Planting schemes for carrots

Optimal spacing between plants and planting depth are not the last questions to be decided before sowing seeds. From the scheme of planting carrots depend on the investment of labor in cultivation and the yield of the crop from 1 square. m.

The distance between the seeds is 5 cm in any direction. This is the optimal average scheme for planting carrots in open ground. However, there is usually more space between rows to make it easier to care for carrots. In dense plantings, plants receive less light and are more difficult to remove weeds or water. Therefore, between the rows they stand 15-20 cm.

The distance from each other in the garden may vary depending on the variety. For example, “Nantes Super Juicy” (manufacturer “Aelita”) recommends planting every 5 cm (20 cm between rows), and the early “Red Bunny” carrots germinate so actively that they stand 3-4 cm between plantings, between rows – 18-20 cm. Spread the seeds usually by hand.

Simple sowing methods are laying out seeds without any additives. They are small in carrots, so the method is rarely used – most often for rare or exotic varieties, when there are few seeds and there is a desire to save each. There are two easy ways to sow seeds.

1. Lines. The end side of the board makes recesses of 2-3 cm, between rows – 20 cm, between carrot seeds – 3-4 cm each.
2. Tapes. They differ from the line in a wider landing area. With the flat side of the board 10 cm wide, at a distance of 20 cm from each other, strips 2 cm deep are made, the seeds are laid out along the recess in three rows (1 in the center, 2 along the edges). There should be a distance of 5 cm between the rows. Ready-made tapes are on sale. They are two combined strips of thin paper, between which the seeds are already laid out. Seeds are usually placed frequently, bearing in mind that some of them may not germinate. If all germinate, such carrots need to be thinned out.

Sparse sowing makes it easier to work with small seeds. They are mixed with an agent that allows the seeds to be evenly distributed. It is not the seeds themselves that are laid out in the open ground, but the mixture. There are several ways.

1. Sand. Small seeds are most often mixed with it. For 1 part of carrot seeds you need 10 parts of sand. They are gently mixed. Seeds are poured, like salt when cooking, along pre-drawn beards.
2. Potato starch. Boil 1 liter of water in a small saucepan. In 1 glass of cold water, stir 3 tbsp. tablespoons of starch, then pour the resulting solution into a saucepan in a thin stream, without ceasing to stir. Boil until the liquid resembles a thin paste in consistency. Cool, pour 10 carrot seeds into this liquid, mix gently. It is better to pour the “paste” into a bowl with a spout. Pour liquid over the previously made and watered grooves, sprinkle them with earth. With this planting, carrots do not need thinning at all.

Precise planting involves a pre-calibrated distance between the seeds.

1. Tapes. You can not only buy them, but also make them yourself. The seeds are glued onto a paper tape at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other with a paste to which fertilizers are added (1 tbsp. Universal mineral mixture for seedlings per 1 liter of paste). It is convenient to use toilet paper as a paper tape, it is cut into narrow strips of 2,5 cm, seeds are laid out, paste is dripped on them, dried, stored in rolls. Such a tape is planted to a depth of 2,5-3 cm, sprinkled with earth. From moisture, the paper will completely collapse and will not interfere with the seeds.
2. Tags. In the ground, not grooves are made, but pits. It is convenient to make them with an unnecessary pen. They stand 3 cm between the pits. In this way, it is better to plant granular seeds. You can also use more advanced marking devices – for example, a frame with teeth of the desired frequency.

For spring planting choose a clear, dry day. The furrows are shed with boiling water before planting, sprinkled with sifted wood ash. Planting depth of carrot seeds – 2 cm.

For planting before winter, the seeds are dug deeper – there should be 5-6 cm of soil above them. This will protect them from freezing. Some of the seeds may not sprout, so their number should be greater than during spring planting.

Do not plant carrots in areas where parsley or beans have grown before. This culture does not like itself as a predecessor either. After adding fresh manure to the soil, carrots cannot be planted on the site for 2 years.

Before sowing in the furrows, the soil is carefully compacted. If you put the seeds on a loose one, then after watering they will fail and the emergence of seedlings will be late and not so friendly.

To collect seeds during the active season, the best specimens of carrots are selected. The culture forms seeds in the second year, carrots are sent for storage and taken out only in late March – early April, when the root crop produces small fresh leaves. Ridges dug up in the fall are prepared for planting. They dig holes at a distance of 40 centimeters from each other, the row spacing is 70 cm. Usually, planting 4 root crops is enough (1 is undesirable – it cannot be pollinated).

In summer cottages, carrots are planted in greenhouses to get a harvest in May. In the greenhouse, 20-25 cm are left between the furrows, the depth of the furrows is 2 cm. The distance can be reduced for the Minikor variety and Mokum snack carrots – these varieties for greenhouses have medium-sized fruits. Table carrots “Amsterdam 3” are planted in rows every 20 cm.

Additional space is required for the installation of drip irrigation systems. The width of the beds is 1 m (when sowing in 3 rows). Between 3 lines of carrots let 2 drip irrigation tapes. At the same time, 50 rows of carrots are sown on beds 2 cm wide, one irrigation tape. It is most convenient to sow on such beds home-made or purchased tapes.

Carrots are often used in combined beds, especially with onions. This union is very successful. Onion repels a lot of pests of carrots, protects it from bacterioses. Landing patterns can be varied. Onions are sown either along the perimeter of a purely carrot ridge, or in the aisles. The distance between the rows is from 16 to 20 cm. Sealing plantings are possible, the roots of onions are higher than those of carrots, the ripening periods are different – they do not interfere with each other. In this case, the row spacing is 13-14 cm.

You can sow both crops together in different ways.

• Carrot seeds in granules are laid out in rows, furrows are drawn between them and onions are sown.
• Carrot and onion seeds are mixed and covered in one furrow.
• Seeds are alternately glued onto one roll of paper, spread the tape along the furrows.
• Furrows are drawn and sowed with carrots, holes are made for onions with any suitable tool, and onions are planted in them.

Some tricks will help to cope with the landing much better.

1. Before sowing, carrot seeds can be hardened and germinated. They are placed in a canvas bag, in mid-April they are dropped into the falling snow. They wait two weeks, then dig it out, wash it right in the bag and inspect it. If the seeds have germinated, they can be planted. If there are no sprouts, you can extend the hardening for another 1 week.
2. If you plan to sow seeds in a paste, it can be prepared ahead of time – 1 day before planting. The seeds themselves can lie in a paste for up to 6 hours. You can’t keep it longer – they will suffocate.
3. The beds immediately after sowing are covered with a film, this allows you to save moisture. And after the seeds germinate, the film is replaced with double lutrasil. This protects against damage by carrot flies or psyllids. The material is removed when the sprouts reach 8 cm – such seedlings are too tough for pests.

Carrots are an unpretentious vegetable, in case of thickening it is thinned out, so do not be afraid to sow it too thickly. Sowing depth also plays a role. Surface sown seeds will cause the top of the carrot to be exposed to the sun and begin to turn green (although not in all varieties).