Popular early varieties of carrots
Experienced gardeners try to grow vegetables in their garden plot, the harvest of which can be harvested all summer. To do this, they acquire plant seeds with different ripening periods. Carrots of early ripeness are very popular, which are used not only raw, but also used for canning and freezing.
Kinds
In the age of high technology, breeders have learned to breed improved vegetables with high yields and unpretentiousness. When breeding new hybrids of carrots, experts rely on the ripening time of the vegetable. According to this requirement, three categories of carrot varieties are distinguished: early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. Early-ripening carrots ripen two months after the first shoots, while late-ripening carrots bear fruit only four months after seeding.
In order to acquire the best early carrot seeds, it is important to carefully study the growing conditions of carrots. Early varieties have good tolerance to low ambient temperatures, but require constant watering and fertilizing.
In addition, when choosing seeds, you need to consider the region in which they will be planted. The productivity of the root crop depends on climatic conditions. Early ripe carrots in open ground bear fruit best in the south of the country and in central Russia.
How to grow?
Novice gardeners should study well the rules for choosing seeds, as well as the advice of experts on planting and caring for carrots.The main thing for a beginner is to properly prepare the seat.
The root crop can be planted in open ground in several ways.
- Flat fit - for this method, it is only necessary to dig up the earth, clear it of stones and level it. This method is most often used in small areas to accommodate as many useful crops as possible. A flat bed is inconvenient in that you have to act very carefully to water it, thin it out and harvest it.
- Line garden - is a hole in the garden. This method is convenient because for watering root crops you need to pour water directly into the groove, and not water the entire garden. In addition, row beds are easy to care for: fertilize and hill up.
- high rise - to make such a bed, you need to build a frame and fill it with fertile soil. This method is good because root crops can be planted close to each other, since the roots of plants in such a bed will grow down. And this will reduce the appearance of weeds.
Before starting planting, a novice gardener needs to prepare planting material. Some varieties require special hardening and disinfection, which can be found in the description on the package.
If the seeds have a special factory shell, pre-treatment is not required. Such planting material can be safely planted in the ground without resorting to soaking it.
Soaking carrot seeds occurs according to the following principle: first, they are kept in warm water for two hours, and then placed in wet gauze and left for a day. This procedure will allow you to double the grains. So that the planting material does not stick together during soaking, it must be mixed with a small amount of fine sand.This will greatly facilitate the planting of the root crop.
Whatever method of planting carrots is chosen, as soon as the first shoots appear on the surface of the soil, the gardener can evaluate the planting density. If the distance between the ascended plants is too small, then they must be thinned out. At the same time, only the weakest shoots should be removed, and 5-8 cm should be left between them.
Plants can be thinned out only when their height has reached at least 7 cm. And after removing excess seedlings, it is necessary to water the beds abundantly.
Another important criterion for growing large and healthy carrots is feeding. It should be done at least 5 times a season. In this case, the first top dressing must be introduced into the soil at the time of loosening the earth, when the carrot sprouts will give the first leaves.
It is important to correctly make the first watering. To do this, take a small watering can with an elongated spout. And to achieve an effective effect of fertilizers, you need to make small grooves between seedlings.
With each subsequent top dressing, it is necessary to reduce the amount of nitrate in the treated liquid. And the last two feedings are better to do without her participation.
Varietal diversity
Early ripe carrots should be distinguished not only by a short ripening time, but also by an impressive storage time. Several varieties can boast of these important properties.
- "Alenka" - a hybrid characterized by a high yield and medium early ripening. It is possible to harvest Alenka root crops already 2.5 months after the first sprouts germinate. A mature carrot measures approximately 14 cm and averages 3.5 cm in diameter.This carrot stands out for its pleasant taste, and therefore it is often used not only for preparing various dishes, but also for introducing complementary foods to young children. The root crop "Alenka" is distinguished by a pleasant aroma, sweetish taste and the ability to be stored for a long time, being in a cold room. This species can bring up to 13 kg of crop from one small garden, so it is he who is most often planted by Russian gardeners.
- "Amsterdamskaya" - the most early-ripening carrots, which can be grown both in greenhouse conditions and in open areas. "Amsterdam" root crops have a rich orange color and weigh approximately 125 g. The length of carrots can be 14-15 cm. This variety is good because it does not have to be fed and watered often, besides, the roots of this variety do not crack.
- "Boltex" - a universal early ripening species that brings a crop already two months after landing on a land plot. Root vegetables have a juicy sweetened taste, so they can be used not only to create delicious dishes, but also eaten raw. A distinctive feature of "Boltex" is the ability of the fruit to maintain integrity even after overripe in the soil. It can be grown in the Urals, Siberia and other places with a cold climate.
- "The Bureau" - can be stored for a very long time, while maintaining its original taste. The fruits ripen 2.5-3 months after the germination of the first shoots and have an elongated even shape. Their average length is 15 cm.
- "Mango" - has a long shelf life. These carrots can retain their original taste even after six months of storage at low temperatures. The fruits weigh approximately 110 g and grow to an average of 16 cm.They ripen 2.5 months after germination.
- "Nantes-4" - sweet early-growing carrots, the first fruits of which can be harvested already 51-56 days after germination. They can stay in the soil for a long time without cracking or overgrowing. The size of carrots reaches 13 cm with a weight of 95-110 g.
- "Red As" - refers to the medium-early species, the fruits of which can be assessed 3 months after the appearance of the first sprouts. Due to their versatility, carrots can be eaten fresh, as well as harvested. The advantage of the Red As variety lies in the presence of a pleasant taste and the ability to withstand low temperatures.
- "Touchon" - this variety is suitable for planting in open ground in early April, which makes it popular among many gardeners. Carrots can reach a length of 21 cm and weigh more than 140 g. They are often used to create culinary recipes and spins, as they have a pronounced sweet taste.
- "Shantane" - has a high yield and bears fruits of an even elongated shape. The carrot of this hybrid grows up to 23-26 cm and has a weight of more than 280 g. It ripens 3 months after germination and can be used for transportation.
- "Carotel Parisian" - a variety with a short shelf life, and therefore carrots are eaten immediately or used to make spins. It can be grown in the Moscow region and in the southern regions of the country. Root crops have a length of no more than 4 cm and a weight of 40-45 g. They are grown due to their unpretentiousness and pleasant taste.
Despite the varieties of early ripe varieties of carrots, according to gardeners, the best are Bureau, Amsterdam and Nantes. They are chosen due to their high yield and sweetish taste.
For information on which variety of carrots is suitable for early sowing, see the following video.