Carrots are one of the most popular vegetable crops in our region. We will not talk about its benefits for a long time, since almost everyone knows that regular consumption of this vegetable in food helps to improve vision.
How to increase productivity?
Today we’ll talk about how you can increase the yield without using tons of fertilizers and especially sophisticated agricultural technology. All this can be achieved when the farm practices planting carrots in the winter.
Choose the soil
If you plan to plant carrots in the winter, you should only do this on a site that has light and fairly fertile soil. The soil must necessarily be quite loose, quickly clearing of snow in the spring.
You can count on a high yield only in the case of soil with a mild alkaline or slightly acid reaction, which contains a sufficient amount of organic matter and which is completely cleared of perennial weeds. It is good to plant carrots in the winter on former swamps (taking into account the appropriate fertilizer).
The main thing is wind protection!
Be sure to choose areas that are well protected from the wind. The bed should be perfectly flat and wide enough, because otherwise the small seeds of carrots can simply be washed when the snow melts in the spring. If you live in southern and very arid areas, worry about snow retention in advance.
After what crops can I plant carrots?
It is best to plant carrots after those crops that are quite demanding on the soil. Great predecessors are cabbage or potatoes. But do not rely on a normal crop if carrots are planted in the winter in the same place where this crop has been grown for a couple of years. To avoid troubles with pests or diseases, carrots should be returned to it only after three to four years.
Fertilizers and other "chemistry"
As for fertilizers, this vegetable should be planted no earlier than three to four years after manure has been introduced into the soil. If you do this in the first or second year, then all root crops will be either hollow, or they will contain a huge amount of nitrite.
Since the soil is acidic in many regions of our country, they must be deoxidized before planting carrots. In this case, a glass of ordinary wood ash is added per square meter of the garden, but 350 grams of chalk is better.
Soil disinfection
Then a solution of copper sulfate is prepared (for 10 liters of water - a tablespoon of the active substance). For each square meter of area, two liters of such a mixture are applied. After this begins the direct planting of carrots in the fall.
To prevent leaching of seeds (as mentioned above), you need to plant them only in ridges, the height of which is not less than 15-20 cm. It is best to use the old method, when the sides of the beds are strengthened with boards. The plot is harrowed and carefully leveled.
We are planting!
The depth of the grooves for planting is not less than 5 cm, the distance between them is kept within 0.2 m. After the onset of frost, seeds are sown in these holes, and they need to be poured with pre-prepared soil, stored at this time at home. From above, the bed is mulched with sawdust, the layer of which should be at least 3 cm.
By the way, what are the terms for planting carrots? Given the complete unpredictability of the climate, it is necessary to start the process after the onset of steady morning frosts.