Mid-late carrot variety Autumn King

Autumn King is a popular mid-late harvest variety of carrots, one of the best for long-term storage. It is characterized by the commercial appearance of root crops and excellent taste characteristics.

Why else gardeners love it, as well as all about the nuances of care - read on.

Description of the carrot variety Autumn King

The Autumn King carrot is a high-yield variety. It is about 65 t/ha. In this case, the harvest is characterized by uniformity of root crops. The yield of commercial products reaches 97%.

The vegetable crop of this variety has a medium-late ripening period. From the moment the first shoots appear until harvest, 4 months pass.

Root crops grow large and long. They are distinguished by their correct conical shape, excellent taste, and good keeping quality.

Origin and development

Carrot Autumn King (Great Britain) is an achievement of breeders belonging to the Flakke variety. The variety was awarded the RHS Garden Merit (AGM) award for services to vegetable growing.

It is extremely popular abroad, loved by “home vegetable growers” ​​in the EU and the USA.

Chemical composition and beneficial properties

Autumn King carrots are characterized by a rich chemical composition that is beneficial to human health.

Reference. 100 g of product contains 35 kcal. Root vegetables consist of 16.4% dry matter and about 9.1% sugar. The vegetable is rich in carotene: 100 g of raw carrots contains at least 22.4 mg.

In addition to carotene, the root vegetables of this variety contain many other useful substances:

• vitamins (group B, tocopherol, thiamine, nicotinic, ascorbic acid);
• minerals (potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper, iodine, zinc, fluorine);
• essential oils;
• phytoncides.

Eating raw food helps:

• improving vision, strengthening eye fiber;
• preventing the development of conjunctivitis, blepharitis, night blindness;
• strengthening gums, reducing the number of harmful bacteria in the oral cavity;
• improving the condition of the skin, preventing the appearance of wrinkles.

Features of application

Autumn King carrots are intended to be eaten fresh or canned. The vegetable is used in salads, hot dishes. Recommended for baby food.

Ripening period

Autumn King is a mid-late variety. From the moment the seeds are sown in open ground until harvest, 110 to 120 days pass.

Productivity

The variety is high-yielding. From 1 sq. m of planting, 5 to 6.5 kg of carrots are harvested.

Reference. The maximum harvest of Autumn King carrots can reach 8.5 kg per 1 sq. m.

Disease resistance

The Autumn King variety is susceptible to fungal infections caused by waterlogged soil. He is in danger of being attacked by fruit rot (black, white, gray). The problem can be prevented by following the rules of agricultural technology.

The vegetable crop is resistant to pests. Occasionally affected by carrot fly.

Characteristics, description of the appearance of the bush and fruit, taste

Plants of the Autumn King variety are characterized by a semi-spreading rosette with long, finely dissected green leaves.

The root crop has the following characteristics:

• length - 16-29 cm;
• weight - 150-250 g;
• conical shape with a slightly pointed tip;
• smooth thin peel of rich orange color;
• orange pulp with a lighter-colored core of small diameter;
• juicy sweet taste with notes of honey;
• pleasant aroma.

For which regions is it best suited, climate requirements?

The variety is suitable for cultivation in open ground conditions in the Central and Central Black Earth regions of the Russian Federation.

Reference. It is permissible to grow it in the southern regions. In the Urals and in Siberia, carrots grow in greenhouses.

The English variety loves the sun. It is frost-resistant - it is not afraid of frosts down to -3°C.

The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantages of the variety include:

• high yield;
• presentation and wonderful taste;
• resistance to diseases and pests;
• excellent shelf life and transportability without loss of appearance and taste.

Disadvantages include the sensitivity of plants to waterlogged soil and the amount of nitrogen in the soil and fertilizers.

Difference from other varieties

The Autumn King differs favorably from other varieties of carrots in its increased content of carotene and sugar, high shelf life of root crops and their sweet, rich taste.

The table shows a comparison of popular carrot varieties with the Autumn King.

Features of planting and growing

To get a good carrot harvest, it is enough to follow the rules of agricultural technology.

Preparing for landing

The soil for planting carrots is prepared in advance: it is dug up in the spring, fertilized with urea, superphosphate, and potassium chloride.

Important! Do not use fresh organic fertilizers, in particular manure.

The planting area should be sunny, protected from wind and flooding.

Seeds need to be prepared to increase their germination. They are poured into a canvas bag and buried in the ground for 10 days. Dig up before planting. You can also use the bubbling method and keep the seeds in the refrigerator.

Soil requirements

Carrots love sandy, light loamy, slightly acidic, well-aerated soil.

Predecessors

It is advisable to plant carrots in an area where tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, onions, and potatoes previously grew.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

Sowing is carried out in late April, when the soil warms up.

Reference. Before winter, seeds are sown in areas with a mild climate, starting in November at a temperature of +5°C. You will need to mulch the bed with peat.

