Harvesting Carrots

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Photo: Anna Kompaniets

A natural question that gardeners ask themselves when growing carrots: "How to keep a root crop in the autumn - winter period?" When cleaning and storing an underground beauty, certain subtleties should be taken into account. Savvy gardeners offer several ways to store carrots. However, the successful storage of any root crop begins with proper harvesting.

Cleaning time

The main rule of keeping the carrot harvest is timely and correct harvesting. Carrots are not afraid of frost, so you can harvest this root crop until mid-October. In the soil, carrots perfectly tolerate frosts, if before that you crush their tops to the ground, but being in the frosty air negatively affects it. It is practiced to dig up roots even from snow, this method allows them to cool down before long-term storage.

The lowered average daily temperature slows down the metabolic processes in carrots, it cools down and this has a beneficial effect on storage. It is mid-September - early October that is considered the optimal harvest time. If weather forecasts predict rain, then dig up the carrots before the rain season. During the lingering autumn rains, carrots are saturated with moisture, become tasteless and crack.

Harvesting times vary depending on several factors:

- the purpose of growing;

- weather;

- the general condition of the plants;

- growing region;

- meteorological forecasts;

- features of agricultural technology;

- the ripening time of a particular variety;

- the size of the root crop.

Choose good, warm weather when the soil is dry for harvesting carrots. Depending on the variety, the ripening time of the red-haired beauty is different. Usually, the harvest times for carrots are indicated on the seed bag. Harvesting ahead of time is not worth it, since the carrots do not have time to ripen and accumulate enough sugars, which will negatively affect its taste. Carrots overexposed in the garden have an excess of amino acids and sugars, and this makes it a delicacy for mice, carrot fly larvae. You can prepare the carrots for harvesting already at the end of August, press the tops to one side, covering the carrots that have appeared from the ground.

Additionally, when harvesting carrots, be guided by the color of the tops, as soon as they begin to turn yellow - the roots are ready for harvesting.

Removing the tops

Stop watering a few days before digging up the carrots. It is also recommended to trim the tops, leaving the tail of the carrot at about 5 cm. This procedure allows you to preserve the juiciness of the root, which disappears with the rapid growth of the tops.

After digging up the carrots, all tops are removed completely in two stages. We remove the tops necessarily so that it does not take on useful substances. First, we cut or unscrew the tops just above the head of the root crop. The next day, the head is cut off completely, including the growth point (cut thickness 0.5 - 1 cm). Please note that the cut should be smooth and even.

Cardinal pruning significantly increases the shelf life of carrots, while it does not germinate in winter, the fruits do not wilt or dry out.

How and how to dig up carrots

Experienced vegetable growers suggest pulling carrots by hand by the tails. When there is not enough strength to get the root crop out of the ground, you can dig up the carrots with a shovel or blunt forks with flat teeth, which will damage the carrots less. Use the tools carefully, otherwise they can leave a mark on the root crop, and it will subsequently start to rot. Pulling the carrot with your hands, hold it against the ground with one hand, grab it firmly with the other and pull it by the tops.

Wipe off heavy dirt and clods of soil on the root crop with a dry cloth or palm. It is categorically impossible to wash, scrape with a sharp object, knife, knock down the earth, thereby damaging and spoiling vegetables.

Drying

Drying is required to prepare carrots for long-term storage after pruning. If the weather is sunny and dry, then you can dry the carrots in 2 - 3 hours. When the harvesting took place on a cloudy day, the roots should be thoroughly dried in a cool room for 1-2 days. After drying, we will clean the carrots again from the remnants of the earth. If dirt remains on root crops, do not try to remove it completely, do not damage them.

Quarantine the carrots, place them in a room with a temperature of 10 - 15 degrees for a week. During this time, the places of the cuts in the area of the carrot head will tighten, and sick and spoiled roots will make themselves felt.

Sorting

After drying, just before harvesting in storage, the carrots should be examined and sorted out. Even while digging up the crop, carrots can be cut by a careless movement of a shovel or harmful insects. Inspect each carrot for rot, wilting, or damage.

The carrot harvest is ready for storage.