Everything you need to know about carrots

Carrot is a well-known vegetable. However, not everyone knows what its history is and how to properly care for it. This is exactly what we will talk about in our article.

Everything you need to know about carrots

What is it – a vegetable or a fruit?

According to the botanical classification, carrots are among the vegetable crops. These, as a rule, include such plants that produce roots, tubers or other fruits that a person can subsequently eat.

In fact, it seems that there should be no doubt whether a carrot is a vegetable or a fruit. However, this issue is not so simple. So, in 1991, the European Union classified the carrot as a fruit, which was done through a special document. It happened because of trading rules. However, this is contrary to scientific classification.

Everything you need to know about carrots

History of origin

They believe that Afghanistan is the birthplace of carrots – it is there that the largest number of species of this plant is grown at the present time. At the same time, it is interesting that where this vegetable comes from, it was grown at first not because of the fruit, but because of the fragrant greens and seeds.

But the first mention of the carrot root and eating it can be found in ancient sources that date back to the 2st century AD. However, if you believe the research of archaeologists, then they began to grow this vegetable much earlier – about XNUMX thousand years BC.

Everything you need to know about carrots

If we talk about the modern carrot, then it was brought to European countries somewhere in the period of the X-XIII centuries. In the territories of our country, this plant appeared during the period of Kievan Rus.

At the same time, it is worth mentioning that carrots were originally grown, which gave yellow and white fruits. But the mention of red carrots began to occur only closer to the XVIII century.

It is also interesting that There are many ancient legends associated with this plant.. According to these legends, carrots were a favorite treat of the dwarves. They gladly exchanged gold bars for this root crop.

Everything you need to know about carrots

Botanical description

Carrots belong to the umbrella family, or celery. This plant is conditionally divided into the following varieties – table and fodder. It is believed that the former have a higher taste, they contain a huge amount of vitamins, sugars and carotene. But fodder carrots, as a rule, are used for feeding farm animals.

Speaking about the appearance of this culture, first of all it is worth mentioning the features of its structure. The carrot is a plant with a lifespan of 2 years. In its first year of life, it gives a rosette of leaves, a stem and a root system. But the next year, a seed bush begins to form.

Everything you need to know about carrots

It is also interesting that carrots also give a modification of the root, which is transformed into a root crop: it is in it that the reserves of nutrients are located.

The carrot fruit itself is distinguished by its fleshiness, and its shape largely depends on which variety the plant belongs to. So, the fetus can be cone-shaped, cylindrical and spindle-shaped. It is also interesting that it can have not only the orange color familiar to most. It may well be red, yellow or even white. And its weight, as a rule, does not exceed 0,5 kg.

Everything you need to know about carrots

The flowers of this culture are bisexual, they give an inflorescence, which is a complex umbrella. But the fruit looks like a small two-seeded plant, which contains a large amount of essential oils.

This plant bears fruit only once in a lifetime. And after flowering and seed collection, it is simply uprooted.

It is worth mentioning the biological characteristics. So, carrot is a cold-resistant plant, and its seeds germinate at 5 degrees Celsius. But to the light, this culture is quite demanding: only with a sufficient amount of it, it gives a decent harvest. He loves carrots and water, especially in large quantities, she needs moisture from sowing to germination. The lack of water during this period will simply destroy the carrot sprouts.

Everything you need to know about carrots

Wild carrots grow everywhere where a temperate climate prevails, and therefore it can often be found in the Mediterranean, European, African and Asian regions. This plant is also grown in an apartment. Usually, early varieties are used for this, the root crop of which, as a rule, is small.

As for the beds, the sowing carrot is usually found literally everywhere, because it is a common vegetable for growing in open ground.

Top Grades

There are many varieties of carrots, in Russia alone there are about 320 registered names, which are simply not possible to list. However, among them, one can distinguish those that are planted most often.

So, among mid-season varieties, the following are especially popular: “argo”, “golden pilaf”, “lydia” and “violetta”. The differences between them, as a rule, lie in the shape of the root crop, its color, length and taste.

But among the late-ripening varieties, such varieties as “totem”, “yellowstone” and “caramel red” are distinguished. Their taste and weight are especially noted, which can vary from 100 to 200 grams, depending on the variety.

