Unpretentious carrot variety Vitamin 6

Carrots of the Vitamin 6 variety, bred 50 years ago, are in stable demand among farmers. It is distinguished by its ease of care, high yields, and good keeping quality. Gardeners value it for its taste, sweetness of root crops, and high carotene content.

Description of carrot variety Vitamin 6

Vitamin 6 carrots are mid-season varieties. The weight of one root crop is 100-170 g, sometimes specimens weighing 200 g are found. Root crops do not rise above the soil when growing, so their upper part does not turn green.

Vegetables tolerate long-term storage well.

Among other varieties of the crop, Vitamin 6 stands out for its sweet taste, high content of carotene and nutrients.

Origin and development

The variety was created in 1969 at the Research Institute of Vegetable Farming as a result of crossing the Amsterdam, Nantes, and Touchon varieties.

The resulting variety is recommended for cultivation in almost all regions of the country.

Chemical composition, trace elements and vitamins, beneficial properties

100 g of carrots contain fructose - 17-22 mg, carotene - 7-10%.

There are 23.5 kcal per 100 g of product. The benefits of carrots lie in the content of vitamins, macro- and microelements.

Macronutrients:

• potassium – 207 mg;
• calcium – 24.7 mg;
• phosphorus – 46 mg;
• magnesium – 35.3 mg;
• sodium – 17.2 mg;
• sulfur – 4.4 mg.

Microelements:

• iron – 0.8 mg;
• zinc – 0.3 mg;
• aluminum – 0.21 mg;
• manganese – 0.23 mg;
• boron – 0.24 mg;
• copper – 0.7 mg;
• fluoride – 0.5 mg.

Vitamins:

• A – 0.94 mg;
• B1 – 0.07 mg;
• B2 – 0.05 mg;
• B9 – 0.12 mg;
• C – 0.48 mg;
• RR – 1.2 mg;
• E – 0.77 mg.

Carrots have a beneficial effect on vision, prevents intestinal dysbiosis, prevents vascular diseases, improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, prevents the formation of stones in the gall bladder and kidneys.

Features of application

Carrot Vitamin 6 – universal variety: used for conservation, frost, winter storage. The variety is recommended for eating raw, preparing baby juices, and vegetable purees.

Ripening period

Vitamin 6 refers to mid-season varieties. The growing season is 75-100 days.

Productivity

The variety has high yields. Subject to the conditions of agricultural technology, 3.6-7.7 kg are collected from each m² of land.

Disease resistance

The variety is subject to typical crop diseases and pest attacks. For prevention, soil and seeds are disinfected before sowing.

Characteristics, description of appearance, taste

The rosette is semi-erect, producing 8-12 dissected bright green leaves. The fruits are oblong, smooth, cylindrical in shape with a rounded tip. The color of the carrot is red-orange, the core is thin, star-shaped. Fruit length 18-20 cm, weight 100-170 g.

The variety has excellent taste, the flesh is juicy, crispy, and sweet.

For which regions is it best suited and what are the climate requirements?

Suitable for cultivation in all regions of Russia, except the North Caucasus. Develops successfully in unfavorable conditions.

The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety

This variety has many advantages:

• unpretentiousness to climatic conditions;
• high yield rates;
• good keeping quality;
• resistance to shooting;
• excellent taste;
• high content of fructose and beta-carotene.

Disadvantages of the variety:

• low resistance to diseases;
• there is a small percentage of fruit cracking;
• Fresh seeds are required for sowing, since seed material loses its viability after two years.

What is the difference from other varieties

Vitamin 6 differs from other varieties:

• resistance to bolting and flowering;
• the variety tolerates dry weather and frost well;
• the fruits contain about 22 mg of beta-carotene, which is higher than the content of the compound in other varieties.

Features of planting and growing

Since the variety tolerates frost well, farmers advise planting seeds immediately after the snow melts, when the soil warms up to +8°C, to get an early harvest. Before planting, the soil is enriched with organic matter: compost, rotted manure, wood ash.

Preparing for landing

Vitamin 6 carrot seeds are available on tape and in granules. It is more convenient to plant such seeds, since less attention is paid to thinning. But to dissolve the granules, increased watering is required.

If you use self-harvested seeds, they need to be prepared. Seeds are sorted and damaged ones are discarded. The selected ones are soaked in water for 1-1.5 hours. High-quality seeds will sink to the bottom of the container, empty ones will float on the surface.

Selected seeds are disinfected in a pink solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of Fitosporin-M for 50-60 minutes. Then the seeds are germinated in a damp cloth for 5-7 days. Before planting, sprouted seeds are sprayed with growth stimulator "Epin" (4 drops per 1 liter of water).

Soil requirements

Mineral, peat soils are most favorable for growing this variety. The acidity should be neutral. Carrots good growing on drained, loose, light soils. The site is prepared in the fall by digging it up with organic and mineral fertilizers.

Predecessors

Compliance with crop rotation rules directly affects the yield of the variety. The crop should not be planted after legumes, parsley, dill, or fennel.

Important! The best predecessor of carrots is potatoes.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

Planting seeds in open ground is carried out at the end of April - beginning of May, when the soil warms up to +7...+8°C. In a pre-prepared area, grooves are made 2 cm deep. A distance of 18-20 cm is left between the rows. Before laying the seeds, the grooves are watered with warm water. The seeds are placed at intervals of 2 cm. The grooves are sprinkled with earth and lightly compacted.

Features of cultivation

For the convenience of sowing seeds, some gardeners mix them with clean sand in equal proportions. The emerging shoots are easier to thin out.

In order not to wash the seeds out of the soil, drip irrigation is carried out at first.

