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Carrot is a very vitamin vegetable – it can give the human body a lot of minerals and vitamins that can improve vision, normalize metabolic processes, and also have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system. That is why many gardeners prefer to grow it on their site. But not everyone knows about the features of sowing this root crop in different ways, which will help to avoid in the future the eternal problem of all summer residents – thinning carrots.
Planting in a pinch
Since carrot seeds are quite small in size, they, most often, turn out to be sown too close to each other. The result of such a planting of carrots is the constant thinning of the young shoots that have appeared. To avoid it, experienced gardeners recommend sowing carrots in several ways already loved by many summer residents. The first of these is planting carrots with a pinch.
This method, with which it is very convenient to plant carrots, was known to our grandmothers. At a time when there were no modern ways to sow this root crop without problems, pinch planting was a great success. And today, many gardeners use this method to sow carrots.
To do this, several vegetable seeds are taken in a pinch, then sown in the same way as a radish – making a distance of about 10 centimeters between the holes. If you plant a root crop in this way, then you can then observe the emergence of seedlings in bunches. Provided that the planting material is of good quality, more fruits can be obtained. Just dig out the larger root crops first to make room for the rest of the vegetables in the garden. Thus, they will continue to grow without interfering with each other. With this method of planting, not only thinning is not required, but the root system remains intact.
On tape
Another way to sow carrots without problems is to plant them on a tape. This is already a modern method designed to make life easier for every gardener. To plant a vegetable in this way, it is enough to purchase a special tape for sowing in the store.
In order to sow the seeds, you will simply need to pull this tape, on which the root seeds are already glued, along the previously prepared furrow, and then sprinkle it with soil. Then you need to wait for the time when shoots appear, and simply carry out their regular watering and weeding of the earth.
You can make such a tape at home. To do this, it is enough to take paper (most often they use toilet paper). A paste and seeds are also taken. The paper should be cut into strips, the width of which will be about 2 cm. The paste can be prepared by taking a glass of water and a teaspoon of starch. Droplets of the finished paste should be located on the tape at intervals of about 2 cm. Seeds are then applied to them. It has also proved to be a good idea to add a tablespoon of fertilizer diluted in a liter of water to a home-made paste.
When using this method in order to sow carrots, and subsequently not thin them out, the correct choice of seed variety plays a big role. It is best to choose dragee. They can also be used to plant carrots in the usual way – just digging the dragee into the prepared hole to a depth of about 2 centimeters.
The method of planting a root crop on a tape is good because it allows you to prepare for sowing at home, that the seeds are at the same distance and will be at the same depth inside the soil. If you plant carrots on a tape, you can use many times less seeds than if you plant them in the usual way. And, again, there is no need to further carry out painstaking thinning of seedlings.
Video “How to sow and not thin out”
seeder
Modern devices were invented to help gardeners, in order not only to save their time, but also to reduce the physical costs of processing planted carrots. The seeder for this root crop looks like a structure with a container for seeds and a pair of wheels.
It is also widely used for planting beets and onions. What is the principle of operation of such a unit, which makes it easy to sow carrot seeds? On its front wheel there are special spikes, sometimes these can be blades, with the help of which a beard is created in the ground at the depth necessary for planting. At the bottom of the container, you can see a small hole through which the seeds are able to get into the grooves prepared in the garden.
The final stage of sowing is the leveling of the soil by means of a smooth wheel on the seeder. Today, various seeders can be purchased in specialized stores – some of them have a groove width and depth regulator, others are able to process a large number of rows in a garden, and others are also equipped with a top dressing tank. Therefore, among the variety of models presented by manufacturers, you just have to choose the one that will best meet all your requirements.
With egg cells
Another well-known way of planting carrots, which in the future will not require the gardener to thin out its rows, is to sow root seeds using conventional egg cells. Even a beginner can cope with this method, since it does not require special training or deep knowledge. What is the specificity of this sowing method? For him, you need to take two paper cells in which chicken eggs were once purchased. Each of them should be designed for thirty eggs.
To make the structure for sowing seeds as reliable and durable as possible, you should put them one inside the other. After that, the cells must be placed in the ground, pressing a little on them and thus forming holes in which the seed will be placed. This method, like the previous one, is very good in that it allows you to make the distance between the seeds the same, respectively, your seedlings in the future will be able to please the eye in friendly even rows.
Whichever of the above methods of sowing seeds you prefer, do not forget about the features of growing carrots in order to get a good harvest. The earth should be regularly loosened and sprinkled with vegetable crops. Watering the plant should be carried out about two to three times a week. Also, do not forget about the mandatory and timely weeding of the beds. And fight insects with modern drugs, otherwise they will be able to taste your favorite vegetable before you. Compliance with these simple rules, and modern methods of planting carrots will help you grow an excellent crop in your backyard.
Video “Methods of planting without thinning”
What to do to plant carrots with high quality without much effort and the need for thinning? Do not know? Then don’t miss the video below.
