Varieties of carrots by maturity

In its practical application, horticulture and horticulture has always been focused on some time frame. These are the terms of the growing season and the time of planting plants associated with it. You have to pay attention to the timing of their feeding and the time the moon is in a certain phase. The terms of harvesting and the duration of its storage are not ignored. Being in the same causal-causal relationship, these terms pursue one goal – the timely receipt of a good harvest.

Now is not the time when the harvest was the key to the successful existence of the whole family. For a long time, all fruits and vegetables can be bought inexpensively in the store. And you can do it all year round. And economically, self-cultivation of vegetables and fruits is hardly a profitable occupation. It is rather a pleasant pastime in the fresh air, and at the same time a personal hobby. All of the above applies to the cultivation of carrots.

Carrots – worries and results

Carrots are one of the five most popular garden vegetables. Along with potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, this root crop has not bypassed any vegetable garden. It is difficult to name a section of cooking, wherever there is a place for the use of ordinary carrots. Its popularity is great, but the cares when growing a seemingly simple root crop are considerable.

This article will not talk about tiny root crops the size of a little finger, but about full-bodied, varietal specimens of carrots, which make up 80% of the total crop. And about specimens that are not ashamed to show not only to their own guests, but also to connoisseurs-neighbors. Yes, and to myself to admit that I did everything right to get a good harvest. In the distant past, unsprouted seeds, sparse seedlings and beds of carrot embryos stuck together from tightness remained. Failures are difficult to survive, but only with them comes experience.

There are no trifles when growing carrots

Every child knows the riddle about carrots, and the gardener also knows the saying to this riddle. After all, in order to put a girl in a dungeon, and at the same time still see her scythe, a lot of effort must be spent and shedding sweat. Otherwise, it won’t be a girl, but an undergrowth from the cellar. And it won’t even be a braid, but just like that – a thin, withered twine. There will be several preliminary tasks:

• choose the necessary bed with suitable predecessors;
• fill it with fertilizers in the fall, in accordance with the recommendations for varietal agricultural technology;
• analyze horticultural literature and Internet forums on new products and reviews on unfamiliar varieties of carrots;
• pay special attention to zoned varieties with different ripening dates for carrots;
• buy or order carrot seeds of the varieties you like;
• outline, in accordance with the varietal recommendations, the possible dates for planting carrot seeds. Distribute the plantings among the beds, depending on the ripening period of the root crops;
• preparation of carrot seeds for planting;
• spring preparation of beds for planting carrot seeds. Insulation of the planting site of early varieties of carrots.
• planting carrot seeds and performing varietal, agrotechnical measures for growing root crops.

The right choice of landing site

Carrots, as befits beauties from a dungeon, are a capricious and demanding culture. She needs light, light soil and good predecessors. The latter include tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbages and legumes. Carrots can return to their original place no earlier than 4 years. In the place where it was decided to plant carrots, a bed with high sides should be prepared in the fall. The soil in it should be light and well seasoned with humus. The use of manure should be completely excluded.

Very good results are obtained by the method of preparing the beds for planting without spring digging. There are several options for such training:

• autumn mulching of the surface of the beds with mowed, half-rotted grass. Before planting, the mulch must be temporarily removed. After the carrot seeds are planted, it should be returned to its place before the first shoots appear;
• spring preparation of beds using early plantings of green manure. The grown green manure should be cut with a flat cutter. After that, cover the entire bed with a film for several weeks for overheating;
• trench preparation of beds in early spring. The trench, 300 mm deep, is filled with a mixture of humus and sand. It pours well with water and is aged for several weeks.

Choosing a variety is difficult, but interesting

All the beauties sitting in the dungeons are not like one another. The same thing happens with carrots. All are good, but how to distinguish one from the other. For this, there is, for each carrot, a certain variety type. Knowing him, any gardener will be able to choose exactly the variety that meets his requirements. One is interested in the shape of the root crop, the other in its size or color, the third in the growing season or keeping quality.

If we have only 7 of them, then there are several dozens of them abroad:

• “Amsterdamskaya” – thin, medium size, early ripening. Cylindrical in shape with a blunt tip. The skin is thin and tender. Poorly stored
• “Nantes” – large sizes, all maturation periods, juicy and very sweet. Has a cylindrical shape;
• “Flakke” or “Vleria” – large root crops of late and medium ripening. Root crops have a spindle-shaped form. Differs in the low content, in the structure, of carotene;
• “Chantene” – medium-sized, conical roots, short and thick in shape. Differ in insufficient keeping quality;
• Berlikum – roots of large size and conical shape. Well stored and excellent taste;
• “Mini Carrot” – an early ripening root crop of small size. Used for preservation or freezing;
• “Parisian Cortel” – fruits of small size with a high content of carotene. Delicious carrots for fresh consumption. Poorly stored
• “Transitional varieties” – here are all root crops that are difficult to attribute to any particular variety type.