Landing

As a rule, carrots are planted in late autumn or early spring. In order to obtain fruits that can be eaten already in the summer, it is recommended to plant early or mid-ripening varieties, which are sown in April, in winter or towards the end of October days.

But for the storage of carrots in the winter, as a rule, late-ripening varieties are used, which are sown in May.

Everything you need to know about carrots

Care

Thinning

Thinning involves removing excess carrot sprouts. This procedure is necessary in cases where the carrot has risen too thickly. It allows the plant to provide all the necessary conditions for full-fledged growth and development, and also helps to eliminate weak sprouts that only get in the way, pull nutrients for themselves and, if they are too thick, only intertwine root systems, which negatively affects the condition of root crops.

Everything you need to know about carrots

Watering

In order for carrots to grow green, an abundant amount of moisture is required. However, parting with watering is still not worth it. As a rule, water should be applied at intervals of once every 3-5 days, depending on temperature and climate. At the same time, it is best to water with water at room temperature, since cold water has a bad effect on carrots and increases the possibility of rot.

Introducing water, among other things, is recommended mainly in the evening to exclude the possibility of sunburn.

Everything you need to know about carrots

In addition, it is recommended to use a watering can for this, especially when it comes to watering during the germination period. At this stage, the root system of the plant is weak, and therefore it is not worth pouring it from a hose.

Feeding

Fertilizers have a positive effect on the state of carrots, contribute to its growth, the development of the root crop and the growth of green mass. However, you should not overdo it with them, because this can seriously harm the plant. Top dressings themselves can be applied before planting, during sowing, as well as in spring or summer.

Organic fertilizers can be used as top dressing – for example, wood ash, humus or chicken manure. And you can resort to the help of mineral complexes. Among them, superphosphate, nitrate and urea are especially distinguished.

Reproduction

Carrots reproduce by seeds, which can be obtained from varietal crops. As a rule, seed material is selected after harvesting the fruits. The largest root crops are selected for planting, cutting off the tops from them. They are recommended to be stored in the cellar and planted in the spring, when the threat of frost has passed.

Everything you need to know about carrots

Diseases and pests

Carrots, like other cultivated plants, are very susceptible to attacks from all sorts of diseases and parasites.

If we talk about diseases, then most often this culture is affected by powdery mildew, cercosporosis, rhizoctoniosis, brown spot and white rot. To eliminate a particular disease, it is recommended to resort to the help of fungicidal agents. However, if the situation is running, then the best solution would be to uproot the carrots and then eliminate them. Otherwise, the disease can also affect healthy plantings. Well, in order to prevent it, we recommend that you follow preventive measures: periodically inspect the plants for problems, provide them with quality care, and also prevent the density of carrot bushes.

Everything you need to know about carrots

If we talk about parasites, then among them carrots are most often affected by carrot aphid, carrot fly, nematode, bear and wireworm. You can fight them through folk recipes, but they are not always effective. In this case, it would be better to resort to chemicals. Although they are toxic, they are quite effective and are able to eliminate pests in the garden in a short time.

Harvesting

As a rule, the collection of root crops occurs at the end of July-August – the exact dates depend on the variety. You can determine whether a carrot is ripe by the tops: in a ripe plant, the green part dries out and turns yellow.

Carrots are harvested mainly on a sunny day, using a pitchfork for this.

After that, the carrot is cleaned of the soil, its tops are cut off, and the root crop itself is removed for storage in the cellar.

Interesting Facts

There are many interesting facts about carrots.

  • So, this vegetable is able to protect the heart by increasing the level of calcium in the blood and lowering cholesterol. In addition, carrots provide the body with a huge amount of vitamins.
  • Carrots have another great advantage. It consists in the fact that this vegetable is useful in any form – both fresh and cooked. However, it should be borne in mind that during heat treatment, the root crop loses some of its useful properties.
  • It is also interesting that this plant is able to change the color of the skin to yellowish-orange. However, for this, carrots must be consumed in large quantities. By the way, carrots can help preserve the red color of a domestic cat. To do this, it is enough to give her raw carrots: a couple of circles per day will be enough.
Everything you need to know about carrots

Anna Evans

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