Experienced gardeners prepare in advance for sowing carrots. They know that without observing certain agricultural practices and planting dates, a good harvest cannot be obtained.
When does carrot planting start in spring?
Optimal soil temperature is necessary for sowing any vegetable. The optimal terms of work are determined by the conditions of climatic zones.
Sowing carrots in the spring for gardeners in southern Russia has long begun: early carrots had to be planted in March, mid-ripening - in April, for winter storage - in early May.
In the conditions of the climate of central Russia (Central Regions, Siberia, Urals), the timing of work should be approached reasonably and especially not in a hurry. Night frosts can damage plants or, at best, slow down their germination.
A sign of the readiness of the soil for sowing carrots is its warming up to a temperature at night of at least 4 degrees. Sowing carrots in the spring for a good harvest should be started when the soil becomes loose enough to remove excess moisture. If, after squeezing in the hand, the earth remains a lump, it should not be planted yet: after digging and loosening, too much moisture remains in the soil, whichhinder the access of oxygen to the seeds. After the soil has gradually warmed up, when excess moisture has gone and night frosts have passed, you can start sowing carrots in the spring.
Usually this is the end of April, beginning - mid-May.
Sowing carrots in spring: calendar
Hint for gardeners are the phases of the moon. It is believed that it is impossible to engage in landing work during the new moon and full moon. In April-May-June 2015 full moon dates: April - 5, May - 6, June - 3; new moons: April - 18, 19, May - 18, 19, 20, June - 16, 17, 18.
Root crops are planted in the phase of the aging (waning) moon, after the full moon.
Based on the calculations, sowing carrots in the spring will be favorable:
- in May - from 8 to 18;
- in June - from 4 to 15.
The optimal time for sowing carrots in spring is the first decade of May. The soil condition is close to ideal for working with root crops: there are no night frosts, there is still moisture in the soil.
More difficult calculation is carried out according to the position of the Moon in the signs of the zodiac. This approach determines the following dates for sowing carrots in the spring of 2015 as favorable:
- end of April - 25, 28, 29, 30;
- May - 8, 9, from 12-17, 27;
- June - 4, 5.
Given the lunar calendar and the condition of the soil in the garden, you can safely prepare for work.
Carrot seeds: where to get, how to buy?
Experienced gardeners prepare their seeds.
Carrot is a biennial plant, seeds are obtainedafter the flowering of the root crop in the second year. This is done simply: the best, according to the owner, carrots are germinated (preferably not one), and in early May it is planted in the garden. Blooming carrots are a wonderful honey plant, so you can determine its place next to cucumber greenhouses. It looks very aesthetically pleasing in the garden, like a large flowering plant with small white flowers collected in umbrella inflorescences.
By September-October seeds ripen. It is better to cut the plant with umbrellas, put it to ripen vertically for two weeks, then you can put it horizontally before collecting the seeds. Seeds can be stored in the cold, the only obstacle to a good harvest is their constant wetting.
Seed organizations sell their breeding seeds, they can be bought online (better done a month before planting) or in company stores.
Purchasing seeds in small chambers, in non-specialized departments of stores, can cause a low yield: the bag may contain the wrong variety, a small amount or expired seeds.
Buying seeds from random sellers, even observing the deadlines for sowing carrots in the spring, you can end up without a harvest.
Pellets, striped or loose seeds: which is better?
Those gardeners who sow carrots in the spring with granules know that although these seeds are more expensive, there is less fuss with them. The composition of the granules includes growth stimulants and trace elements. In order for them to "earn", when germinating, they must be kept constantly moist in the soil: ifsuch granules have dried up, carrot seeds will not germinate through the shell. Subject to all agrotechnical practices, the yield from pellets is higher, labor costs for thinning are less: seeds in pellets need to be planted less often, since germination is better.
Seeds on a tape: it is believed that this method is good for "lazy people", laid out the strips, sprinkled with earth, watered - and a lot of carrots will grow, no need to thin out. Not everything is so obvious! Purchased seeds on the tape are simply treated with an adhesive, their germination is absolutely the same as that of simple ones. Therefore, if the seed does not sprout, immediately there is a “bald spot” in the line of seedlings. And if the germination of seeds is not guaranteed, you have to put not one, but two, sometimes three tapes in the groove at once. Many gardeners prefer to plant seeds on a "do it yourself" tape. To do this, the paste is boiled, cooled, pre-prepared strips of thin paper (usually toilet paper) are smeared with it, seeds are carefully poured.
