Nantes Carrot is perhaps the most famous Russian variety of fiery orange root crops. There is no such gardener who would not sow the seeds presented in the garden at least once in his life. Moreover, many grow a popular variety year after year without switching to newfangled imported hybrids. What is the reason for such constancy?
Not inferior to modern imported hybrids
Recently (especially among farmers who grow carrots for sale), foreign hybrid seeds have become very popular, from which root crops of ideal appearance grow. From such seeds it is easy to grow carrots with a beautiful even surface, without ugly shoots, large, bright, with an extended shelf life. However, those who have tried to compare the taste of root crops come to a unanimous opinion: Nantes carrots are much tastier, and there is much more carotene in it. But in terms of yield, our root crops are in no way inferior to imported hybrid varieties, and in terms of keeping qualitycompete. The presented variety of orange "vitamin" is suitable for a raw food diet, canning and storage until the next harvest.
Origin of variety
Carrot Nantes-4 (reviews testify to its continued popularity), bred by breeders of the All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Crops in 1943 through family and individual selection of seeds of hybrids of the Nantes type. In the same year, the variety was released for planting throughout the Soviet Union. And it does not matter whether this variety is sown in Uzbekistan or in Estonia: carrots will be distinguished by good germination and high yields.
Regionation
Based on the fact that people are used to choosing seeds suitable for growing in all areas of our vast country, this or that variety of root crops is becoming popular. Such species are most often mid-season, which gives them both excellent taste and good stable yields and long shelf life. From the foregoing, we can conclude that the Nantes carrot variety is a universal option, regardless of the climatic zone of sowing, because it meets all the requirements at once.
Maximum aging time
How long should it take from the moment the first shoots appear to the full ripening of the fruit? In mid-season varieties of carrots, this period does not exceed 4 months. That is, after laying the seeds in the ground, 120 days should pass - and the Nantes carrot, the photo of which is presented here, can be safely harvested for the winter. If carrot seeds Nantessown in early May, then with the advent of autumn on any of the fine days, they begin to harvest. To delay harvesting in the hope that the root crops will grow a little more is naive. Carrots ripen exactly as much as nature allotted to it. However, nothing bad will happen if, due to certain circumstances, vegetable harvesting is postponed until October. Carrots will no longer develop, but they will not rot even in rainy weather. After all, a variety such as Nantes-4 carrots is distinguished by good keeping quality and excellent resistance to decay.
Championship in carotene content
Growing carrots regularly, it's a sin not to take advantage of the onset of beam ripeness and start eating young root crops right from the garden. There is a lot of carotene in this variety, and during the winter the reserves of a valuable substance in the root crop are depleted. So when else to prepare your body for severe and prolonged cold weather, enriching it with vitamins, if not in summer? In addition, by thinning out a young carrot, you can kill two birds with one stone: both get the maximum benefit for the body and free up space for the growth of neighboring fruits. It should be noted that already 50 days after the first shoots, Nantes-4 carrots ripen to bunch ripeness, and the carotene content in fruits reaches 20%.
Short variety description
So, what external signs can he boast of? Root crops have a classic orange color, an even cylindrical shape of medium size. Many are sure that the excessive size of the fetus indicates itsrigidity. But the housewives love to treat the child with a juicy small carrot, or use it all entirely, without a trace, for frying in soup. Therefore, when buying carrots in a store, especially large root crops are often ignored. What can not be said about this variety. Nantes carrots (reviews from gardeners testify to this) are unusually juicy and sweet. Root crops have almost ideal dimensions: the length does not exceed 16 cm, and the average weight ranges from 100-150 g.
Average yield
So, we found out what has been so attractive to gardeners for the presented species for many, many decades. Perhaps, among all the varieties, there is no more universal one that has absorbed so many positive qualities. And what is the yield of such a popular plant as the Nantes carrot? Gardeners state with confidence and without any exaggeration that, regardless of climatic conditions, they collect up to 6.5 kg of juicy vegetables from 1 m2 of land. Just imagine that people remove more than half a bucket of root crops from a small patch of a garden bed. And if the bed is large, then the harvest is completely calculated in bags. And this despite the average size of carrots.
