Carrots are considered to be one of the he althiest vegetables. It just has a huge amount of vitamins. Growing carrots is easy.
Any gardener or summer resident, even the most beginner, can easily cope with the task. But when to remove carrots from the garden to ensure its long-term successful storage? This is the question to be de alt with in this article.
Why root crops don't survive the winter
Many hostesses, as well as owners, are faced with the fact that root crops grown with love do not survive the winter. And it also happens that half of the crop is not even able to reach the frost. What's the matter? There may be several reasons for this. First, there are different maturation periods for different varieties. Secondly - ignorance of when to remove carrots from the garden. Thirdly, the very technological side of preserving root crops may be violated. And finally, the last, fourth reason is unsuitable weather conditions.conditions.
When to remove beets and carrots from the garden
Although carrots and beets are considered frost-resistant root crops, it is still better to collect them before regular frosts come. The plants should not be allowed to be covered with snow while still in the beds.
And do not look that the tops are still green and beautiful. So when to remove beets and carrots from the garden? The best time for this is the end of September or October. Usually, harvesting begins as soon as all the potatoes are harvested. But too early to dig up root crops is also not worth it. After all, you will deprive them of a large amount of useful substances in this way.
Harvest time for early varieties
That carrot, varieties of which ripen very early, is not suitable for long-term storage. It is planted, as a rule, in order to obtain bunched carrots. The young sweet root vegetable is ready to eat already in the middle of summer and is used for salads or baby food.
If you don't know when to harvest carrots from the garden, you can skip this moment, and then it will crack right in the ground and lose its juiciness. If you notice that the diameter of the carrot has reached a centimeter, then it's time to start digging it up. This is the most delicious and he althy carrot to eat raw. Do not forget to bury the holes formed after digging up individual carrots. This will help prevent carrot fly damage to the remaining root crops.
When to remove carrots from the gardenfor storage, if the ripening time is average
When growing varieties with medium ripening periods on your plot, you must remember that such vegetables should be grown from eighty to one hundred and ten days. Watch your site. If you notice that the lower leaves are turning yellow, then the time has come when you can remove the carrots from the garden. If you do not remove the root crops in time, then their flesh will become friable, and the taste will become much worse.
The opinion that all leaves should turn yellow and wither is extremely erroneous. This indicates that the plant is sick rather than its maturity.
When to harvest carrots if they are late varieties
Let's talk about late varieties. Their maturation lasts more than one hundred and ten days. These varieties are called autumn varieties and are harvested in the first half of September. It is during the autumn period that carrots accumulate in large quantities of vitamins and nutrients.
The most important thing is that the day of the harvest should not be rainy. Before frost, contrary to popular belief, it is not worth leaving root crops in the ground. If you do this, then very often they are defeated by gray rot. In this case, the entire crop may be lost during storage. But it is not recommended to dig up root crops early. A large temperature difference will not bring anything good. If the crop has already been harvested, and the air temperature is still above twenty degrees, then you should not place it immediately in the cellar,where, of course, the temperature is much lower. So after all, when to remove carrots from the garden? Based on everything described above in this section, we can conclude that as soon as the air temperature becomes lower (about four degrees Celsius), but the weather is still good, you can safely start digging up carrots.
How to harvest properly
When understanding when to harvest carrots from the garden, it is important not to miss the moment that a properly harvested crop increases the chances of getting a quality result during storage. Carrots should be prepared before harvesting. Somewhere a month before the appointed time, watering is stopped. This will save future crops from cracking.
Pick carrots on a warm and clear day. Before the night frosts set in. Frozen carrots will not be stored.
It is not enough to know when to harvest carrots for the winter from the garden. You also need to understand how to do it. Digging root crops is best done using a pitchfork. So less chance of damage. Carrots are dug up and taken out of the ground, holding the tops. We clean it from the ground with our hands, but in no case do we scrape it with anything. Try not to damage the root crops, because they are unlikely to last for a long time. Also avoid bumps and kinks when transporting root crops.
As soon as the carrots are dug up, it is necessary to remove the tops, and as quickly as possible. If this is not done, then the moisture through the leaves will evaporate so much that itwill cause the fruit to wilt. After all the tops are removed, the carrots are laid out under a canopy, leaving it to ventilate a little.
Methods for removing tops
You can remove the tops of carrots in many ways. One option is to twist and tear it off with your hands. You can also cut off the leaves, but you can not touch the root crop itself. One of the options for cutting the tops is one in which a small tail remains on the carrot, which should not exceed one and a half centimeters in size.
And you can also cut off the top of the carrot to a depth of no more than two millimeters. In this case, during storage, the tops will not be able to germinate and the root crop will not lose its nutritional properties, but this work is already very jewelry. If you do it the wrong way, you risk losing the entire crop due to rot.
Carrot storage
In the previous sections, we figured out how and when to remove carrots from the garden for storage. Now let's figure out how to carry out this storage.
After the carrots have dried slightly, shake off the remaining earth from them. For storage use boxes with a small depth. Root crops are laid in them in rows and lightly sprinkled with sand, which should be slightly damp. For these purposes, you can still use peat. Some gardeners store carrots in plastic bags, making holes in them for ventilation. Of course, the basement where you plan to store your vegetables should also be well ventilated.
Another interesting way to store carrots- dipping it in a clay mash. Before being sent to the cellar, each root crop is dipped in clay and dried on a wire rack. Thus, protection against mice and other pests is made and juicy and crunchy carrots are preserved. Sometimes crushed garlic is added to the clay mixture, which repels various pests from the crop.
If you want to keep a small carrot until spring, then prepare a hole about thirty centimeters deep and fill the bottom with sand. Lay the carrots in rows, sprinkling it with sand. When all the carrots are laid, fill the hole and cover it with leaves, spruce branches and slate. In winter, pile a lot of snow on top of it. Thus, digging this hole in the spring, you will get root crops as fresh as if you had just dug them.
When storing carrots in the refrigerator, wrap each one in a piece of paper. So it can stay juicy and tasty longer.
If you have nowhere to store carrots, then do not forget that it can be dried or frozen. In this case, you will definitely not have problems with rot.
In the sections of this article, it was considered when to remove carrots from the garden, how to do it correctly and how you can save your crop until spring. By following all the simple rules, you can treat yourself to fresh carrots throughout the entire period of cold weather and even longer, almost until the new harvest.
