Planting carrots before winter is carried out to obtain the first early harvest at the end of July. To achieve this for sowing in 2020, you should choose suitable early vegetable varieties. Their ripening period should not exceed 90 days.
When do the first shoots of carrots sown before winter appear in your area? If this is the end of April - the beginning of May, then you can get the harvest at the end of July. With an earlier melting of the snow cover, the timing of the harvest may shift to mid-July.
Experienced gardeners use the method of autumn planting before winter for those crops whose seeds have a dense etheric shell. It is difficult to soak because it is saturated with oils. For the germination of carrots, parsley, dill, black onions, a large supply of moisture in the soil is required. Therefore, it is advisable to sow them in the fall of 2020, so that in the spring flood of 2020 they quickly hatch and give friendly shoots.
If you sow carrots before winter, you can get tasty fruits in mid-June. Moreover, most varieties are very juicy and aromatic. Early carrots are a favorite ingredient in salads, juices, vegetable purees, and more. It can be used in processing for making preserves. All the subtleties of sowing carrots before winter can be learned from the proposed material. These recommendations are suitable for residents of the Moscow region, the Volga region, the Urals and Central Siberia.
Planting carrots in winter reduces the amount of work in the spring
Is it possible to plant carrots before winter
The main doubts for planting carrots before winter are that they will really freeze out if they have time to germinate. In the region of origin, this root crop enters the growing season precisely in winter, when the rains begin. But in hibernation, achenes do not lie at sub-zero temperatures, but in extreme heat. But carrot seeds, sown correctly in autumn, tolerate frost well and sprout already in spring.
Important! In autumn, before winter, they do not plant, but "sprinkle" carrot seeds.
The seed is planted in the already frozen ground when the water is frozen. Unmoistened seeds tolerate winter calmly.
Benefits of pre-winter sowing of carrots
Podzimnye seeds, lying under the snow, get good hardening and seedlings are no longer afraid of spring frosts. Achenes germinate in moisture-filled soil. The water remains in the ground for a long time, and the roots grow large and juicy.
Another plus for winter sowing is the friendly germination of seed material. In the process of snow melting, they manage to be saturated with moisture and "wash off" essential oils from themselves. Due to this, with the onset of warm days, the seeds sprout together.
The downside of planting carrots in autumn is that early roots cannot be stored for a long time. But why lay almost spring carrots for storage, if root crops ripen in autumn for long-term storage.
Advantages and disadvantages of winter sowing
Over the usual carrots, winter crops have several advantages:
- the earliest terms of ripening of root crops;
- improving the quality of seeds due to wintering in frozen soil;
- the presence of constant moderate humidity in spring soil contributes to the development of juicy large carrots.
The only drawback of such carrots is its unsuitability for long-term storage.
Carrot varieties for planting before winter
Not every variety of carrots is suitable for sowing before winter. In the case of sowing an unsuitable variety, there will be no seedlings at all, or they will freeze out in winter or early autumn.
Which carrots are best planted before winter
For winter sowing, frost-resistant varieties of carrots are chosen. In addition to frost resistance, such varieties should be capable of germinating in a friendly manner. Therefore, it is preferable to take hybrids specially bred for winter plantings. The richest harvest with this method of sowing root crops is given by mid-ripening and early-ripening varieties.
Important! Among other properties of these varieties, "cold-resistant" must be indicated.
The best varieties of carrots before winter
There are already quite a few varieties of carrots suitable for planting before winter:
- Nantes-4;
- Incomparable;
- Losinoostrovskaya-13;
- Vitamin;
- Improved Nantes;
- Shantane-2461;
- Moscow winter.
The "set" contains varieties of all ripening periods. Nantes-4 and Incomparable - early ripening (90 days from germination to harvest); Losinoostrovskaya-13, improved Nantes and Vitamin - mid-season (100-110 days); Shantane-2461 and Moscow winter - late ripening (130-150).
With the right selection, these varieties of carrots can be planted at the same time before winter. The carrots will ripen gradually, and the grower will be provided with juicy roots until the fall. And in the fall, the carrots planted in the spring will ripen.