Nantes Carrot: planting and care during the summer period
When to start sowing seeds? Many gardeners are in such a hurry to make all the plantings that they do not wait until the earth warms up and sow carrots as soon as the earth is free of snow. It is not right. After all, the seeds will not swell and hatch until the temperaturethe ground will not reach 20 degrees. Thus, seeds planted too early will simply lie and wait in the wings. The optimal distance between rows is 30 cm. To increase productivity, you need to keep a distance and not save on land. Grooves for sowing can be formed using long wooden slats laid across the beds. Sowing depth - 1-2 cm.
After laying the seeds, the grooves are lightly mulched with loose soil or other related materials (according to the tradition of our grandmothers, these can be sawdust), shed abundantly and covered with agrofiber. Many gardeners use covering material when sowing the Nantes-4 carrot variety. Reviews using this method indicate the preservation of the optimum temperature on the soil surface, as well as the retention of life-giving moisture and the prevention of evaporation from the garden. After 10-14 days, you can wait for the first shoots, all this time periodically spilling the bed directly on top of the agrofibre.
After the seedlings have appeared, the covering material can be removed until better times or used as protection for strawberry plantations from thrushes. Now it's time for daily watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil. It is to enrich the soil with oxygen that we need such wide grooves. If the Nantes carrots in some places have risen too closely, you can carefully begin to get rid of the excessive density of seedlings by thinning them out. As soon as the seedlings get stronger, to maintain constant humidity on the bed, the aisles are covered with freshly cut grass or hay. Important!Uniform soil moisture prevents cracking of root crops and their improper formation. After reaching heap ripeness, the roots are thinned out so as to leave them in a row at a distance of 6-10 cm from each other. It is necessary to ensure that the carrots do not grow in pairs, otherwise weaving will occur.
When to finish daily watering?
After heap maturity is reached and the final thinning is done, you can not carry out daily watering, but limit yourself to irrigation at intervals of 2 times a week, but produce them very abundantly. Gardeners are of the opinion that one abundant watering will bring more benefits than 3-4 superficial ones. And as we have already found out, mulching (covering hay and straw between rows) can retain moisture in the depths of the beds for a long time. Periodically it is necessary to check the degree of hardness of the soil surface under the mulch. Nantes carrots, like all root crops, love not only moisture, but also oxygen. Therefore, if loosening is necessary, then it should be done, shed the bed again and mulch the aisles again.
Are there early varieties of Nantes carrots?
Of course, breeders did not fail to take advantage of the opportunity to develop an early ripe variety of a popular species. For everyone who wants to get a ripe juicy orange vegetable already 100 days after the first shoots appear and enjoy plenty of incomparable sweet tastes and a high content of vitamins, there is the Nantes-3 variety. orange-red cylindricalroot crops can reach a length of 20 cm. All the best qualities of the species are preserved and complemented by increased sweetness, which makes the vegetable ideal for baby food. Recently, improved Nantes carrots have been widely used, which have an extended shelf life. Having found a forgotten bag 2-3 years after purchase, you don’t have to worry about good seedlings.
What soils to grow on?
We have already said that carrots require regular hydration and oxygenation. Therefore, loose light sandy and peaty, loamy soils are suitable for planting. But on heavy clay soils, a large harvest cannot be expected. The soil must be crumbly, moderately fertilized, so that the root crop can form correctly, without encountering any obstacles in the form of earthen lumps in its path during the growth process. All gardeners from time to time complain about ugly, improperly shaped, clumsy carrots with many fingers. To prevent this from happening, in the fall you can plant winter rye in the garden, thereby ennobling the soil.
Predecessors in the garden
Vegetable crops should roam the beds, making a kind of cycle. This contributes to the control of pests living in the soil. The fiery root crop feels very well sown in the place where potatoes, legumes, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes stayed last year.
How to store a vegetable: recommendations
Despite the fact that carrots of the presented variety are stored without problems, it is not forbidden to follow general recommendations. Let's listen to the advice of experienced gardeners and find out how they store their impressive harvest. So, experts advise, before storing vegetables for storage, thoroughly rinse the root crops in several waters, and then dry them. The tops are cut off completely, slightly capturing the tip of the carrot, which will prevent unwanted re-germination in winter during storage. Clean, dry root crops are packed in dark plastic bags and stored in the cellar.