Sowing carrots in the spring with ordinary seeds is the most traditional. Gardeners either prepare the seeds (soaking for several days in a canvas bag) or not. More often, preparation is not even needed: seeds from a bag (or their own prepared ones) are poured into the grooves, slightly pressed down, covered with a loose drainage layer (sand, peat with sand). It is believed that for a good harvest, even with poor (unknown) germination, you need to plant in five lines, making rows every twenty centimeters.
Soil preparation
Carrots need good fertile soil, and its layer should be higher than the size of carrots (better notless than half a meter).
Fresh manure for carrots cannot be applied.
The best predecessors: legumes, onions, cucumbers.
From autumn, you can dig up a bed, preparing it for planting carrots in the spring. Organic farming techniques make it possible not to dig the earth, but to confine ourselves to processing with a flat cutter. You can leave the bed uncultivated if there is a catastrophic lack of time.
In the spring you need to prepare a bed: it is better to cultivate the soil to a sufficient depth with the same Fokin flat cutter, choosing weeds, especially perennial ones. The shovel cuts the roots of weeds, thereby increasing their number. The introduction of humus before processing gives positive results.
The formed bed should stand at least a day for the soil to compact a little.
How to sow carrots?
On the surface of the beds, transverse grooves are planned, laying them through 20-25 cm.
Some gardeners prefer to sow carrots in narrow (50 cm) long ridges, placing the grooves not across, but along.
A light layer of sand can be poured at the bottom of the furrow - this will make it easier to see the spread seeds.
If necessary, can be shed if the soil is dry.
Seeds of granulated carrots should be carefully spread out after 1-2 cm, sprinkled with a layer of either river sand or a mixture of peat and sand.
Seeds on the tape should be carefully laid out in the grooves, immediately fixing the ends of the ribbons. Otherwise, they can be displaced by the wind, then the seeds will peel off. In the furrow you need to lay severalribbons (preferably three) after 1 cm. Sprinkle with earth (peat and sand), spill.
Ordinary seeds are poured into the grooves, slightly pressed down, covered with a loose drainage layer (sand, peat with sand).
To cover or not to cover carrot crops?
If an early time for sowing carrots in the spring is chosen, then the beds are usually covered. For shelter, you need two layers: lutrasil (spunbond) and a film on top. The non-woven material will protect crops from the greenhouse effect and overheating, and the film from hypothermia.
Shelter must be lifted from the soil: a snug fit will prevent the sprouts from rising to the desired height. You can do this this way: lay out bars or narrow boards along the edges of the beds, put shelter on them, and tuck the edges under them. To prevent the shelter from being blown away by the wind, you need to press down the edges with something heavy (bricks).
Raise the shelter before germination is undesirable: if the weather is dry and hot during the day, crops can dry out, and excessive watering will change the soil structure.
In case of late sowing, when there is no threat of light frosts and cold snaps, it is better to put a layer of mulch on the furrows (fallen needles, straw). This is necessary so that the seeds themselves do not wash out when watering.
When should we expect germination?
Carrot sprouts appear unfriendly, the first ones can sprout in 10 days, the bulk in 14-16 days. The plant has a long growing season (early-ripening carrots - 90 days, mid-ripening - 110, mid-late - 130,late-ripening - 150), weeds and pests without appropriate treatments can significantly reduce the yield.
Sowing carrots in the spring involves a three-stage weed control (weeding) and double thinning. The first stage is immediately after the identification of plants, that is, when they can be distinguished from weeds. Weeds are removed very carefully, trying not to damage the carrots. The second time - a month and a half after planting, then the roots are thinned out for the first time. When thinning, try to keep the plants at a distance of at least 1 cm from each other. When seeding with ribbons and pellets, the first thinning can be skipped.
The second thinning, connected with the third weeding, should be done two to two and a half months after planting, then the plants are left at a distance of 3-4 cm.
When weeding and thinning, do not forget to mulch the plants with peat and “dust” with wood ash.
Compacting landings
Experienced gardeners, knowing that carrots will not rise soon, plant plants with a short growing season between rows. Most often, onions are planted on a feather. By the time the carrots grow, there will be no more onions left in the beds. For carrots, this neighborhood is very useful: the carrot fly (the most malicious pest of carrots) does not tolerate the smell of onions.
A good compactor will be planting garlic from seeds (first year) on the head. The onion fly doesn't like him either.
