Sowing carrots before winter: when and how to properly plant, which variety to choose

There is not much trickery in planting carrots in the fall, and yet there are some nuances that matter during this period. So that the procedure does not turn out to be time-consuming and costly, it will not be superfluous to pay attention to the choice of individual varieties of carrots for winter sowing, suitable timing and place for growing.

You will read below how to properly take into account all these subtleties, as well as all the recommendations for direct sowing and further care in the fall.

What is the point of sowing carrots before winter: advantages

Some gardeners do not quite understand why sowing carrots in the fall, if it can be done in the spring. However, all the advantages of such a winter sowing, in principle, are quite clear:

• saving time in spring;
• getting an earlier harvest;
• plants grow more resistant to diseases and pests, especially when it comes tocarrot fly.

Important! The only drawback sowing carrots before winter, there is a risk that if you planted too early, thaws may come, because of which the seeds will germinate, and then they will most likely be grabbed and killed by frost.

Carrot varieties for winter sowing

Important! It should be said right away that not all varieties of carrot seeds are suitable for sowing before winter, especially it concerns early varietieswhich germinate very quickly. The fact is that as a result of the arrival of the thaw, the seedlings may freeze, and then, naturally, you will not get any harvest in the spring.

Accordingly, if you decide to sow carrots in the fall, then when buying seeds, be sure to carefully study the packaging. The instructions for cultivation (agricultural technology) must necessarily state that this variety is suitable for sowing before winter.

Advice! It is very practical to buy pelleted (granulated) seeds, which already contain growth stimulants and all the necessary fertilizers for fast, confident germination and further growth. In addition, they are much easier to sow than regular, very small seeds. However, it should be understood that the price will also be much higher. But still, the benefits are on the face!

Among the varieties of carrots suitable for sowing before winter, the following are distinguished:

• Moscow winter A 515;
• Nantes Improved Sugar;
• Nantes 4;
• Nantic Resistaflay F1;
• Nandrin F1;
• F1 nectar;
• Incomparable;
• Chantenay royal;
• Chantenay 2461;
• Losinoostrovskaya 13;
• Vitamin 6;
• Children's sweet;
• Pretty girl.

And only you need to choose a specific variety of carrots for winter sowing from the ones presented - depending on your personal preferences and growing goals.

When to sow carrots before winter: optimal timing

It is very important to sow carrots in the winter at the right time. To do this, you need to follow the weather forecast and take your time. Sowing seeds is recommended only when the temperature drops to +5 degrees and below. More precisely, you need to wait until the earth grasps and becomes solid, and not loose (damp and warm).

Note! In no case should you sow earlier - when the temperature, for example, is still confidently kept at around +6 .. + 11 degrees.

If you land ahead of time, this is what happens. Namely, the seeds, once in the moist and warm ground, "think" that spring has come and will begin to germinate. When frosts hit, they will simply freeze.

As for the approximate timing of sowing carrots before winter, then, for example, in the middle lane (Moscow region) you can start from the second half of October (and even earlier in the Urals and Siberia, from the second half of September) and until November, although, in principle, you you can do it even in December and January.

Important! If, according to the weather forecast, thaws are foreseen in the near future, then the landing should be postponed and postponed to a later date. As a rule, it is November on average.

By the way! You can even plant it when it snows. You just need to clear it from a previously prepared bed (grooves), for example, with the same broom.

How to sow carrots correctly in the fall before winter: tips and tricks, as well as step by step instructions

In general, the most important thing when planting carrots in autumn is to choose the right time (weather) for sowing and the right seeds. You should also choose the optimal place for growing and prepare the bed (s) in advance.

Landing place

It is very important for sowing carrots in winter to find a sufficiently calm and well-lit place on the site (all root crops, including beets, need a lot of sun, because you want orange, not yellow carrots?). Moreover, it is advisable to place the garden bed on a small hill so that this area becomes free of snow as soon as possible. It is also necessary that the bed be flat (the surface is horizontal) and without a slope, so that the spring melt water does not wash out the seeds.

