Carrots are grown everywhere. The Urals is no exception, because the root crop has firmly entered the daily diet of Russians. Neither the first nor the second courses are prepared without carrots. This root vegetable is necessarily present in the composition of preparations and pickles.
The culture is very unpretentious, everyone knows about its benefits. This is why the vegetable is so popular. It would seem that growing carrots is not difficult. However, mistakes are made, sometimes by experienced gardeners.
Landing dates
No one will give a clear answer to the question of when plant carrots in the Urals. The reason lies in the peculiarities of the region. The length of the Ural Mountains from north to south is 2500 km, so the climate in its different parts is very different. In general, the climate of the Ural region is continental, with characteristic features: frequent weather changes and uneven distribution of precipitation.
To successfully plant carrots in the Urals and get a harvest, you should focus on the climatic conditions of your area. They begin to sow carrots if the soil warms up to +8 degrees. The culture tolerates slight drops in temperature well.
The soil warms up to the required temperature in some areas of the Urals at the end of April, in others at the beginning or middle of May. In 2019, spring did not spoil us with warmth, so the time for sowing carrots in the Urals shifted in anticipation of comfortable weather, when it becomes warm during the day (up to + 10 + 15 degrees) and at night (+ 5 + 8 degrees).
Seed preparation
When buying seeds, give preference to those that are bred and zoned for the climatic conditions of the Urals. Domestic varieties and hybrids surpass foreign ones in keeping quality and taste, and are more suitable for our unpredictable Ural climate.
For growing in the Urals, the following varieties are suitable: Alenka, Kinbi, Laguna F1, Viking, Leander, Nanteskaya 4, Chance, Selecta and many other varieties that grow well when the temperature drops.
Carrot seeds take a long time to germinate, sometimes up to 3 weeks. In the regions of the northern Urals, the vegetation period is limited by the short summer conditions. It is necessary to reduce the period allotted for germination, so the seeds are prepared before planting in the Urals.
Pre-planting preparation is carried out in several ways:
- The seeds are placed in a linen bag and buried in the ground to a depth of 30 cm. They are kept in the soil for about two weeks. Then they are taken out, dried for flowability, so that it is convenient to sow. Advantages of the method: the seeds receive enough moisture to sprout sooner. Usually 5 days after sowing;
- Bubbling... The method is very good, but, unfortunately, not everyone is available. The seeds are placed in a jar, poured with water, an aquarium compressor is placed in the water at the bottom. The seeds are in constant motion under the influence of oxygen. The process takes 20 hours. Next, the seeds are removed from the water, placed between layers of damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for 5 days. Before planting, the seeds are slightly dried for convenience when sowing;
- The simplest soaking in water will accelerate the germination of carrot seeds in the Urals. To increase the quality of seeds and, accordingly, the yield will help soaking seeds in a liter of water with dissolved wood ash (1 tbsp. L.) Or in a solution of sodium humate, or "Effecton" (1 tsp. Per 1 l of water);
- You can use when soaking aloe juice - a natural growth stimulant (20 drops of juice per 1 liter of water). Manufacturers offer ready-made growth stimulants: "Epin", "Zircon", "Oberig", "Prorostok" and others;
- Warming up: the seeds are immersed in water, the temperature of which is +52 degrees and kept for 20 minutes, then taken out and immersed in cold water.Seed germination increases, seedlings are strong and disease-resistant;
- Seed stratification is also used to improve the germination of carrot seeds. For this, the seeds are placed in a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Hardening promotes the emergence of seedlings in the Urals a week earlier, and the harvest 2 weeks earlier;
- Use seeds to plant carrots in the Urals in granules... Granules are large, bright, they can be seen on the soil. Seed material is saved, since the granules can be immediately planted according to the scheme, which will save you in the future from thinning the crops.
Any method you choose will significantly accelerate the emergence of carrot shoots in the Urals.
Soil preparation
Carrots sprout and grow much more actively in sunny areas. Therefore, sow seeds in that part of the garden where the plants will receive the maximum amount of sunlight and heat, which is especially important when planting carrots in the Urals.
Clayy, heavy soils are not suitable for growing carrots. It is possible to improve the composition of such soils by introducing peat, sand, ash, lime. Sand makes clay soils less water-absorbing, ash improves the mineral composition, peat loosens, lime reduces acidity. It is also recommended to plant in high beds, loosen and mulch more often.
Sandy loams and loams are considered ideal for carrots - light, loose, free-flowing, good moisture and air permeability. Such soils are good because they quickly warm up, they are easier to process. But the disadvantages include poverty in nutrients, which can be corrected by the introduction of compost, humus, peat.
The preparation of the soil for sowing carrots in the Urals begins in the fall. Dig up the soil, get rid of plant residues, choose weeds and especially their roots. If this is not done, then the weeds can grow earlier in the spring than carrots. Experienced gardeners know how difficult it is to weed carrots. And in plant residues, spores of fungi and bacteria, as well as pests, overwinter.
Fertilization is best done in the fall. To increase the yield by 1 sq. m of soil, add: superphosphate (35 g), urea (15 g), potassium chloride (15 g).
In the spring, the soil is dug up again, beds are formed, based on the type of soil. Width, convenient for further maintenance.
Sowing
On the prepared beds, grooves are made: up to 1 cm deep on clay soils, 2 cm on sandy and sandy loam. The distance between the rows is up to 20 cm.
Carrot seeds are placed in the grooves, trying to place them evenly, since they are very small. If you use seeds in granules for sowing carrots in the Urals, then the task is greatly simplified. Place the planting material at intervals of 5 cm from each other. The step between the seeds depends on the variety you choose, if the manufacturer states that the roots are short-fruited and conical, then it means that they will grow more in breadth than in depth. Therefore, for such varieties, a slightly different planting scheme. Maintain a distance between seeds in granules of up to 10 cm.
To facilitate the process of sowing carrot seeds, they resort to the following tricks: they mix the seeds with coarse sand and sow. Or mix carrot seeds with radish or salad seeds. These crops grow earlier, you will have a double benefit, facilitating sowing, and then a kind of thinning of the plantings. The seed is not wasted. For an unusual landing method, see the video:
After sowing, the grooves are covered with soil, slightly compacting it.
Care
Further care for carrots is regular watering. At first, 2 times a week, if the nature of the Urals does not indulge in rains.Starting from the time of fruit formation, you can reduce watering to 1 time per week, but making them more abundant. Watering is stopped before harvesting.
The process of loosening should not be avoided, especially on clay soils, since the flow of oxygen has a beneficial effect on the formation of root crops. The absence of a dense crust on the soil surface makes it possible to form correctly. They grow even, have an attractive appearance.
Regular weeding promotes the active growth of carrots and prevents diseases and pests from developing, which are very fond of thickened plantings.
If you planted carrots not in granules, then thinning of the plantings will soon be required. When two true leaves appear, the first thinning is carried out, leaving a distance of 3 cm, the second thinning is 3 weeks after the first. The amount of space you need to leave between plants depends on the variety. For long-fruiting varieties 5 cm, for short-fruiting 10 cm.
Conclusion
Planting carrots in the Urals does not differ fundamentally from other regions. Wait until warm weather sets in and feel free to plant carrots. Follow agricultural techniques and get a decent harvest by growing carrots in the Urals.
