Gardener's cheat sheet or what, when and how to sow and plant

First, some general information.“Sitting on the full moon is food for worms” - that’s what the wise ancestors said, and that’s what they say now moon calendar. Everything that grows upward is planted when the Moon is waxing, and everything that grows downward is planted when the Moon is waning. Plants with round fruits are best planted closer to the full moon.

At noon from 12 to 14 o'clock it is better not to plant or sow anything. Before 12, it is best to plant and sow onions, beets, sorrel, parsley, lettuce, dill, cucumbers, zucchini, sunflowers, corn, melons, watermelons. On a sunny day, place soaked onion sets on the garden bed for planting onions. From 14:00 it is better to plant carrots, potatoes, onions, cabbage, seedlings of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, wild strawberries, strawberries, and garlic.

First of all, parsley, lettuce, dill, sorrel, carrots, onions, garlic, spinach, and cilantro are planted.

Secondly, after the frost has passed, radishes, peas, beets, potatoes, and corn are planted.

Last but not least - cucumbers, pumpkin, beans, eggplants, basil, zucchini, squash, peppers, tomatoes.

Have a good harvest!

How to plant radishes in open ground? The question seems to be one of the most common. After all, it’s as easy as shelling pears to pour seeds into the beds, water them periodically, and then harvest. Many people do this. True, it’s difficult to call it a harvest. We ate what grew.

But I want large, juicy radishes. So that it is piquant, but without bitterness. And every now and then you hear from your acquaintances that she was not born, she went to hell, she was dry. Sometimes an incomprehensible root grows on your site instead of a beautiful root crop. So what should I do?

It turns out that you can write a whole treatise on growing radishes. This unpretentious culture has some peculiarities. They must be taken into account. Let's figure it out?

Landing dates

You can plant radishes in open ground all year round. Yes, yes, in winter too. True, it germinates only when the temperature rises to +7°C. But first things first. Let's look at each season.

Spring. As soon as a couple of centimeters of snow remains on the bed, sprinkle it with ash or cover it with black film (cloth, material). This will allow the soil to warm up sufficiently. And you can plant. In the middle zone it is approximately mid-March.

When the snow melts, radishes are sown directly into the moist soil in early April. Then new plantings are done every 12 days. Such a conveyor will allow you to eat root vegetables constantly.

May is the most suitable month for sowing radishes. The day is still too short, and the temperature allows us to do without additional shelter.

Summer. The planting season continues using the conveyor method. The only rule is that from 19.00 to 7.00 the bed will have to be covered to completely block access to sunlight. This could be thick fabric on the arches, a cardboard box, or black film. In short, whatever is at hand. They do this throughout June and the first half of July. In August, this procedure is not necessary because daylight hours are shortened.

Autumn. Late-ripening varieties are planted until mid-September. October is an exception. It is too warm for planting, and the radishes will not ripen until frost sets in. But at this time, you can prepare the beds and collect soil in bags or buckets to fill the winter beds. But November is the time for winter planting.

It is advisable to wait until the ground freezes to a depth of at least 5 cm. Otherwise, the seeds will germinate and will be killed by frost.

Winter. Remember the beds prepared in October? You can remove snow from them throughout the cold season. Then you need to sow radishes, cover them with prepared soil in a layer of no more than 5 cm. Throw snow back on top and wait for spring warming.

Such plantings emerge 3 weeks earlier than in spring. This is definitely a plus. After all, fresh vitamins are always appreciated when the greens are just sprouting in the garden.

The soil

Over time, the landings sorted out. Now let's talk about the land. Radishes love... no, not just any kind. To obtain large and even root crops, the soil must be loose and well fertilized. By the way, it is strictly forbidden to apply manure under radishes! The roots will be very large, dry and hollow.

It is better to add potassium. Ash for example. Any potassium-containing mineral fertilizer can be used. Just check the packaging to ensure there is no excess nitrogen. Otherwise the radish will be clumsy and bitter.

Feeding during the growing season is not needed if the land is well prepared. Naturally, crop rotation must be observed. Radishes cannot be planted after cruciferous vegetables; they have the same diseases and pests. For the same reason, white mustard is not sown under it as green manure.

They dig up the soil and harrow it with a rake. Then the beds are drawn at a distance of 10 cm from each other. Depth 5-5.5 cm. The bottom of the groove can be dusted with ash or clean sand. It’s just that the radish seeds are dark, and this way they will be clearly visible.

Instead of drawing beds with improvised tools, it is better to make yourself a special marker. It is a board on which pegs are filled according to a 5 by 5 cm pattern. These can be specially prepared twigs, teeth from a rake for turning hay, sticks from an old crib.

Such a board is pressed to the surface of the prepared bed and stepped on with your foot. Then they carefully pull it out, creating holes. It is very convenient to place seeds in them. And then you won’t have to pull apart the seedlings.

Advice. Such a board will always come in handy around the house. Especially if you make the pegs removable or prepare several different ones for sowing carrots, beets, and radishes. For planting seedlings in a greenhouse, this is generally an irreplaceable thing.