The soil for sowing and growing carrots requires light (loose) and fertile (loamy or sandy loam). As for acidity, the earth should be neutral or slightly acidic. It is on such a soil that the highest yield can be obtained.

When it comes to crop rotation, it is best to sow carrots after the following crops:

• early potatoes;
• early cabbage;
• pumpkin and other melons;
• cucumbers;
• onion and garlic.

Note! The worst predecessor is the carrot itself. It is recommended to sow it in the same place not earlier than after 3-4 years.

By the way, you can plant onions along with carrots. Parsley is also perfect for joint sowing. You can still plant beets of non-shooting winter varieties.

By the way! Our website has detailed articles about planting onions for the winter, and parsley... Moreover onions on greens and parsley, in general, you can grow at home on the windowsill.

Preparing the beds (furrows) and land

Preparing a garden bed is quite simple. To do this, you must first clean it from plant residues of previous crops and spend deep digging on the bayonet of the shovel, while it is desirable to add 1 sq. organic fertilizer bed meter - up to 3-4 kg excellent humus and 1 glass wood ash, or mineral - 1-2 tbsp. superphosphatea (20-40 grams) and 1 tbsp. spoon potassium sulfate (15 grams).

It is necessary to prepare the grooves for the autumn sowing of carrots in advance, when the soil is still loose (damp and warm), so to speak, while it can still be cultivated and processed.

The depth of the grooves for winter sowing of carrots is standard - about 2 cm (although some gardeners are recommended to sow 2 times deeper - after all, the earth will still settle than with spring sowing, that is, 3-5 centimeters), the distance between the seeds is 3-4 cm.The interval between the grooves is 10-20 centimeters (with the future thinning).

Advice! To prevent the grooves from blurring the autumn rains, the bed should be covered with something, for example, with a film. And on the sides it will be wise to fix it with bricks.

By the way! Before winter, carrot seeds can, in general, be sown on the surface of the soil, without making any grooves. It is recommended to simply sprinkle them on top with loose earth, the bucket of which will have to be prepared in advance and kept warm. Then cover with spunbond so that the crops are not washed away in winter. And in the spring, when all the snow has already melted, the spunbond will need to be removed promptly.

Direct sowing

Step-by-step instructions for sowing carrot seeds before winter:

1. Purchase seeds of suitable varieties.
2. Prepare the beds in advance (grooves - 2-5 cm deep), while the soil is still loose and easy to cultivate.
3. Wait until the temperature drops to +5 degrees and stabilizes with a further decrease. Remember to sow on frozen ground when thaws are no longer expected.
4. Sow seeds 3-4 cm apart in grooves or directly on the ground. Sow more often in autumn, since the weakest seeds die in winter and do not germinate.
5. Fill with loose and not frozen soil (best of all purchased on the basis of peat or compost with the addition of sand, but it is also allowed just garden).

Video: winter sowing of carrots

Further care for carrots after winter sowing

Further, no hassle of caring for the crops will be required from you, since the seeds will "sleep" in the ground all winter until the spring thaws, and then they will begin to germinate.

Often many gardeners complain that winter carrots go to the arrow in the spring. As a rule, this happens either due to the sowing of low-quality seeds, or due to the stress that occurs due to the long stay of seeds in cold soil. Nevertheless, it is recommended to sow carrots in the frozen soil so that the seeds do not germinate (remain cold and dry) until spring. And, as always, thaws are not excluded, and therefore stress.

Note! You need to take care of podwinny carrots in exactly the same way as for spring carrots, so the following detailed articles will help you:

• general about the rules of growing and care;
• rules and methods of thinning;
• proper watering;
• protection against carrot flies;
• timing and rules of harvesting;
• and how to store it.

It is also helpful to know in advance why does carrots get gnarled, horny, hairy (hairy) and cracking in the ground.

Only by properly sowing carrots before winter, you are guaranteed to be able to expect early friendly shoots and a good harvest. And for this, it is necessary to take into account the variety of carrots, and the right time for sowing, and the place for further cultivation.

Video: how to sow carrots correctly before winter