Vegetables are an integral part of a balanced diet. Many of them are grown everywhere on the backyard and dacha. These are potatoes, zucchini, onions, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes.
From the article you will learn how to grow a good crop of carrots in the country.
Ogorodniki believe that growing carrots in the open field is not always advisable, since its harvest depends on:
- quality and fertility of the soil;
- the use of proper agricultural technology;
- the variety used;
- weather conditions.
And if the soil, agrotechnics and variety can be controlled when growing carrots, then one can not guess the weather, as there are often temperature changes, repeated frosts in the spring, heavy rains or long droughts in the summer. Despite this, the gardeners still plant at least a small patch of this useful root.
Planting and growing carrots
Carrots prefer sunny places with loose earth. He does not like heavy clay and acid soils. In acid soil in the autumn for a shovel it is necessary to bring on a glass of chopped chalk or dolomite flour. The best precursors of carrots are: tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, onions, zucchini, cucumbers and legumes.
The future carrot bed should be prepared in autumn. Dig out the earth on the spade bayonet, with the introduction of potash fertilizers. In spring, loosen soil and add phosphorus fertilizers.
Untreated carrot seeds grow very poorly and long due to the content of essential oils in their shell. Therefore, seeds are sparged and treated with germinating agents to stimulate germination.
Carrots are sown in the spring, when the temperature is set above + 8 ° C, this happens somewhere in April-May. Ready-made beds are loosened, the weeds are removed and grooves are marked with a depth of 1.5-2 cm at a distance of 20 cm between the rows. Furrows are poured with water or a light solution of potassium permanganate, seeds are sown in them, which are covered with earth from above and covered with film. With this planting, the carrots will ascend for 5-6 days, after which the film is removed. If the soil is not sufficiently moist, and the seeds are unprocessed, then the shoots will not appear soon (2-3 weeks).
Care for planting carrots is to carry out such activities:
- weeding and loosening after each watering and rain;
- regular moderate watering - young shoots watered a small amount 2 times a week, increasing over time to 20 liters per 1 m2, in the autumn, in the absence of rain - every 10 days 10 liters per 1 sq. km;
- thinning of shoots first up to 1 cm, and in phase 5 leaves - up to 4-5 cm between plants;
- top dressing 5 l / m² (10 liters of water 1 tablespoon of nitrophosphite or nitroammofoski) - a month after emergence and then again after 25-30 days;
- treatment against pests and diseases - carrot, aphids, cercosporosis, white and black rot, bacteriosis, brown leaf spot, phomosis.
Secrets of growing carrots
When growing carrots, you need to apply small tricks that will help to get a high quality and high yield:
- use manure as a fertilizer is not recommended, since in this case branched roots with poor taste will be obtained;
- so that the seeds are sown more evenly and sparingly, mix them in a 1: 1 ratio with sand;
- to reduce the consumption of seeds and then not to thin the planting, then they can be pasted with starch paste on thin strips of paper at a distance of 5 cm, and when planting, simply roll the ribbon in the furrow and sprinkle with earth;
- to get an early carrot, it is necessary to sow it under the winter , only such a crop is not stored for a long time;
- the greater the distance between plants, the larger the carrot will grow;
- when harvesting, clean the ground gently with your hands, and not striking the ground or each other;
- store the carrots in a dark cool place with a cropped top.
Using these recommendations for growing carrots in the open field, and also planting several varieties with different maturity and flavoring qualities, you diversify and provide your table with this useful root vegetable for a long period.