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Whatever you decide to grow in your garden, you certainly want to have the best possible harvest . When it comes to carrots, take care already when sowing them. We will advise you how to sow them so you have plenty to give away. Carrots love cultivated fertile soil, so prepare ideal conditions for them even before sowing.
The right time to plant
Early carrots are most often sown in March – April. We always grow them by direct sowing, because they cannot tolerate transplanting.
How to prepare the soil before sowing
Carrots do best in moister conditions and need looser, warming, weed-free, loamy-sandy soil rich in humus. Since it is a root vegetable, its root grows deep into the soil. If we loosened the soil in autumn before sowing carrots, remove any stones and hard clods. The soil should be fine to avoid deforming the carrots or slowing their growth. Make furrows in the ground and if the soil is too dry, pour water into them. When the water soaks in, you can start sowing. Beware of fertilizing with fresh stable manure! Carrots cannot tolerate it and the roots will then crack and become deformed.
Guaranteed high yield
To be sure that carrot seeds will germinate, pre-sprout the seeds. It’s really simple and success is almost 100% guaranteed. Just soak the carrot seeds in water and leave them in it from evening until morning. The next day transfer them onto a damp cloth and keep them covered in it until shoots appear. At this stage mix the seeds with finely sieved substrate and sow them on the bed.
Mix carrots with this vegetable
This planting trick is worth knowing – you’ll kill two birds with one stone . Besides saving you the trouble of thinning carrots, you make full use of the beds. Just mix the carrot seeds with radish seeds. Radish matures much earlier, so by the time you harvest the carrots the soil will already be free. Moreover, these two vegetables are compatible.
Speed up growth
If you want to speed up carrot growth, it’s good to cover them with plastic after sowing. You will keep them warm and the seeds will germinate better.
Carrots do well if they have onions nearby, so feel free to plant them around the perimeter of each carrot bed . They repel pests and the carrots will be healthier. When carrot seedlings have about 4 leaves, you should start thinning them. Early varieties are thinned to about 4 cm, later ones to about 9 cm. Don’t forget to regularly loosen the soil around the carrots and remove weeds. With proper care and following these guidelines you can look forward to a tasty and abundant harvest.