Having dealt with the existing variety types, the seed buyer will know for sure what kind of crop he can get at the end of the season. At the same time, he will be able to choose seeds with specific characteristics for a given variety type.

Table of varieties by maturity

At the same time, their landing is carried out at different times.

Planting seeds

Seeds also need preparation

Many gardeners have more than once been saddened by the poor quality of carrot seeds. But sometimes the situation could be corrected with your own hands. In other words, the seeds must be able to cook before planting. Carrot seeds are very small, pubescent and covered with an oily ether film, which prolongs their germination. All methods of preparing seeds for planting and are aimed at combating it:

• First of all, the seeds are placed in a saline solution prepared from 1 liter of warm water and 2 tablespoons of ordinary salt. Floating specimens should be discarded. Then they are placed in a gauze bag and dipped in warm water.

  

  Withstand the seeds in it, periodically rinsing, until the water cools completely.

  For greater confidence in the positive result of the preparation of carrot seeds, the procedure can be repeated again. After that, carrot seeds should be washed under cold water and dried well.

• The next stage of preparation will be seed germination or direct planting in the garden. Carrot seeds should germinate within a week, depending on the ambient temperature. Unprepared carrot seeds germinate depending on the weather, from 30 to 40 days;
• a rag bag with carrot seeds must be buried in barely thawed ground. The digging depth must be at least 300 mm. Before sowing, the seed bag should be dug up and the contents used directly for planting. The terms of germination with such preparation are reduced by 3 times;
• it is necessary to soak the seeds of carrots in warm rain or melt water for 10 – 12 hours. During the soaking process, floating carrot seeds should be discarded. After the specified time, the swollen seeds should be placed between layers of wet wipes.

  

  After three or four days, carrot seeds should sprout. Their length should not exceed 5 mm. In this form, carrot seeds can be planted;

• good results in preparing seeds for planting are obtained by soaking them in a solution of trace elements or ash infusion. But infusion in various acids and peroxides is highly questionable.

This will make it possible to remove the bristles present on them and facilitate the preparation process itself.

When planting carrots, there are no trifles

Early spring is the most long-awaited and favorite time for all gardeners and gardeners. She is also the most stressful. The time for theoretical studies and preparatory work is over. Serious field work begins, when any delay or wrong actions will lead to a sad result. Every nuance will have to be taken into account:

• landing time. For an early harvest – the second decade of April or the beginning of May – the harvest can be harvested from the end of June. During summer planting in the middle of May – planting carrots for winter consumption. Pre-winter planting – until mid-November will allow you to get very early root crops for summer use.
• air and soil temperature, taking into account the expected changes. Around the end of April, when the ground temperature will be close to 10⁰, and the air will not get colder 16⁰, you can start the sowing process.
• the presence of covering and mulching material. This is especially true for pre-winter plantings and when there is a risk of returning frosts. Having fallen under frost, carrots may not die, but go into flowering;
• how to sow. The practice of planting small seeds has not developed one best way. Each gardener chooses only for him a convenient option. This may be an option with seeds glued to a tape, rolling them in ash, or creating certain suspensions. The main thing is to achieve a uniform distribution of seeds along the length of the beds.

  

• method of preparing the bed itself. It is better to do this with a narrow board (up to 100 mm), with force pressing it into the ground to a depth of 30 mm. After planting the seeds, sprinkle them with fluffy humus.

pleasant worries

The hardest work is left behind. The process of garden creativity and acting has begun and only force majeure can stop it. It remains only to enjoy the first shoots, and occasionally thin them out in accordance with varietal agricultural technology. As the seedlings mature, feed young sprouts with complex fertilizers, avoiding chlorine-containing and excessive mineral compounds. This is especially important to do after each thinning.

The thinning process and time is quite simple:

• The first thinning should be done after the appearance of 3 true leaves. The distance between sprouts should not be less than 30 mm;
• the second – in a month. And the distance should be about 60 mm;
• all excess sprouts must be immediately removed from the garden, so as not to attract the smell of a carrot fly.

If carrots are harvested too early, their taste and aroma will be lost. At later dates, the crop will lose quality due to various damages, which will affect the keeping quality of carrots. A small share of attention to the condition of the leaves of plants and the harvest will thank for this both in quality and quantity.