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Carrots are one of the most sought after vegetable crops in garden plots. The main problem is the need to weed the seedlings. Otherwise, root crops will not receive free space for growth. How to sow carrots so as not to thin out, simple and affordable methods help.
Seed preparation
Before planting, carrot seeds are recommended to be processed. This will improve their germination.
The following methods of seed treatment are most effective:
- room for a day in warm water;
- boiling water treatment;
- etching with a solution of manganese or boric acid;
- cold hardening of seeds (performed after soaking until sprouts appear).
Before processing, the seed is stored in a dry place, protected from moisture and light.
Soil preparation
Carrots prefer loamy and sandy soils. The beds are located on flat areas, lit by the sun. Every year a new place is chosen for sowing. Repeat landing on the previous site is allowed only after 4 years.
Peat or humus is used for top dressing.
The beds for carrots are dug up in the fall. In the spring, the procedure is repeated. With the manual planting method, furrows are made 5 cm wide and 2 cm deep. Then sand and fertilizer are introduced into the soil.
The best ways to sow carrots without thinning
Planting in a pinch
The simplest is the manual landing method. First, the bed is divided into furrows. A distance of 20 cm is left between the rows. Before sowing, it is recommended to pour peat and sand into the resulting furrows.
Pinch planting is done by hand. Carrot seeds are taken in the palm of your hand and dropped one by one into the recesses in the garden. Leave a few centimeters between each plant. This is the simplest, but at the same time time-consuming landing method.
Sowing on a tape
To plant carrots on a tape, you need to purchase special material for sowing in a garden store. For these purposes, loose paper, including toilet paper, is suitable. The material is cut into strips up to 2 cm wide. The length of the strips should be enough for the entire garden.
Seeds are applied to paper using a paste. You can make it yourself with water and starch. The paste is dotted onto the strips at intervals of 2-3 cm. Then carrot seeds are applied to them.
The tape is placed in prepared furrows and covered with earth. Thus, economical consumption of carrot seeds is ensured. The same distance is maintained between seedlings, which will save the gardener from thinning the beds.
You can start preparing for sowing on the tape in the winter. The resulting strips are folded and left until spring.
Landing on a paste
You can plant carrot seeds on a paste without using tape or other devices. To prepare the composition, you will need a spoonful of flour and a liter of water. The components are simmered over low heat, after which they are cooled to 30 degrees.
Then seeds are placed in the paste, and a plastic bottle is filled with the mixture. The paste with seeds is poured into the prepared wells. This method of planting will additionally protect plants from diseases. Planted carrots will ripen ahead of time and will be more juicy.
Sowing in bags
Carrot seeds should be placed in a cloth bag. After the snow cover has melted, it is placed in the ground several centimeters deep. In a few weeks, the first carrot sprouts will appear, and then you can get them out and make a full planting.
Germinated plants are much more convenient to plant in furrows, providing free space between them. As a result, you do not have to thin out the plants, and the bed is completely filled with seedlings.
Planting with an egg trellis
Using an egg grid allows you to create even holes at the same distance from each other. To do this, take a plastic or paper form in which eggs are sold.
The grate is pressed into the soil over the entire surface of the bed, after which even holes are formed. Two or three seeds should be placed in each of them.
The advantages of this method include uniform germination of carrot seeds without the need for thinning. However, the seeds are planted by hand, which requires a lot of time and effort.
Landing with river sand
Add two tablespoons of carrot seeds to a bucket of river sand. To improve the germination of the resulting mixture, you can add a little water. We sow seeds mixed with sand in the furrows in the garden, after which we apply a layer of soil.
Sandy soil contains more air, which improves the effect of mineral fertilizers.
This method will not provide the same distance between carrot shoots. However, careful preparation of the furrows is not required here. Seedlings that are too dense can then be thinned out.
Mixed seeding
On the same bed, different crops coexist perfectly: carrots and radishes. If you mix the seeds of these plants and add river sand, you get a ready-made mixture for planting. It is placed in the furrows in the garden, after which it is covered with a layer of earth and watered.
The radish sprouts first, grows quickly and finds use on the kitchen table. After harvesting, there is a lot of free space for the growth of carrots. This method makes it possible to grow two types of vegetables in one garden, which is especially true for small plots.
Seeder use
Special devices help to automate the landing process. Manual seeders have the simplest design. Seeds are poured into a separate compartment of the cabin, equipped with wheels. Loosening the soil is done by blades located on wheels. The device is moved by the handles.
The seeder has a number of advantages:
- ensures the penetration of seeds to a given depth;
- sowing material is evenly distributed over the ground;
- seed consumption is controlled;
- it is not required to prepare furrows and cover the seeds with a layer of earth;
- the material is not damaged;
- the sowing process is accelerated by 5-10 times.
On an industrial scale, self-propelled seeders powered by a power source are used. For a garden plot, a hand-held device is suitable, which can be selected by photo and size. Universal models are used for sowing carrots and other crops.
Seeds in granules
It is much more convenient to plant carrot seeds enclosed in granules. Dragee seeds have a shell of nutrients. Due to their large size, they are convenient to use when landing. When it enters the soil, the shell dissolves, and the plants receive additional feeding.
There are no restrictions on how to plant carrots enclosed in granules. For this, any methods, manual and automated, are suitable.
Although pelleted seeds are more expensive than regular seeds, all costs are offset by convenient use. Such material is completely ready for sowing and does not require processing.
Carrot care
Regardless of the method chosen, after sowing, carrots need watering. Moisture supply must be constant. It is better to water the seedlings in the evening, when the water warms up in the sun.
When using special planting methods, carrots do not require weeding. It is enough to loosen the soil several times to improve air exchange and moisture penetration.
As carrots grow, they need to be fed. An influx of nutrients will provide organic fertilizer. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium supplements are useful for this crop.
Conclusion
Carrots require thinning several times a season. The correct landing method helps to avoid this time-consuming procedure. Certain methods require special training and additional costs. However, the costs are offset by the time saved on weeding. The easiest method is to use sand or other types of seeds. For planting carrots in large areas, it is recommended to purchase a seeder.
