Carrots are a healthy root crop, very unpretentious and popular. They grow it in all regions of the country. Including in the Urals. Probably, all summer residents know about what the rules for caring for this plant are. However, beginning gardeners often make mistakes when growing carrots, which seriously affects yield. Therefore, further in the article we will take a step-by-step look at how carrots are planted in the Urals, as well as how to properly care for this root crop.
Landing time
To begin with, let's figure out when to plant this crop. The timing of planting carrots in the Urals is not much different from the time of sowing in other areas of the middle lane. Their choice regarding this culture is a very important issue. The carrot yield depends directly on how correctly the magpies are selected. Do not delay landing. When the soil is heated to 10 degrees, various parasites begin to develop in it, which can damage tender young roots. But planting carrots too early is also impossible. Otherwise, it will go into the arrows. The roots in this case will not develop.
The optimum sowing dates are mid-late April, when the air in the street warms up to + 10-15 degrees during the day and up to + 5-7 at night.
Sometimes planting carrots in the Urals is made in the fall. However, since winters are rather cold in the Urals, local summer residents do this very rarely. If someone wants to choose just such a method of planting, sowing is best done after the soil temperature reaches at least +7 degrees. Otherwise, carrots will produce sprouts that will simply freeze in the cold.
Seed preparation
Thus, the time for planting carrots in the Urals is April. But whenever it is sown (even if the seeds are sprouted), it will grow quite slowly. In order not to wait for the sprouts to appear for too long, the seeds should be sprouted before planting. To do this, they are wrapped in a damp cloth (moistened with a not too concentrated ash solution) and placed in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
You can start landing after the appearance of the first roots. Seeds need to be dried a little (within half an hour).
Bed preparation
Planting carrots in the Urals, as in other regions of the country, should be carried out correctly. This culture has another feature. Unlike most other root crops, it does not tolerate manure at all. If you fertilize the beds with them, the roots will grow “shaggy” and ugly, lose their taste, and will also be worse stored.
However, fertilizing the soil before planting is still necessary. To do this, use mineral fertilizers. For example, this mixture is very good for increasing soil nutrition:
- urea - 10-15 grams,
- potassium chloride - 15-20 grams,
- superphosphate - 30-40 grams.
This amount of fertilizer is enough for about 1 m2 of beds.
Seat selection
As in any other region of the middle lane, carrots in the Urals are usually planted in a place well lit by the sun. Since the first shoots rise very slowly, it is advisable to choose a site that is least infected with weeds. Grass sprouts can simply clog. Weeding a small carrot is very difficult.
The best predecessors for carrots are cucumbers, cabbage, potatoes and tomatoes. She does not tolerate the dill neighborhood. When choosing a place for the garden, all this must be taken into account. In this case, the carrot will not hurt and will give a good harvest.
Landing
So, with such questions as the timing of planting carrots in the Urals, the choice of place and preparation, we sorted it out. Now let's see what are the actual rules for sowing this crop. The depth of planting carrot seeds depends on the type of soil on the site. If it is heavy and clayy, planting material should not be buried more than 1-1.5 cm. On light soils, seeds are planted 2 cm.
Planting material in carrots is very small. Therefore, sowing should be done carefully, trying to distribute it along a previously made groove as evenly as possible. In the future, carrots will have to be thinned a couple of times. This operation is also quite responsible. Removing excess plantlets can damage the rest. To avoid this, many summer residents resort to all sorts of tricks.
For example, so that the seeds are distributed in the groove less often, you can mix them with a small amount of sand. And it is better to purchase special planting material in granules. In this case, carrots can be planted in the same way as other root crops. That is, make deepenings in the ground and put a granule into each. Thinning plants with this method of sowing in the future will definitely not have to. Planting carrots in the Urals in granules is actually a very convenient method.
Sow carrots in rows, the distance between which should be approximately 20 cm. Between the plants themselves leave 3-4 cm for varieties with a long root crop and 5-10 cm for cone-shaped carrots.
After the seeds are planted, they need to be sprinkled with earth, and the garden itself must be carefully watered. Then, an inverted rake is passed over the surface of the soil. This is necessary in order to increase the contact of seeds with soil moisture. This is how carrots are planted in the Urals in spring. If all the rules are followed, you can get an excellent crop of this crop. But, of course, only if it is done correctly.
Carrot care
The climate in the Urals is practically no different from weather conditions in other regions of central Russia. Summer is usually arid. Sufficient moisture is what carrots love. Growing this root crop in the Urals will be successful only if timely periodic irrigation is provided. At first, the soil under the plants is moistened twice a week, pouring not too much water on the garden bed.
As soon as the roots grow, the frequency of watering can be reduced. The soil under adult carrots is moistened about 1 time per week, while increasing the amount of water.
Plants are fed twice a season. Instead of manure or compost, a nitroammophoska solution is used (1 st / l. Per 10 l of water). The first feeding is carried out a month after the emergence of seedlings, the second - three weeks after this.
Harvesting
The timing of the collection of root crops depends on the variety. For the Urals, such varieties, for example, as "alenka", "tushon" and "vitamin" are not bad. The first variety ripens very early. Ural summer residents begin to pull out the roots of this variety within a half to two months after planting. This carrot is actually very tasty and sweet.
"Tushon" ripens a little later (one and a half weeks). This carrot is great for making pilaf. Even young roots give the dish a pleasant taste.
"Vitamin" carrots - a late variety. Its roots ripen three months after planting. In terms of vitamin content, as the name suggests, this is the best carrot.
As you can see, carrots (growing in the Urals is a simple procedure) is an unpretentious root crop, but it requires some attention. If you do everything right - do not rush and delay the planting dates, do not thicken the beds and do not use manure, you can get just an excellent crop of this crop.