In order to achieve good yields, carrots must be grown according to certain rules.
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Selection and preparation of seeds
There is a large selection of carrot seeds on the shelves of specialized stores. Before you buy them, you should decide what root crops are needed for. It is necessary to take into account the climatic conditions in the region of planting, the ripening time, yield and taste.
Carrot seeds contain essential oils that prevent rapid swelling and germination. Special treatment before sowing will help speed up the germination process. For 5 minutes, the seeds are dipped in a strong salt solution; instances that have surfaced are removed.
Then, for 20 minutes, heat treatment is carried out in hot water (but not higher than 60˚C) with a further movement for 3 minutes in cold water. After preparatory testing, the seeds are placed for a day in a napkin dipped in a growth stimulator (Zircon, Epin). After drying, the carrots are ready for sowing.
The store often sells seeds that have already been processed, they are covered with a special layer and cannot be soaked.
Preparing the beds and sowing carrots
This root vegetable is recommended to be grown in well-lit beds. The soil should be loose and neutral so that the roots do not deform during the growth process.
In the fall, the beds are dug up, removing weeds and remnants of previous plantings. Before digging, it is recommended to add loosening agents (peat, sand or humus) to the soil. If necessary, deoxidation of the earth is added to it wood ash.
Carrot seeds are sown in early spring, when the soil warms up and dries up. If long-term storage of root crops is planned in the future, then sowing is recommended at the end of May, after the threat of night frosts has passed.
Seeds are sown in holes up to 3 cm deep at a distance of at least 10 cm from each other. First, the earth is moistened with water. After sowing, the beds are covered with loose soil and watered again from the watering can. If necessary, cover the soil with plastic wrap to speed up the germination process.
Carrot garden care
When the first true leaves appear on the plants, the planting is thinned out, providing space for the normal growth of root crops. After about a month, the thinning is repeated, by this time the height of the tops reaches 10 cm. The distance between roots must be at least 5 cm. Excess shoots are removed carefully so as not to damage the remaining specimens.
Periodically, weeds must be removed from the beds, and the soil must be carefully loosened. The torn weeds must be taken to the compost pit so as not to attract a carrot fly to planting.
It is recommended to water the beds every 3 days - lack of moisture negatively affects the yield and taste of carrots. A week before harvesting, watering the beds is stopped.
It is recommended to feed the carrots at least 2 times per season. As a fertilizer, you can use a solution of superphosphate, potassium salt and nitrate, taken at 25 g per 10 l of water. It is also useful to water the beds with complex agents, for example, Kristalon, Nitrofoskaya or Solvent. The preparations are diluted in water according to the instructions that come with them.
To combat the main pest (carrot fly), it is recommended to use Intavir or Actellic chemicals. To reduce the risk of developing various diseases, carrot beds should be treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Harvesting and storing carrots
In autumn, when the tops turn yellow, you can start harvesting. Root crops are carefully removed from the soil and laid out on the garden bed for complete drying. Before storing, remove the greens by carefully cutting them off with a sharp knife.
It is recommended to store carrots at a temperature of about + 1̊C and humidity of at least 90%. The harvested crop is placed in boxes with sand or sawdust. The stocks are periodically inspected, removing rotten or sprouted specimens.
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