Experienced gardeners prepare in advance for sowing carrots. They know that without observing certain agricultural practices and planting dates, a good crop cannot be obtained.
When does sowing carrots begin in spring?
For sowing any vegetable, the optimum soil temperature is necessary. The optimal terms of work are determined by the conditions of climatic zones.
Sowing carrots in spring for gardeners in southern Russia has long begun: early carrots had to be planted in March, mid-season - in April, for winter storage in early May.
In the climate of central Russia (the Central Regions, Siberia, the Urals), the timing must 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 preparedness of the soil for sowing carrots is its heating to a temperature of at least 4 degrees at night. Sowing carrots in the spring for a good harvest, you need to start when the soil becomes quite loose, excess moisture will leave. If after compression 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, which makes it difficult for oxygen to access the seeds. After a gradual warming up of the soil, when excess moisture is gone and night frosts pass, you can start sowing carrots in the spring.
Usually this is the end of April, the beginning is mid-May.
Sowing carrots in spring: calendar
A hint for gardeners are the phases of the moon. It is believed that you can not do landing work during the new moon and full moon. In April-May-June 2015, the dates of the full moon are: April - 5, May - 6, June - 3; new moon: 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, the sowing of carrots in the spring will be favorable:
- in May - from 8 to 18;
- in June - from 4 to 15.
The optimal time for planting carrots in spring is the first decade of May. The soil condition is close to ideal for work with root crops: there are no night frosts, moisture in the soil still remains.
More difficult calculation is carried out by the moon in zodiac signs. This approach defines as favorable the following dates for sowing carrots in the spring of 2015:
- 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.
Carrots - a biennial plant, the seeds are obtained after flowering root crops in the second year. This is done simply: the best, according to the owner, carrot is germinated (not one is better), in the beginning of May it is planted on the garden. Blooming carrots are a wonderful honey plant, so you can determine the place for it next to the cucumber greenhouses. The garden looks very aesthetically pleasing, like a large flowering plant with small white flowers collected in inflorescences-umbrellas.
By September-October, the seeds ripen. It is better to cut the plant with umbrellas, set to ripen vertically for two weeks, then you can lay it horizontally before collecting seeds. Seeds can be stored in the cold, the only obstacle to a good harvest can be their constant wetting.
Seed-growing organizations sell their breeding seeds, they can be bought via the Internet (it is better to do this a month before planting) or in company stores.
Buying seeds in small houses, 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 timing of sowing carrots in the spring, you can be without a crop.
Granules, seeds on tape or in bulk: which is better?
Those gardeners who sow carrots in spring with pellets know that even though 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 moist in the soil constantly: if such granules are dried, carrot seeds will not germinate through the shell. Subject to all agricultural practices, the pellet yield is higher, labor costs for thinning are less: seeds in granules need to be planted less often, since germination is better.
Seeds on the tape: it is believed that this method is good for "lazy people", laid out strips, sprinkled with earth, watered - and a lot of carrots will grow, it is not necessary to thin out. Not everything is so obvious! Purchased seeds on a tape are simply treated with an adhesive, their germination is absolutely the same as that of simple ones. Therefore, if the seed did not sprout - immediately "bald spot" in the line of seedlings. And if seed germination is not guaranteed, you have to put in the groove not one, but two, sometimes three ribbons at once. Many gardeners prefer to plant seeds on the tape "in their own performance." To do this, the paste is cooked, it cools, it is smeared with pre-prepared strips of thin paper (usually toilet paper), seeds are gently poured.
Sowing carrots in spring with ordinary seeds is the most traditional. Gardeners either prepare seeds (soaking for several days in a canvas bag) or not. More often, preparation is not even needed: seeds from a sachet (or their own prepared ones) are poured into the grooves, slightly pressed, filled with a loose drainage layer (sand, peat and sand). It is believed that for a good crop, even with poor (unknown) germination, you need to plant in five lines, making rows in twenty centimeters.
Soil preparation
Carrots need good fertile soil, and its layer should be higher than the size of carrots (preferably not less than half a meter).
Fresh manure for carrots can not be made.
Best predecessors: legumes, onions, cucumbers.
In the fall, you can dig a bed, preparing it for planting carrots in the spring. Organic farming methods make it possible not to dig the earth, but to confine oneself to processing with a plane cutter. You can leave the bed unprocessed if there is a catastrophic shortage of time.
In the spring, you need to prepare the garden: it is better to cultivate the soil to a sufficient depth with the same Fokin plane cutter, choosing weeds, especially perennials. A shovel cuts the roots of weeds, thereby increasing their number. The introduction of humus before processing gives positive results.
The formed bed should stand for at least a day, so that the soil is slightly compacted.
How to sow carrots?
On the surface of the beds, transverse grooves are outlined, laying them through 20-25 cm.
Some gardeners prefer to sow carrots on narrow (50 cm) long ridges, placing grooves not across, but along.
At the bottom of the groove you can pour a light layer of sand - this will facilitate the review of the spread seeds.
If necessary, you can shed if the soil is dry.
The seeds of granular carrots need to 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 laid out in the grooves carefully, immediately fixing the ends of the ribbons. Otherwise, they can be displaced by the wind, then the seeds will peel off. Several ribbons (preferably three) should be placed in the furrow at once after 1 cm. Sprinkle with earth (peat and sand), spill.
Ordinary seeds are poured into grooves, slightly squeezed, covered with a loose drainage layer (sand, peat and sand).
To cover or not to cover carrot crops?
If you select an early time for planting carrots in the spring, then the beds are usually covered. For shelter you need two layers: lutrasil (spanbond) and a film on top. Non-woven material will protect crops from the greenhouse effect and overheating, and the film from overcooling.
Shelter needs to be lifted from the soil: a snug fit will prevent the sprouts from rising to the desired height. You can do this this way: on the edges of the beds to lay out bars or narrow boards, put shelter on them, and tuck the edges under them. So that the shelter is not blown away by the wind, you need to pin down the edges with something heavy (bricks).
It is undesirable to raise shelter before germination: if the weather is dry and hot during the day, the crops can dry out, and excess watering will change the soil structure.
In the case of late sowing, when there is no threat of light frosts and cold spells, it is better to put a layer of mulch on the grooves (fallen needles, straw). This is necessary so that when watering the seeds themselves are not washed out.
When should seedlings be expected?
Carrot sprouts appear sparsely, the first can sprout after 10 days, the bulk after 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 - immediately after the identification of plants, that is, when they can be distinguished from weeds. Weeds are removed very carefully, being careful not to damage the carrots. The second time - a month and a half after planting, then the root crops are thinned out for the first time. When thinning, they try to keep the plants at a distance of at least 1 cm from each other. When sowing tapes and granules, the first thinning can be skipped.
The second thinning, combined with the third weeding, must 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, one must not forget to mulch the plants with peat and “dust” with wood ash.
Landing Seal
Experienced gardeners, knowing that carrots will not rise soon, plant plants with short vegetation periods between rows. Most often, onions are planted on a feather. By the time the carrots grow up, onions in the beds will no longer remain. For carrots, this neighborhood is very useful: carrot fly (the most malicious carrot pest) does not tolerate the smell of onions.
A good sealant will be planting garlic from seeds (first year) on the head. The onion fly doesn't like him either.