Carrots are grown everywhere. The Urals is no exception, because the root crop has firmly entered the daily diet of s. Without carrots, neither first nor second courses are prepared. This root crop is necessarily present in the composition of blanks and pickles.
Culture is very unpretentious, everyone knows about its benefits. That is why the vegetable is so popular. It would seem that growing carrots is easy. However, mistakes are made, sometimes by experienced gardeners.
Terms of planting
No one will give a clear answer to the question of when to plant carrots in the Urals. The reason lies in the peculiarities of the region. The length of the Ural Mountains from north to south is 2500 km, so the climate in its different parts is very different. In general, the climate of the Ural region is continental, with characteristic features: frequent weather changes and uneven distribution of precipitation.
In order to successfully plant carrots in the Urals and get a harvest, you should focus on the climatic conditions of your area. Carrots begin to be sown if the soil has warmed up to +8 degrees. The culture tolerates slight temperature drops well.
The soil warms up to the required temperature in some regions of the Urals already at the end of April, in others at the beginning or middle of May. In 2019, spring did not spoil us with warmth, so the time for sowing carrots in the Urals shifted in anticipation of comfortable weather, when it becomes warm during the day (up to +10+15 degrees) and at night (+5+8 degrees).
Seed preparation
When buying seeds, give preference to those that are bred and zoned for the climatic conditions of the Urals. Domestic varieties and hybrids are superior to foreign ones in keeping quality and taste, they are more suitable for our unpredictable Ural climate.
The following varieties are suitable for growing in the Urals: Alenka, Kinby, Laguna F1, Viking, Leander, Nantes 4, Chance, Selecta and many other varieties that grow well when the temperature drops.
Carrot seeds take a long time to germinate, sometimes up to 3 weeks. In the regions of the northern Urals, the vegetative period is limited by the conditions of a short summer. It is necessary to reduce the period allotted for seedlings, so the seeds are prepared before planting in the Urals.
Preplant preparation is carried out in several ways:
- The seeds are placed in a linen bag and buried in the ground to a depth of 30 cm. They are kept in the soil for about two weeks. Then they are taken out, dried for flowability, so that it is convenient to sow. Advantages of the method: the seeds receive enough moisture to sprout faster. Usually 5 days after sowing;
- Bubbling. The method is very good, but, unfortunately, not available to everyone. The seeds are placed in a jar, filled with water, an aquarium compressor is placed in the water at the bottom. Seeds are in constant motion under the influence of oxygen. The process takes 20 hours. Next, the seeds are taken out of the water, placed between layers of damp cloth and put in the refrigerator for 5 days. Before planting, the seeds are slightly dried for ease of sowing;
- The simplest soaking in water will speed up the process of germination of carrot seeds in the Urals. Soaking the seeds in a liter of water with dissolved wood ash (1 tablespoon) or in a solution of sodium humate, or “Effekton” (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water) will help increase the quality of the seeds and, accordingly, the yield;
- Can be used when soaking aloe juice – a natural growth stimulant (20 drops of juice per 1 liter of water). Manufacturers offer ready-made growth stimulants: Epin, Zircon, Charm, Seedling and others;
- Warming up: the seeds are immersed in water, the temperature of which is +52 degrees and kept for 20 minutes, then they are taken out and dipped in cold water. Seed germination increases, seedlings are strong and disease resistant;
- Seed stratification is also used to improve the germination of carrot seeds. To do this, the seeds are placed in a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Hardening contributes to the emergence of seedlings in the Urals a week earlier, and the harvest 2 weeks earlier;
- Use seeds for planting carrots in the Urals in granules. The granules are large, bright, they can be seen on the soil. The seed material is saved, since the granules can be planted immediately according to the scheme, which will save you from thinning the crops in the future.
Any method you choose will significantly speed up the emergence of carrot seedlings in the Urals.
Soil preparation
Carrots sprout much more actively and grow in sunny areas. Therefore, sow the seeds in that part of the garden where the plants will receive the maximum amount of sunlight and heat, which is especially important when planting carrots in the Urals.
Clay heavy soils are not suitable for growing carrots. It is possible to improve the composition of such soils by introducing peat, sand, ash, and lime. Sand makes clay soils less moisture-intensive, ash improves the mineral composition, peat loosens, lime reduces acidity. They also recommend planting on high beds, loosening and mulching more often.
Sandy loam and loam are considered ideal for carrots – light, loose, free-flowing, well-permeable to moisture and air. Such soils are good because they warm up quickly, they are easier to process. But the disadvantages include poverty in nutrients, which can be corrected by the introduction of compost, humus, peat.
Soil preparation for sowing carrots in the Urals begins in the fall. They dig up the soil, get rid of plant residues, select weeds and especially their roots. If this is not done, then weeds can grow in the spring before carrots. Experienced gardeners know how difficult it is to weed carrots. And in plant residues, spores of fungi and bacteria, as well as pests, hibernate.
Fertilization is best done in the fall. To increase the yield by 1 square. add m of soil: superphosphate (35 g), urea (15 g), potassium chloride (15 g).
In the spring, they dig up the soil again, form beds, based on the type of soil. Width, convenient for further care.
Sowing
Grooves are made on prepared beds: up to 1 cm deep on clay soils, 2 cm on sandy and sandy loamy soils. Distance between rows up to 20 cm.
Carrot seeds are placed in the grooves, trying to place them evenly, as they are very small. If you use seeds in granules for sowing carrots in the Urals, then the task is greatly simplified. Place planting material at intervals of 5 cm from each other. The step between the seeds depends on the variety you have chosen, if the manufacturer states that the roots are short-fruited and cone-shaped, then they will grow more in breadth than in depth. Therefore, for such varieties, a slightly different planting scheme. Keep the distance between seeds in granules up to 10 cm.
To facilitate the process of sowing carrot seeds, they resort to the following tricks: mix the seeds with coarse sand and sow them. Or mix carrot seeds with radish or lettuce seeds. These crops grow earlier, you will get a double benefit, facilitating planting, and then a kind of thinning of plantings. Seed material is not wasted. For an unusual landing method, see the video:
After sowing, the grooves are covered with soil, slightly compacting it.
Care
Further care for carrots is regular watering. At first, 2 times a week, if the nature of the Urals does not indulge in rain. Starting from the time of fruit formation, you can reduce watering to 1 time per week, but making them more plentiful. Stop watering before harvest.
The process of loosening should not be avoided, especially on clay soils, since the influx of oxygen has a beneficial effect on the formation of root crops. The absence of a dense crust on the soil surface makes it possible to form correctly. They grow even, have an attractive appearance.
Regular weeding contributes to the active growth of carrots and prevents the development of diseases and pests that are very fond of thickened plantings.
If you planted carrots not in granules, then thinning of the plantings will soon be required. When two true leaves appear, the first thinning is carried out, leaving a distance of 3 cm, the second thinning 3 weeks after the first. The interval you need to leave between plants depends on the variety. For long-fruited varieties 5 cm, for short-fruited varieties 10 cm.
Conclusion
Planting carrots in the Urals does not differ fundamentally from other regions. Wait for the warm weather to establish and boldly plant carrots. Follow agricultural practices and get a decent harvest by growing carrots in the Urals.