on the same plot 2 years in a row.

Large roots of the correct form grow on peat soilsthat were formed after drying the swamps. And on clay soil carrots will acquire an ugly form due to strong resistance to growth.

Before frost, the area for vegetables is necessary dig, remove roots and stones. But do not drive the shovel into the ground too deeply and destroy the fertile layer.Dig to a depth of about 0.3 meters. With the onset of spring, level and deeply loosen the surface.

How to plant seeds to get good shoots

Gardeners practice a variety of carrot planting techniques, all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages:

1. Sowing seeds considered the fastest way. The gardener simply sprinkles the seed in a dry form into the prepared beds. At the same time, the consumption of seeds cannot be called economical, and the seedlings will be too thick and uneven.
2. Dragee - These are seeds placed in a nutrient shell, shoots are friendly and strong. Their seeding is a point distribution in small pits. The cost of pelleted seeds is higher, but it is not necessary to spend time on thinning.
3. Pre germinated seeds give quick shoots. But in the absence of rain, water will have to be prematurely preserved, sprouts too weak and unable to cope with the pressure of the earth.
4. Roll method implies sticking small seeds on long strips of paper. To plant it is necessary only to lay out strips in a bed, prikopat the earth and to water well and to fertilize. Shoots appear evenly, but a little later.
5. Liquid paste cook from potato starch, cool to room temperature and mix with mineral fertilizers. In the resulting liquid, pour the seeds and quickly mix. Paste uniformly in the grooves. With this method will not have to thin out landing.

Can bed cover with film for 2-3 weeks before the appearance of the first shoots. Thus, the growth of plants will not prevent the weeds, and the soil will not form a crust, which prevents the penetration of moisture to the roots.

If dry planting material is selected for sowing, additional preparation is required. You can disinfect by soaking the seeds in water heated to 40 degrees. But it is better to hold them. in solution of potassium permanganate - 1 g of substance per 100 ml of liquid. The procedure should not exceed 20 minutes, after the seeds must be well washed with clean water and dried.

Some gardeners already at the stage of seed preparation use specialized plant growth stimulants. But for an ecologically clean crop, it is not recommended.

Secrets of carrot care after planting

Carrot refers to tight germinating and slow growing vegetable crops. Do not think that sowing it, you can forget about the beds before the harvest.

In order for the roots to turn out strong and large and to match the varietal quality, they should be looked after.

Fertilizers, supplements and folk remedies

A gardener will harvest a crop that is average in quality and quantity, if it is limited to fertilizer application in the autumn digging of a plot.

So, first time feed a vegetable a month after the inputs. In 10 l. water dissolve 1 tbsp. l nitrophosphate is a classic mineral fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The same solution is applied and in the second feeding in 2 weeks and in the third - at the beginning of August.

The best potash fertilizer is such a folk remedy as tincture of ash. For its preparation it is necessary to pour into the bucket of water parts of 150 g of dry ash. Stir the mixture until the ash is completely dissolved. In 10 l. water dilute 1 liter.tinctures and this liquid to feed and water the roots of carrots or beets during the second half of the growing season.

In addition, it is recommended to put foliar dressing during the formation and ripening of vegetables. Spray the green aerial part of the plant with a solution of boric acid (1 tsp. Per 10 liter of water).

How to water during the growing season

When growing root vegetables special meaning playing watering system. After all, with insufficient soil moisture, the young roots of the plant will die, and overflowing the beds will lead to the fact that only livestock can be harvested.

Therefore, immediately after sowing, the period of proper watering of the beds begins:

1. To stimulate the inputs used method sprinkling (300-400 m3 / ha), and after - a few receptions drip irrigation (20-30 m3 / ha).
2. After the appearance of inputs, depending on weather conditions, irrigation is carried out. every 2-3 days small amount of water.
3. During the formation of root crops, the soil moisture regime changes - the frequency decreases, the volume of water increases.
4. Active growth of vegetables is accompanied by rare watering (1 time in 7-10 days), but moisture should penetrate into the ground to a depth of 10-15 cm.
5. One month before harvest watering do not exercise even in the absence of rain. Excess moisture during this period will reduce the taste and keeping quality of vegetables.

Proper weeding

One of the most unloved affairs of gardeners is weeding the beds. But you can’t do without this tedious occupation, otherwise you can lose the entire crop because of the “attack” of the weeds.

At the initial stage, when the plants have not yet risen, the area with crops is recommended cover it in several layers with newspapers and cover it with film on top. With this method, the soil warms up well and moisture is preserved in it, but weeds cannot actively grow. After 2 weeks of innovative shelter should be removed and wait for the emergence of seedlings.

After 10-15 days the plant appears first real sheet - This is a signal to the beginning of weeding. It is necessary to do the procedure very carefully, so that together with the weeds do not grab cultural shoots.

When the 2nd leaf is formed, weeding combined with thinningif sowing was carried out randomly and planting thickened. Between plants there should be a distance of 2-3 cm.In this case, it is important to pull the shoots upwards, not to the side, otherwise the neighboring vegetable will have a damaged root.

It is most convenient to thin out with the help of female eyebrow plucking device - tweezers. It captures even the thinnest shoots without harming the rest of the plants.

During the entire period of growth between the beds and plants, it is necessary to weed and loosen the soil. A month after the first thinning, repeat the procedure so that there is a distance of 4-5 cm between the roots, but the vegetables that have already been pulled out can be eaten.

It takes a lot of time and effort to grow carrots, but a rich and high-quality crop of healthy vegetables will block all inconveniences. The main thing is to follow the basic rules of planting and caring for plants. And then a tasty and crunchy vegetable will be in the daily diet of the whole family, he will give all his nutrients and trace elements.