Love-carrots or all ingenious - simple!

Carrots are one of the most popular products in the preparation of various dishes, as well as a valuable tool that is actively used in folk medicine. Growing carrots in open ground, as in closed versions, must necessarily take place with loosening the soil, irrigation, necessary fertilizing, eliminating weeds and , as a result, timely fight against diseases and pests.

Loosening

The opening process for growing carrots is very important as it provides oxygen to the carrot root system. It is necessary to start loosening soon after the appearance of the first shoots, while remembering that the procedure should be carried out very carefully, slowly, so as not to damage the sensitive buds, which at this moment are very close to the surface. If possible, it is necessary to loosen the soil after rain, otherwise the soil must be watered in advance and only then loosened.

Thinning

So that the carrots do not stretch up and because of the tightness and look like a "mouse tail", it must be thinned out.

When several true leaves appear, it is necessary to start thinning the plant, leaving a distance of about 3-4 centimeters between them. Repeat the action after 2 weeks, increasing the "gap" between the roots to 4 - 5 centimeters. At the same time, it is worth remembering that, like loosening, thinning should only be carried out on wet soils.

growing carrots — To make the carrots even, large and juicy, it must be thinned out in time.

Hilling

This procedure is performed with the sole purpose of protecting the top of the root vegetables from exposure, so that the carrots turn green and form solanine, which gives the fruit an unpleasant bitterness when stored for a long time. Hilling is best done in the evening or on cloudy days so as not to attract the carrot fly.

How to water carrots?

Remember that this culture does not tolerate dryness or excessive moisture. If you plan to grow carrots outdoors, it is worth remembering that their growing season lasts from 4 to 5 months. This is why it is so important to keep the soil moisture at the proper level. Don't overdo it, however, as excess moisture can easily crack the fruit.

On sunny days, when all moisture evaporates rather quickly, watering should be done about 3 times a week. At the same time, you do not need to fill in young shoots: about 4 liters of water per square meter is enough for them. This volume gradually increases with the growth of carrots. The amount of watering is reduced to 1 time per week. In this case, it is necessary to use approximately 8 to 10 liters of water per square meter.

Fertilizing carrots

You can completely avoid any additional fertilization if you fertilize the soil well in the fall. However, it is best to do 2 to 3 feedings that cover the entire growing season of the carrots.

The first time you need to fertilize about a month after germination. To do this, you need to prepare a solution consisting of 1 tablespoon of nitrophoska dissolved in 10 liters of water. You can feed the carrots with the exact same fertilizer after another 2 weeks. The third top dressing, which falls on the first half of August, is made with potash fertilizers, which contributes to the rapid ripening of the fruits and makes them sweeter. This top dressing can also be replaced with an ash solution, which is gradually introduced during watering. In this case, 1 liter of infusion is needed for 10 liters of water. In addition, ash has the advantage of being able to protect plants from many pests and diseases. To do this, by the way, you can also sprinkle the carrot beds with wood ash once a week.

Growing carrots in accordance with all the rules will contribute to obtaining a rich harvest.

Another type of fertilizer that carrots will undoubtedly "appreciate" is boric acid fertilizer, which is prepared at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 10 liter bucket of water. This feeding is carried out only twice: in the first half of July, when the most active growth of carrots is observed, and in early August, during warming of root crops.

Some valuable tips

The final yield depends on the variety. For example, early carrots can often be removed around mid-July, mid-season carrots in August, and only late storage varieties will remain in the ground until late September or mid-October.

It is best to store the crop in plastic or wooden boxes, laying the roots in layers so that they do not come into contact with each other, or sprinkle everything with wet sand or moss. In addition, some gardeners use crushed chalk or onion skins. In any case, it should also be remembered that it is very important to maintain the optimum air temperature. Therefore, all boxes with carrots should be lowered into the basement or cellar.