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Sweet and tasty, juicy and crispy - all this she, loved by many carrots. Sowing carrots is not the easiest thing, but it can attract a gardener and bring him the magnificent fruits of his labor.
Soil preparation
Virtually all varieties of carrots are similar in their agrotechnical requirements. Soil for carrots is necessary loose, type of sandy loam or loam. If the soil on the site is heavy, then the rhizomes grow very poorly in depth and the roots can turn out to be very short and ugly. In clay soils, seeds can not develop at all and die.
Soil fertility is another important factor. Saturate the soil with nutrients needed for a year before sowing. To do this, it is desirable to dig the site in the fall and at the same time make organic fertilizers. In spring it is enough just to harrow the ground and level it with rakes.
If fertilizers have not been introduced in autumn, then this should be done when planting. The most suitable for these purposes is humus, which must be added in quantities of up to 4 kg per 1 sq. M. You can add a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. If the soil is excessively acidic, then it is superfluous to add lime, ash or ground bone meal, as well as eggshells.
Sowing time
If the gardener asks the question of when to plant carrots in the Leningrad region, then the best answer can only be the weather. The average temperature on the street should reach 8 degrees. By the way, carrots are considered cold-hardened plants, and therefore it can endure also a 4-degree cold, however it is afraid of night frosts. In the Leningrad Region, this period usually occurs in mid-April. Later planting has its disadvantages, the main one of which is the decrease in the amount of moisture in the soil. In addition, early planting will save plants from damage by parasites, primarily carrot flies, which are very fond of eating seeds.
Seed preparation
It is very important to learn how to prepare carrot seeds for planting. In no case can not pour unprepared seeds directly on the garden, because this way almost completely cross out all the efforts of the horticulturist. So, the seeds must be soaked in water at room temperature for about three days. The carrot seeds themselves are rather small, but after a few days in the water, they swell and become ready for planting in the open ground. After this, the seeds should be slightly dried for several hours.
How to plant carrot seeds correctly
So, the site is already fully prepared. It is necessary to make grooves on it. The depth of the groove depends on the type of soil and the weather during sowing. In dry weather, on light soil, a sufficient depth of 3-4 cm, but in conditions of rain, and even heavy soil, grooves should be less deep, and therefore, -2 cm is enough for normal germination seeds. The distance between grooves should be from 15 to 20 cm.
Seeds of carrots are covered in these grooves tightly and densely. Now the grooves need to be closed and slightly compacted. Immediately after planting it is necessary to water the entire bed with standing water. You can cover the beds with any covering material, and then the first shoots will appear not in two weeks, but a little earlier.
Decimation. Timing
Perhaps, this is the main requirement for the correct cultivation of carrots. Thin carrots are needed twice a season.
- The first thinning is done when three or four leaves appear in the carrot. To remove the weakest plants, leaving the distance between the remaining 3 cm. row spacing must necessarily be loosened to allow the root system of the plant to develop in all directions.
- The second thinning should be done after a fortnight. Now the distance between the plants should be between 4 and 6 cm. Do not be afraid to tear out the seedlings of carrots, otherwise the harvest will turn out to be small, ugly and weak.
Planting carrots with ribbon
Experienced gardeners know how to grow carrots in the country without much trouble. In this case, they use special reel tapes purchased in stores. Seeds of carrots are already pasted on the tape after a certain distance. Under the influence of moisture, the tape will completely dissolve in the soil, and carrot seeds will grow in normal density. In this case, the thinning of carrots will not be necessary.
Additional care
Carrots should be watered regularly, but not too often. For a couple of weeks before the harvest is planned, watering should be completely stopped. Several times during the season, it is also necessary to grow carrots. This procedure promotes the shading of the roots and thus avoids sunburn. Carrot supplementation is permissible only in the form of weak solutions of mineral fertilizers. By the way, the taste and density of root vegetables largely depends on the presence of potassium, but nitrogen fertilizers should not be taken a great interest. The last top dressing should be in the middle of July.