Nantes-4
The variety is capable of growing on loose and heavy soils. Root vegetables with bright orange juicy pulp. Length no more than 16 cm, weight 100-150 g. Despite their large size, the roots are not sinewy. Nantes-4 has a large amount of sugars.
Incomparable
The variety gives a good yield on most soils. Average indicators: 5-6 kg / m² with a root crop weight of about 200 g. Fruit length up to 17 cm, diameter - 4.5 cm. Carrots have a cylindrical shape. The tip is rounded, blunt. The color is bright orange. The color of the core does not differ from the pulp.
Incomparable is intended for cultivation in the Far Eastern District, Central Russia, the South Urals and the North Caucasus.
Losinoostrovskaya-13
Mid-season variety with relatively small roots. The length of the carrot is 15 cm, the average weight is 100 g. The root crop is completely submerged in the ground, has a semi-standing rosette of leaves. The color is orange, saturated. The pulp is juicy, tender.
Due to its cold resistance, it is well suited for growing in the North-West region of Russia. Resistant to flowers.
Vitamin
High-yielding variety resistant to flowering. Root vegetables are juicy, sweet, with a high content of provitamin A.
The shape is cylindrical, with a blunt end. The average weight of root crops is 130 g, diameters up to 5 cm. The color of the pulp is red-orange. The core is small.
The variety is mid-season. It is intended for cultivation in almost all regions of Russia, except for the North Caucasian District.
Improved Nantes
Outwardly similar to other members of this family of varieties. The root crop can grow up to 20 cm and weigh 150 g. It has a juicy pulp. Suitable for winter sowing. It rises early and amicably. Of the minuses: poor keeping quality.
Shantane-2461
Root crops of medium size - 13-15 cm. The shape is conical, the tip is rounded. The pulp is sweet, juicy. The core is almost invisible.
This variety has a number of medium and early ripening hybrids. Due to the variety of hybrids, the variety can be grown in various climatic conditions. The yield, depending on the climate, varies at the level of 6-10 kg / m².
Moscow winter
A late-ripening variety with large roots: length 17 cm, diameter - 4.5 cm, weight 150 g. Color orange. The variety is resistant to flowering.High-yielding: 4.7-6.6 kg / m². Recommended for cultivation throughout Russia. It grows well in Ukraine and Belarus.
When to plant carrots in the fall before winter
The timing of sowing carrots before winter varies depending on the region. Seeds must be planted on already frozen ground so that they do not have time to germinate in the fall. In theory, seeds can even be planted not in the fall, but in the winter. But it's cold and there is a lot of snow. Therefore, it is easiest to plant carrots in the fall, when the ground is frozen, but the snow has not yet settled.
There are recommendations to sow seeds when the air temperature during the day is consistently below + 5 ° C. But here you have to look at the region. It rains in some areas at this time. The seeds will not germinate at this time, since the air temperature is too low, but they will be saturated with moisture and rot. Better to wait for the frost.
When to sow carrots before winter in the Moscow region
Since carrots are planted in frozen ground, it is necessary to wait until a climatic winter sets in. That is, the period when the average daily temperature will stably stay below 0. The climatic winter does not coincide with either the astronomical or the calendar one. In the Moscow region, it begins approximately from November 15. But a lot depends on the specific year, which may be warmer or colder than the average. You need to focus on the weather, but the average time for planting carrots before winter in the Moscow region is the end of November. Climatic winter begins in this region from November 15th.
Sowing dates for carrots in Siberia
Siberia is a very large territory with different climatic conditions and different timing of the arrival of winter. Therefore, here gardeners have to focus on the weather in their particular region. On average, planting carrots before winter is early, and planting dates are late in spring. In some areas, carrots can be sown before winter as early as October.
Harvest
It is not enough to grow carrots in the open field, you also need to save them. Some gardeners try to harvest early, as soon as the tops begin to wilt. This is wrong - the roots continue to fill up and if they are not allowed to do this, you can lose kilograms.
