Planting carrots for the winter: the basic rules

The Sowing of carrots in the winter, has some obvious advantages compared to planting seeds in spring. First, there is an opportunity to collect an early harvest – on average, the vegetables planted in the fall, ripen 2-3 weeks earlier. A young carrot – is a real storehouse of vitamins and healthy fiber. In addition, freshly picked carrots are very tasty and juicy, so it doesn't even need to cook. The whole family and even small children who are usually very picky eaters, love to consume this root vegetable in huge quantities. Secondly, the sowing before winter carrots frees you from having to do the work in the spring. During the beginning of the gardening season have to deal with many things, therefore planted in the autumn garden beds will partly facilitate this period. You haven't once Pat yourself on the back for such foresight. In addition, the fall much more free time, so you can do everything slowly and according to the rules. Thirdly, gathering an early harvest, you can save space for other early-maturing crops such as radishes, greens, salads or herbs. Thus, it is possible to obtain two harvests per season with one square.

Place of sowing

Planting carrots under winter should be made on that ground, which used to be just freed from snow. This culture prefers loose, rich soil, slightly acidic or neutral. Plot it is advisable to choose a horizontal (it is not stagnant melt water) and protected from the wind. So the seeds will not be blown and washed away. Preferably, at the place previously grown onions, potatoes or cabbage – the best predecessors.

Sowing Time of carrot

Here will have to rely on the climatic conditions in your region. The most important rule when choosing the planting time – the seeds should not germinate before the cold weather. If the autumn is warm and on a bed of sprouts hatch, the early crop will have to forget.

Top class

For autumn sowing it is best to choose the seeds of special varieties of carrot – cold-hardy, early-ripening or mid-season. The most common varieties:

• Nantes-4. Age – 60 days. Can grow on different soils. Root vegetables are tasty and juicy.
• The Vitamin-6. This variety contains a large amount of carotene. The flesh is juicy and sweet. The minimum ripening, high productivity.
• Moscow winter. This variety prefers traditionally, most farmers in the Central part of Russia.
• Santana-2461. Very undemanding variety, tolerates the cold and the lack of the necessary amount of water.

Fit

The Sowing of carrots for the winter should begin with soil preparation. It is necessary to dig, loosen and fertilize. Welcome soil sawdust. The grooves must be done deeper than in spring planting, approximately 4-6 cm Spacing between rows can be left the same as usual, i.e. 20 cm, but the number of seeds should be increased as the germination will be lower. Then the bed is covered with a film or other material, later it snowed.

And the last rule: sowing carrots in the winter, can not be made on soils which in the current year or the year before fresh fertilized with organic fertilizers. This food will only damage the roots, and the crop will not fall short of your expectations.