2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
For several thousand years, carrots have been one of the most popular vegetables grown by gardeners in many countries of the world. Until the 16th century, carrots were considered an honorable dish and delicacy at the court of Charlemagne. Only at the beginning of the XVII century, European residents began to cultivate culture everywhere. At the same time, in France and Germany, carrots with honey were an obligatory New Year's dish. In Russia, there were several other customs, for example, in the 9th century, carrots were laid out for the Krivichi around the dead, who were placed in boats, and then burned. It was believed that carrots, burned along with the deceased, were supposed to serve him as food in paradise
Today carrots are widely cultivated and even ornamental crops. It is used in therapeutic and prophylactic nutrition, vitamins and nutrients included in its composition, help to improve vision and digestion. It has a diuretic, laxative, salt-dissolving, anthelmintic, analgesic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect. And the list of valuable properties of carrots does not end there.
Growing carrots
Even a novice gardener can grow carrots, the main thing is to master the basic principles of planting and caring for plants, as well as the conditions for their cultivation. Carrots are quite demanding crops, they prefer loose and nutritious soils. It develops well on peat, sandy loam and loamy soils, but growing plants on heavy clay and waterlogged ones should be abandoned. Root crops can rot from excess moisture. Dry soils also negatively affect carrots, the roots become rough and woody. The vegetable has a negative attitude towards acidic soils.
Sowing of carrots is carried out in late April - early May or before winter, that is, in October-November. It is worth considering the fact that the culture is demanding on sunlight, therefore, it is necessary to select areas that are under the sun throughout the day. The seedbed is prepared in advance, rotted compost and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil, coarse sand is added to heavy clay soils (at the rate of 0.5 buckets per 1 sq. M.).
On the prepared beds, grooves are dug with a depth of 2-3 cm. The distance between the grooves should be 12-20 cm. Seeds are sown at a distance of 0.5-1 cm from each other, after which they are covered with soil and watered abundantly. If planting is carried out in the fall, crops are mulched with peat or sawdust. The seeds of the culture germinate very slowly. Usually, it takes about 2-2.5 weeks from sowing to germination. To accelerate germination, the seeds are soaked in gauze for a day before planting. In order to avoid damage to plants by diseases and pests, planting material is treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Taking care of carrots
With the appearance of the first shoots, the crop beds begin to weed and loosen. Both of these procedures play an important role in obtaining good yields. Densely planted crops are thinned out twice: the first time - with the appearance of two true leaves, the second - after 20-25 days. As a result, the distance between plants should be about 5-6 cm.
Watering is carried out moderately and regularly. Culture also needs feeding. For the entire growing season, two additional fertilizing should be carried out: the first - 3-4 weeks after germination, the second - after 6-7 weeks. For fertilizing the plant, it is recommended to use: wood ash, superphosphate, urea, nitrophosphate and potassium nitrate.
Do not forget about the preventive treatment of plants from pests and diseases; for these purposes, a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid is ideal. In the fight against pests, drugs such as Intavir and Aktelik will help.
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