Seeds are planted in open ground, following the scheme:

• distance between rows – 0.15 m;
• distance between holes – 2 cm;
• hole depth - 1.5-2 cm.

The bed is watered and covered with film until shoots appear.

Features of cultivation

Planting care involves watering, weeding rows, and thinning.

Nuances of care

When loosening, it is advisable to slightly hill up the plants so that the tops of the root crops do not turn green.

After the tops are closed, loosening is abandoned. This technique will provide moisture to the soil and prevent weeds from growing.

Watering mode

Carrots are drought-resistant, but it is not advisable to allow the soil to dry out. Watering is carried out along the grooves along the furrows. The tops cannot be wetted - there is a risk of rot. For 1 sq.m consume approximately 15 liters of water.

Watering is necessary before emergence and during the period when root crops are gaining mass.

Important! A few weeks before harvesting, the garden bed stops watering. This will protect the root vegetables from cracking.

Thinning and weed control

The first thinning is carried out so that the distance between plants is 2 cm. After the leaves appear, it is repeated, increasing the distance to 4-6 cm.

Important! It is advisable to carry out thinning during the daytime so as not to attract carrot flies to the planting.

As weeds appear, weeding should be done so that they do not clog the vegetable crop.

Top dressing

Growing carrots require feeding mineral fertilizers. It is carried out three times during the season.

The application of nitrogen fertilizers - for example, ammonium nitrate - is recommended 25 days after emergence. After a month, superphosphate is added. Fertilize the third time when the root crop collects juice: add ash or potassium sulfate.

Disease and pest control

The autumn king is not afraid of pests. Sometimes plantings can be affected by carrot fly. You can overcome it by using the drugs “Karate”, “Intra-Vir”, “Volaton”. Treating the soil with garlic tincture will also help.

To avoid fruit rot, plants are treated with Mikosan-B.

Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology is the key to preventing diseases. When the first symptoms of plant damage by diseases or pests appear, appropriate preparations should be used.

Harvest and storage

Good keeping quality of carrots can be ensured if the crop is harvested in a timely and competent manner.

How and when to collect

The first carrot can be obtained in July. Mass harvesting begins in August-September.Root crops are harvested by hand or by digging them out of the ground.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

Carrots should be stored at a temperature from 0 to +2⁰С. The humidity level in the room should be between 85-95%.

Root crops can be stored without loss of presentation and taste for eight months. Losses are no more than 10%.

What difficulties may there be when growing

When growing Autumn King carrots, a gardener may encounter the following difficulties:

1. Retarded growth and development of root crops. Reason: excess nitrogen and moisture. The solution is feeding with potassium mixtures.
2. The tops darken and dry out and may fall off the root crop. Causes: diseases due to dense plantings, especially against the background of heavy rains, from the action of pests. Solution: treat the plants with Oxychom.
3. Yellowing, elongation and weakening of seedlings. Causes: parasites that feed on carrot juices and infections. Solution: drugs “Aktara”, “Ecogel” or “Zircon” are used for parasites. Prevention of infections is carried out - for example, "Mikosan-B".

It is better to burn carrots affected by infections, since during storage, diseased root vegetables can infect other crops.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Experienced gardeners give the following advice on growing and storing the Autumn King carrot crop:

1. For longer storage without loss, after removing the crop from the ground, carefully cut off the tops, and place the undamaged root crop in containers with sand. This will protect the carrots from frost and rodents.
2. For planting, it is better to purchase planting material on a tape. The seeds are already prepared for sowing. The tapes are made of natural material that is easily soluble in a humid environment and does not contain glue.The ideal arrangement of seeds on the tapes (at a distance of 3-3.5 cm) ensures that the seedlings will not need thinning and the crop can fully develop.
3. To get a rich and high-quality harvest, sowing is carried out in well-fertilized and drained soil with a neutral pH.

Reviews of the carrot variety Autumn King

Reviews of Autumn King carrots are mostly positive.

Alena, Vologda: «For a long time I was looking for a variety of carrots that would produce a good harvest in my garden and would be stored well throughout the winter without losing its taste. The Autumn King variety was recommended to me. I planted it a couple of years ago for the first time and was pleased. The taste of the fruit is excellent, sweet, the pulp is juicy. The variety is not very susceptible to disease; my plantings were almost never sick. I was pleased with the high yield.”

Tamara, Penza region: “In our region, the Autumn King grows without problems and produces a high yield. The root crop is preserved until the beginning of the next season.”

Natalya, Tula: “The yield of the Autumn King carrot variety does not depend on climatic and weather conditions; it is invariably high. The main thing is to adhere to the irrigation regime and not to overdo it with nitrogen feeding in the spring.”

Conclusion

The Autumn King carrot variety is an excellent solution for those gardeners who want to get large and juicy root crops for universal use without spending a lot of time and effort on caring for the planting. Have a fruitful season!