If in August-September the weather is unstable, rains alternate with droughts, then carrots are dug even with tops. Fluctuations in soil moisture lead to cracking of root crops and they are stored much worse. Carrots are also harvested with tops in case of late harvesting. If there is a lot of it, then the dug up roots are placed in the pyramids with their tops out. The diameter of the pyramid at the ground is about two meters, the height is about one and a half meters. So the carrots are kept for 2 weeks, then they are removed for winter storage.
How to plant carrots before winter
The technology of planting carrots in autumn is different from spring work. In advance, in early autumn, they prepare a bed for carrots. With the onset of frost, seeds are sown on the garden bed and cover them from future erosion by melt water. You cannot water the seeds. Further care of the garden bed is almost not required until spring.
Seeds are planted in the same way as in spring:
- mixed with sand;
- glued to paper tape;
- dragee.
The only way that is contraindicated when sowing in late autumn is mixing seeds with paste. In this case, the seed will become saturated with water and can begin to germinate.
Preparing seeds for planting
It is known that the future harvest depends on the quality of the seeds. To determine germination, calibration is performed.
A saline solution is made, consisting of 1 liter of water and half a glass of salt. Carrot seeds are immersed in it. Empty, unusable instances pop up in the next few minutes. The culled seeds are thrown away, the rest are dried.
This completes the processing. Unlike planting material intended for use in spring, for planting before winter, you do not need to soak and harden the seeds. And also they do not need disinfection. This will happen naturally in the soil.
For a more even distribution along the groove, they are mixed with sand, pasted on paper, or used in granules.
In the fall, 15-25% more seeds are required than in the spring.
How to prepare a bed for carrots in the fall
Preparing a bed for carrots in the fall does not fundamentally differ from spring work. But they begin to prepare a place for planting not even in the fall, but at the end of summer. The main attention is paid to the choice of a place for planting and soil preparation.
The beds for carrots are made high so that water does not stagnate there in the spring. The height of the beds above the level of the plot is at least 10-15 cm.
Choosing the right place
For podzimny planting carrots in early autumn or summer, choose a flat sunny area. Future beds should also be protected from the wind.
Important! You cannot plant carrots on the slopes, in the spring the melt water will wash away the seeds.
Before the carrots in the selected place should have grown:
- onion;
- potato;
- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- cabbage;
- melons.
These are the optimal precursors for carrots. Their pests are different and the carrot will be protected from the carrot fly for some time.
You cannot plant carrots where representatives of the celery family previously grew:
- parsley;
- dill;
- celery;
- fennel;
- carrot.
The pests remaining in this place from the summer will continue their work next year and destroy the entire crop. In addition, plants from the same family consume the same nutrients from the ground, which means that root crops will have nowhere to take macro- and microelements for full growth.
The selected place is cleared of plants and their debris and carefully dug to a depth of 25-30 cm, picking out the roots of the weeds. Carrots need loose soil to grow well. When planting in the fall, it must be borne in mind that during the winter the soil will pack and become denser. It will no longer be possible to dig it up in the spring. Therefore, in the fall, the soil is loosened as carefully as possible. When digging, fertilizers are added to the soil.
Enrichment of soil with nutrients
For planting carrots in the fall, do not use fresh manure. In winter, it will not decompose and in spring the plants will go to the tops, and the roots will be small and branched. Instead of fresh manure, humus is introduced into the beds. For 1 m² of land you will need:
- ¼ buckets of humus;
- ½ tbsp potassium salt;
- 1 tbsp superphosphate.
Ash is added to the acidic soil. In a depleted one - a little less than a tablespoon of urea. If there is too heavy clay soil on the site, when digging, semi-rotten sawdust or sand is added to it. Fresh sawdust or other undecomposed organic matter must not be added. Fresh organic waste attracts carrot flies.
Comment! Fresh sawdust in the process of decay takes nitrogen from the ground.
Planting carrots before winter is well represented in the video:
Crop rotation rules
When growing carrots, it is important to observe the crop rotation. The culture grows best after potatoes, garlic, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin.
Re-sowing in the same area is performed after 3-4 years. This will reduce the number of carrot flies in the area.
The soil for growing carrots should be loose and nutritious, ideally sandy loam. Clayy, heavy soil is not the best option: seeds in such conditions sprout for a long time and painfully.
