Features of preparing a bed for carrots in the fall

In order to harvest a high-quality carrot harvest on your plot and get large, sweet root crops, it is important not only to pay attention to the choice of seed. One of the main conditions is proper soil preparation for carrots in open ground.

All activities need to be carried out in the fall. Read our article about what kind of soil carrots like, as well as all the nuances of preparing a garden bed for planting in the fall.

Features of planting carrots

The autumn period is almost the ideal time to apply fertilizing to the soil. Over the winter, all the fertilizers will saturate the soil, and the planted crops will immediately begin to absorb nutrients in the form they need.

Carrots planted in autumn grow larger, less vulnerable to pests and practically not susceptible to diseases. In addition, the harvest will appear 1-2 weeks earlier than late varieties.

Beds for carrots are chosen where the least weeds grow. They always appear earlier than other plants, interfering with the normal development of other shoots.

In cool regions, it is important to choose the right variety - it must be resistant to low temperatures and rich in carotene.

For Siberia and Ural special varieties bred by breeders for harsh climates are suitable:

• Dayana;
• Nastena has a sweet tooth;
• Queen of Autumn;
• Chantenay;
• Nantes-4;
• Vitamin-6;
• Incomparable.

For winter planting, it is better to choose an elevated area. The snow will melt off it faster in the spring, and there will be no stagnation of water.Carrots do not like drafts, so they need a place protected from the wind.

What kind of soil do carrots like?

The bright orange vegetable prefers light soil. Gardeners often add sand to make it more airy and saturate it with oxygen. If the site has clayey and heavy soil, you need to add a bucket for every square meter. To increase fertility and looseness, you can add compost in the same amount along with river sand.

Reference. For carrots, choose areas with bright sunlight. Shading has a negative impact on taste and yield.

Excess sand, on the contrary, prevents the retention of moisture needed by carrots and nutrients. Therefore, it is useful to add a bucket of rotted compost or 3-4 kg of leaf humus. Sawdust is also used, but it must be well rotted so as not to acidify the soil.

Acidity

The crop should not be planted in acidic soil, as this will cause the root crops to become hairy and gnarled. You can add lime or chalk to the acidic area. They are scattered over the surface for subsequent digging to a depth corresponding to the bayonet of the shovel. Carrots love a pH of 6-6.5, that is, neutral or slightly acidic soil.

With an acidity of up to 6, 300 g of lime or chalk are added per square meter.

Suitable predecessors

Some plants are capable of drawing all nutrients from the soil, so carrots should not be planted after them. These include fennel, parsley, parsnip, caraway seeds, beans, the carrot itself.

Tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, onions and garlic are considered good predecessors. If the last two plants are left next to the carrot beds, the root crop will be protected from pests.

How to prepare the soil in the garden

When preparing a bed for carrots in the fall, one of two digging methods is used. The first is that the earthen ball can be left whole, without breaking, in order to preserve the maximum amount of beneficial bacteria and favorable microflora in the soil in the lower and upper layers. The second involves completely breaking the lumps and turning the layers over. However, the latter method promotes freezing of the soil, so it is not used if early frosts begin in the fall.

Organic fertilizers are not applied to the garden bed. The depth of the prepared hole should be at least 15 cm so that moisture does not stagnate in it. This place should no longer be touched in the next 1.5 months before planting. In October, when the soil settles slightly and becomes compacted, harrowing with a rake will be required to loosen it.

The next step is making grooves for the seeds. Their depth should be at least 5-6 cm. If the soil is clayey and heavy, it is enough to leave 1 cm. A distance of 15 to 20 cm is maintained between the grooves. The area for planting is almost ready, it is left alone for 3-4 weeks, covered from rain with film.

Water permeability test

Water permeability is one of the most important soil properties. It depends on the composition, its structure and frequency of moisturizing. In the garden you can check this indicator in a simple way. A metal cylinder with a diameter of 50-60 cm is pressed into a depth of 5-10 cm. Another one is cut in around it, but with a larger diameter - 90-95 cm. The soil is well compacted near the walls of the frames, and a scale for measuring the water level and thermometers are mounted inside each one.

Measurements must be taken at a temperature of +10°C and a water pressure of 5 cm.The optimal water resistance is from 100 to 500 mm water column. A mark of more than 1000 is considered a complete failure, and less than 30 mm of water column is considered unsatisfactory. Water permeability is measured within 5-6 hours.

Fertilizer application

An important rule when fertilizing soil for carrots is a categorical ban on applying fresh manure.. This additive causes root vegetables to become clumsy, cracked and excessively dry.

Superphosphate or potassium salt is used as mineral fertilizers - 15-20 g per 1 square meter. m. Wood ash well compensates for the lack of phosphorus in the soil. But fertilizers containing chlorine are undesirable; carrots react extremely negatively to them.

Reference. During the entire period of growth, from the moment of planting in the soil until harvesting, carrots are fertilized only twice: four weeks after the appearance of the first shoots and then another four weeks later.

Do not forget that carrots actively absorb all elements from the soil, so it is not recommended to use store-bought chemicals.

When and how to plant

It is difficult to indicate the exact date suitable for planting carrots before winter, since everything depends on weather conditions. The optimal period is considered to be the second half of November. The main condition is a stable air temperature from +3°C to -5°C for two weeks. With the slightest warming, seedlings will quickly appear, and then, unable to withstand the winter cold, they will die.

Seeds are sown in the prepared area. They need to be sprinkled with a layer of warm and dry soil, and peat or humus should be spread on top with a layer of up to 3 cm. Lightly compact everything together with a shovel, but there is no need to compact it too much.

The seedlings do not require special care.It is enough to cover the beds with pine needles, and if snow falls, form not too high snowdrifts.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Autumn planting has special advantages. It will be possible to harvest a fresh harvest at the beginning of spring, just when you really want fresh vitamins.

One of the most common mistakes that experienced summer residents recommend not to make is sowing carrots long before the first cold weather. The weather at the end of autumn is changeable, and long frosts are often replaced by sharp warming, which promotes seed germination.

To avoid overspending and evenly distribute the seeds on the site, it is recommended to mix them with dry sand or semolina in a ratio of 1:5 before planting.

Another valuable piece of advice from professional gardeners: under no circumstances should the seeds be soaked before planting in the fall; they must be dry. This measure is necessary only for spring seedlings.

Conclusion

It is not difficult to obtain a rich carrot harvest in early spring. It is enough to pay attention to preparing the soil and choosing a planting site, feeding the soil and choosing the appropriate variety.

Tasty, healthy and rich in vitamins, carrots are suitable for fresh consumption, in side dishes and salads, however, unlike late varieties, they are not suitable for long-term storage.