Carrot is a plant with a two-year development cycle, belonging to the celery (umbrella) family. It is grown for a he althy root crop, the taste of which depends on many factors: planting site, soil structure and acidity, fertilizers applied, care, etc.
This culture prefers light neutral soils. The beds for sowing carrots should be placed in well-lit places, as the lack of sunlight adversely affects the yield.
The plant is undemanding to fertilizers. A high concentration of nitrogenous substances contained in unrotted compost or manure impairs the taste of root crops. It is advisable to sow carrots on those ridges where cabbage grew in the previous season, under which a lot of compost was added. After cabbage (it consumes a lot of nitrogen), phosphorus and potassium remain, which is what carrots need.
The sowing of carrots depends on the estimated time of consumption of root crops. Deadlines vary greatly for different regions. It is believed that cold-resistant crops should be sown as early as possible. This is not entirely true. Carrot seeds are hard to germinate, and the lower the temperature, the longer it will take to germinate. Later sowingit is preferable in that before the seeds are introduced into the soil, the beds can be weeded and loosened 1-2 times. For the cultivated crop, this is very important, since its seedlings are weak and grow slowly, easily clogged with stronger weeds.
In order for the sowing of carrots to be effective, you need to check the quality of the planting material. To do this, a pinch of seeds must be rubbed with your fingers, if the aroma characteristic of the plant floats around the room, then they are of high quality.
If the seeds are coated (treated with a special color composition), then they are sown dry. The grooves are made about 1 cm deep, if necessary, they are shed with water (preferably with a warm solution of potassium permanganate), the seeds are distributed and sprinkled with loose earth. After slightly compacting with a board or hand, to improve the contact of the seeds with the soil.
If you add radish seeds to carrot seeds, the rows are marked very quickly. This allows weeding between rows before the shoots of the main crop. Harvesting radishes, which is carried out in a month and a half, will replace the first thinning of carrots and will allow you to postpone the second until the root crops become edible.
For those who do not want to bother with thinning seedlings, the following preparation of carrot seeds for sowing may be suitable. You need to pour seeds into a cotton bag, dig it in cold, moistened soil, putting a designating element so as not to forget. Every day, pour cold water over the place with the "prikop". On the 5th daycheck if the seeds have hatched or not. If sprouted, then they need to be moved from the bag to the pre-prepared and cooled jelly (it is boiled from 1 liter of water and 1 tablespoon of starch) and mix gently. Pour this jelly into a teapot.
Pour a little ash into the prepared grooves in the beds and pour from the kettle. Sprinkle with loose earth, slap a little with your hand. Everything, sowing carrots is completed. This method has several advantages: saving seeds, no need for thinning, quick emergence, planting can be done while sitting, which is important for those who have sore legs.
Carrots are not the most difficult crop to grow. Knowing her preferences and requirements, you can grow an excellent crop.
