Growing and caring for carrots in the open field

Landing

You need to know that experts recommend planting carrot seeds in sandy or medium loamy soils, which are also loose and quite fertile. The acidity of the soil in which the seeds will be planted should have a Ph degree of about 6 – 7, that is, as close as possible to the neutral mark. In order to grow varieties of root crops, from which carrots are obtained long, the depth of the soil with a loose structure should be as large as possible. If the degree of soil moisture is too high, you can end up harvesting vegetables with poor taste. In addition, this can negatively affect the degree of seed germination, and the possibility of the incidence of dangerous fungal infections in vegetable crops also increases.

Specialists and experienced gardeners do not recommend sowing seeds every year in the same area as last season, or after vegetable crops such as dill, parsley, parsnips, celery, fennel, cumin. Good predecessors for sowing carrot seeds after them are cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, legumes, cereals. If you grow different varieties of this vegetable in a monoculture, then there is a risk of such ailments as nematodes, Alternaria, carrot fly, aphids. That is why it is recommended to sow seeds and grow carrots in the same place no earlier than at least three years have passed.

The timing of planting a root crop in open ground largely depends on what you plan to grow carrots for, as well as on the characteristics of a particular variety of this vegetable. So, many beginner gardeners are interested in the question – when can I start sowing seeds? When sowing seeds in winter, they first undergo vernalization in the ground, and with the arrival of spring heat, they immediately begin to grow intensively. Thus, finished products can be obtained much earlier than the generally accepted deadlines – two weeks. If you plant carrots with seeds before winter in open ground conditions, then it will be intended for consumption in summer, and storing such a root crop is highly discouraged.

Spring sowing of root seeds, which you are going to use in the summer, is advised to be done when the ambient temperature is about +8 degrees. This is due to the fact that to use the excess moisture that remained in the soil after the winter. If it is planned to carry out long-term storage of the root crop in the future, then sowing the seeds should be done a little later – from about mid-April to the end of May, much will depend on weather conditions.

Before planting carrots with seeds, it is necessary to make top dressing, which will positively affect the full growth and development of vegetable crops – half a bucket of compost or rotted manure is required per 1 square meter. On heavy loamy soils, about 3 liters of sawdust are also added for looseness. Fertilizers with a high content of potassium, which are essential for all vegetable crops, which also include the well-known wood ash, not only improve the taste of carrots, contributing to the formation of the required amount of sugar in its root crops, but also contribute to the maximum keeping quality of the vegetable.

Remember that fresh manure should not be applied when planting a vegetable crop, as this can cause the root crops to grow branched. Nitrogen fertilizers in excessive doses can provoke coarsening of tissues, as well as increase the content of nitrates in vegetables that are harmful to health.

Before the moment when you sow carrots with seeds, you should make grooves on the beds, the depth of which will be about 2 cm, and the distance between them – up to 20 cm. Before sowing the seeds, they are advised to rub them with your hands to remove unnecessary bristles. After that, you need to sow the seeds in the prepared grooves and cover with earth. The soil in the beds must be compacted without fail with a roller, board, or even your own hand.

If you plant the root crop correctly, then if the temperature is above +15 degrees, the first shoots can be seen after 10 days. Shoots of carrots planted with seeds in Siberia and other regions of our country, which have a rather harsh climate, can withstand frosts down to -4 degrees. A variety of varieties of this root crop allows you to choose suitable for planting not only in Siberia, but also in other regions of Our Country.

Video “Care for sown carrots”

Care

When you finish sowing carrots, a completely logical question will arise – how to properly care for this rather capricious plant in order to end up with beautiful and sweet root crops? You need to start with regular soil treatment. Before the seeds germinate, the first weeding after planting may be required. Weeds must be removed immediately after they appear in order to prevent a negative effect on carrots. Make sure that the land on the site is always loose. Since, improper care of it after planting the root crop can be fraught with the appearance of large, but at the same time twisted, vegetables.

Also, an important point in the proper care of any of the varieties of carrots can be called the control of the level of crop thickening. Then the carrots will grow large, but will have the correct shape and excellent taste. The first time thinning is advised to be carried out after leaves appear on vegetable crops. With proper thinning, the distance between carrots should be about 3 centimeters. In the event that carrots were planted sparsely, the first thinning may not be done. The procedure should be repeated, while increasing the distance between neighboring cultures by about two times. These features of caring for a vegetable crop apply to all varieties that are grown on the territory of Our Country, including in the difficult weather conditions of Siberia.

Another important step in caring for carrots can rightfully be called watering. Those gardeners who spare no time and effort for proper regular watering note that the yield of juicy and sweet vegetables is much higher. After all, it is the lack of moisture that can cause lethargy and the appearance of bitterness in a vegetable. Moreover, sufficient watering is very important at all stages of growth and development of vegetable crops. When watering, be sure to consider that the depth of soil moisture should correspond to the size of the vegetable. Thus, a bed of an adult crop should be watered so that moisture penetrates to a depth of about 30 cm. When caring for, the root crop should be watered in small portions, but quite often. Most of all, such a vegetable needs watering in the period between sowing and the appearance of the first shoots.

Watering is also very important during the period when carrots are intensively growing. This is true for all varieties of vegetables.

Watering with fertilizers for the season is recommended to be applied about two times. They are first applied about three weeks after germination, the second, a few months later. Liquid fertilizers are best suited for these purposes, taken at the rate of a tablespoon of nitrophoska, two glasses of wood ash, a mixture of 20 grams of potassium nitrate, 15 grams of urea and the same amount of double superphosphate per bucket of water.

Diseases and pests

The main enemy of carrots of any variety is called the carrot fly. If you find curled leaves on plants, then this is it. Experts consider proper care for carrots to be the best prevention for the appearance of such a pest. Since the fly may appear on too wet, overgrown with weeds or overly thickened beds. If, nevertheless, its appearance could not be avoided, it is customary to use drugs such as Actellik, Intavir and others for the fight.

To the delight of all summer residents, carrots are less susceptible to diseases than other root crops. Sometimes ailments such as phomosis or alternariosis can occur. To minimize the risk of these dangerous diseases, you can treat the site with a solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Video “Sowing carrots in the ground”

How to plant and process carrot seeds? What preparations and technologies to use for watering, high-quality planting and obtaining the maximum yield.