Nuances of care

The soil in the beds should be well dug. In heavy soil, carrots become deformed. It is recommended to loosen the soil regularly, as the soil crust negatively affects the taste of carrots.

Watering mode

The emerging seedlings are watered 2 times a week. In dry times and in the absence of precipitation, watering is carried out 3-4 times a week. It is recommended to water the crop in the morning. As the plants grow, the frequency of watering is reduced to once a week, while increasing the volume of liquid.

Attention! The soil is moistened to a depth equal to the length of the root crops, on average 18-22 cm.

It is recommended to stop watering 2-3 weeks before harvest.

Thinning and weed control

As the seedlings grow, thinning is carried out. The first time is when two pairs of leaves grow on the seedlings. Remove weak specimens, increasing the distance between the remaining shoots.

The second time the carrots are thinned out during the formation of root crops, leaving a distance of 3-4 cm between plants.

As the crop grows and the plantings thicken, a third thinning is carried out, removing less developed plants.

Attention! The distance between adult plants should be at least 6-7 cm.

During thinning, weeds are simultaneously weeded. Weeds grow faster than carrot shoots, taking nutrients from the soil, so weeding is required.

Top dressing

At the beginning of the growing season, fertilizing with urea is carried out; for this, 20 g of the drug is diluted in 10 liters of water.

The second feeding is carried out after 20-25 days, during the formation of fruits. Potassium and phosphorus are added in the following composition: 20 g of potassium nitrate, 20-25 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water.

The third feeding is done in July, 3 weeks after the second. At this time, root vegetables begin to fill with juice, so they need boron and manganese. The beds are watered with the following mixture: 2 g of potassium permanganate and 4 g of boric acid are diluted in 10 liters of water.

Throughout the growing season, organic matter is used: 200 g of wood ash is poured into 10 liters of water, left for 2-3 days, and watered at the root.

Important! Nitrogen fertilizers are used only at the beginning of the growing season.

In total, 3-4 feedings are carried out per season.

Disease and pest control

The most common diseases of the Vitamin 6 variety:

1. Fomoz (dry rot) is a fungal disease that affects carrots during the growing season and storage of fruits. Gray-brown elongated spots form on the tops. Gradually, the disease spreads to root crops, causing them to rot.At the first signs, use an aqueous solution of the drug “Maxim” (1:1). For prevention, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied to the soil.
2. Rhizoctoniosis – “felt disease”, manifests itself in the form of lead spots on the fruits, which cause them to rot. The affected bushes are watered with a solution of copper sulfate. To prevent disease, liming of the soil is carried out before planting.
3. Bacteriosis – wet bacterial rot. The disease begins on the lower leaves in the form of yellow spots that grow and darken. Then the stems become covered with dark brown spots. Wet dark areas appear on root crops and an unpleasant smell of rot appears. In order to prevent the disease, seedlings are sprayed with the preparation “HOM” at the rate of 30-35 g of the substance per 10 liters of water.

Common pests of the variety:

1. carrot psyllid – feeds on leaves, causing them to become “curly.” The bush grows slowly, the roots become bitter. For control, insecticides “Borey”, “Vantex”, “Alatar” are used.
2. Slugs They actively feed on tops and eat away large areas at the base of root crops. For prevention and control, crushed egg shells are scattered around the plants - the naked body of the slug cannot tolerate scratching objects. In the evening, the plants are sprayed with a salt solution: 100 g of salt per 10 liters of water.

Harvest and storage

Carrots planted in April reach full maturity in August. Cleaning is carried out in dry weather. The collected root crops are dried, sorted and placed for winter storage.

How and when to collect

The degree of maturity of carrots is judged by the condition of the tops. When the lower leaves on the stem turn yellow, harvesting begins.

Carrots are harvested by hand by pulling them by the tops. If it is difficult to remove the fruit, use a pitchfork.Vegetables are shaken off the ground, the leaves are cut or curled.

Then the root vegetables are sorted: vegetables with mechanical damage are selected for processing, whole ones are laid out in one layer in a dry, ventilated room to dry. After a week, the vegetables are transferred to the vegetable storage.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

For long-term storage, conditions are created with an air temperature of +2...+4°C, humidity in the storage within 85-90%. There should be constant air circulation in the room. Under proper conditions, the shelf life of carrots reaches 98%.

What difficulties may there be when growing

With uneven and excessive watering, cracking of root crops is observed.

When there is an excess of ash and nitrogen in the soil, carrots become multi-tailed.

If you water too much, a lot of hairs appear on the fruits - adjust the volume of liquid applied.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Experienced gardeners advise planting the variety as early as possible so that the moisture from the melted snow does not have time to evaporate. But at the same time, the soil should warm up to +8°C.

Gardeners recommend regular watering. Irregular watering leads to cracking of root crops.

Experienced gardeners advise stopping fertilizing and watering 25-30 days before harvesting.

Reviews about the carrot variety Vitamin 6

Reviews from many consumers about the taste and commercial qualities of carrots are the same.

Olga, Tula: «I have been growing the Vitamin 6 variety for several years. The variety is easy to care for. The fruits grow 14-17 cm. Very tasty and sweet.”

Elena, Saratov: “I tried to grow Vitamin 6 carrots. There were no problems with growing them. The kids loved the sweet taste of carrots. Everyone also liked the freshly squeezed juice.”

Igor, Perm: “A neighbor shared some Vitamin 6 seeds. I planted the seeds in May and they all sprouted. Harvested in August. The roots are smooth, not cracked. The pulp is juicy and sweet. I was pleased with the variety."

Conclusion

The Vitaminnaya 6 carrot variety is unpretentious, develops successfully and gives a good harvest in almost all regions of Russia. The variety tolerates light frosts and drought well. Excellent taste attracts farmers. The large amount of vitamins in root vegetables makes them healthy.