The plot is chosen from the southern side of the garden, with good lighting, early snow melting, and no drafts.
Rules for sowing carrots before winter in the regions
The rules for planting carrots in winter and caring for them in all regions are similar. Only the timing and degree of warming of the beds can differ. After the soil is ready and the bed is formed, it is left until November. In October, under the rains, the earth will compact itself. In October, the finished bed is harrowed to loosen the soil and retain moisture. In the formed buried bed, grooves or holes are made with a depth of 1-5 cm. The grooves are made at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.The finished bed is covered with a non-woven material so that the rains do not wash out the prepared grooves for planting.
Comment! The depth of the grooves or holes depends on the type of soil.
The maximum depth is done if the carrots grow in light, prone to drying out soil: sandy or sandy loam. Minimum - used on heavy clay soils.
Planting is carried out in late autumn, often raking the snow cover. Soil temperature should not exceed + 7 ° С. It should be borne in mind that with the onset of thaws and an increase in air temperature even up to + 3 ° C, the seeds begin to hatch. To avoid freezing of the former crop, it is better to plant carrots in late autumn, when frosts are established and the soil is frozen.
The planting method depends on the choice of seed material: groove or hole. For dragees, holes are made. The conventional fit uses grooves. Two basic rules are common for any landing method:
- seeds are placed deeper than when planting in spring;
- seed material for the winter take 20% more.
When planting time comes, seeds are sown in the prepared grooves. Sprinkle the seeds on top with dry earth sifted through a sieve.
Important! Land for backfill is harvested in advance.
After the onset of frost, the structure of the soil changes and such land is not suitable for sheltering planting material. The sifted dry earth is stored in a box in a warm place. The finished bed is covered with insulating material and left until spring.
Planting carrots before winter in the suburbs
Planting carrots before winter in the Moscow region is not particularly difficult. But it should be planted not earlier than the end of November, but better in December. Depending on the region near Moscow, carrots are planted either 1 cm deep in clay soil, or 5 cm if the soil is sandy.
Rules for planting carrots before winter in the Leningrad region
The main problems of the Leningrad region: groundwater close to the surface and acidic soil. It is better to do the beds above the norm. Depending on the site, the height of the beds can be up to 30-35 cm. When preparing the beds, lime is added to the soil.
Since the climate is maritime, frequent thaws are possible in winter. Due to frequent weather changes, even during the day, the Leningrad region is the most difficult to predict. You will have to plant carrots here not in autumn, but in winter: in January - February. Or it is better to postpone planting until a stable above-zero temperature occurs.
How to sow carrots before winter in the Urals
Landing rules in the Urals do not differ from the rules in the regions of Central Russia. But because of the rather cold winters, most gardeners in the Urals are wary of planting carrots in the fall.
Those who dare to this event should take into account that carrots should be planted no earlier than the soil temperature drops to + 7 ° C, and forecasters promise a steady cooling. After planting, the grooves are additionally covered with dry peat.
Comment! In the spring, the peat is removed, otherwise the carrots will not be able to germinate.
Planting carrots before winter in Siberia
Sowing carrots before winter in Siberia is carried out in the same way as in the Urals. In those regions where the soil is acidic, lime is added. Carrots are planted with the onset of persistent cold weather.
Caring for the beds after planting
After the carrots are planted, the beds are covered with insulating material, and later snow is poured. It is important to ensure that there is sufficient snow cover on the beds throughout the winter. Additional snow is added if it is blown away by the wind.
In the spring, after the snow melts, the insulation material is removed. Before the carrots sprout, the weeds will grow. They are carefully removed so that the carrot achenes do not turn out along with the roots.
Sprouted carrots are thinned as needed. Since, in addition to carrots, other vegetables can be planted before winter, some gardeners go to the trick and plant a mixture of radishes and carrots.Radishes grow faster and require less depth to grow. After removing the radishes, the carrot roots get enough room to grow.
Comment! There are no terms for planting winter carrots and there are no rules for caring for it.
Due to the fact that winter carrots do not exist. Winter crops are plants that were planted in the fall and started growing before snow fell on the ground. Carrots will freeze under such conditions. Therefore, only carrot seeds are planted before winter.