Most gardeners are used to doing what? They drew a furrow and watered it. Then they scatter the seeds... like the bond sower in the famous work - in handfuls, and thicker! Maybe we'll pull it apart later.

We consider this method to be an inappropriate expense. seed material. And high-quality ones are very expensive these days. Even old radish seeds germinate almost 99%. So why partake? When pulling, there is a high risk of damaging the roots of other plants. Or you’ll be a few days late and they’ll immediately start to stretch out.

Some even plant radishes as seedlings. Why all this dancing with picking and replanting, damaging the root system? Super early ripening varieties take only 20 days from germination to technical ripeness. What to plant there? And when do root crops gain juiciness and weight if you continually pick them out of the ground and push them back? You don’t need any of this, it’s not eggplant after all.

The correct procedure for classic planting in mid-April (middle band):

• We drew grooves in the prepared soil, about 6-6.5 cm deep.
• Water thoroughly with clean water.
• The bottom was sprinkled with ash.
• Spread the radish seeds at a distance of 5 cm.
• Sprinkled with a layer of loose dry soil 3-3.5 cm.
• Press lightly with your palm.

Why dry? Because sprinkling it wet creates a thick crust on the surface. You can’t loosen it, in case the shoots are already close. And the crust itself is an almost insurmountable barrier for young sprouts.

If everything is done correctly, seedlings will appear within 5-6 days. Some sources recommend germinating seeds before sowing. Could be so. But in principle, there is enough moisture in the soil for normal swelling and germination.

If you want to start germination, first soak the seeds for 3 hours in a warm solution of any biogrowth stimulator. Not at hand? No problem, use plain water. Next, the seeds are laid out on a damp cotton cloth or paper napkin. In a day they will begin to germinate, now you can start planting. Just don’t tighten it, otherwise the roots will become intertwined and there is a risk of breaking them.

By the way, it is enough to make row spacing no more than 10-11 cm. Someone will say, but what about cutting? No way. During the growing season of radishes, the grass will not have time to grow. And what comes up is easy to pull out with your hands.

If you are too lazy to bother with laying out the seeds in the beds, then make yourself some ribbons. They are simply laid out on the bottom of wet beds and covered with soil. Unlike the classical method - first wet and only then dry on top.

Where can I get the tapes? Buy or make it yourself. To do this, take thin toilet paper. Using paste and a toothpick, glue the seeds in rows at the required distance. Dry, cut into strips and store until sowing.

Some people find it inconvenient to lay long strips. Or the rows are short drawn. And what prevents you from cutting them into short pieces with scissors? Or use kitchen napkins instead of paper. When wet, they spread easily and do not block the way for the sprouts. Plus they are short.

Watering rules

Radishes begin to be watered only after germination. Otherwise, a film will form on the surface, which will interfere with the sprouts. Further, there are no strict recommendations for watering. There is no specific schedule either.

Every day soak the soil until well moistened. In rainy weather, you can skip watering. In the heat - not possible. Radish likes to drink a lot. Do you want to get a wonderful harvest? Don't skimp on liquids.

Features of autumn planting

There is a misconception that only late-ripening varieties of radishes are planted in the ground in the fall. Who made this rule? Today we will break the prohibitions. And we calmly plant ultra-early ripening varieties. We care for them in the same way as during spring planting.

Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised. And you will look forward to next fall to repeat the experiment. After all, root vegetables often turn out to be of much higher quality and tastier than summer ones. This is due to shortening daylight hours and lack of high temperatures. After all, root vegetables are best grown at +19-21°C.

The thermometer shows below - the plant is suspended in development. You can put arcs and cover them with film or non-woven material. The root crops will have time to ripen. The only thing is that they are not stored in the cellar for as long as late-ripening varieties do. And with proper storage, you can enjoy your radishes even in January!

1. Instead of soaking, place the seeds in a fabric bag or simply wrap them in gauze. Then they dig in at a depth of about 19-21 cm. After 5 days, they are taken out and planted. They say this method allows the seeds to be saturated with moisture and the vital energy of the earth. We don’t know about energy, but as a preliminary germination the method is quite acceptable. True, a little dirty. But there are no real gardeners with clean hands and a chic manicure.
2. In spring and winter, you can plant radishes in tree trunks. They will not yet have time to completely bloom the foliage, but the harvest will already be ripe. So shading won't happen.
3. To collect all root crops at the same time, you will have to calibrate the seeds. If the timing of harvesting is not critical, for example, not for sale, but only for yourself, then you can plant everything. Because large ones germinate faster, and accordingly, the root crop will ripen earlier. For calibration, use a colander or a sieve with large cells. You can also ask your children and grandchildren to sort them out, so they can get accustomed to work.
4. There are recommendations to sprinkle the beds with peat after sowing. We strongly advise against doing this. Peat is a mulching material. It retains moisture well from the inside. But it also blocks out the penetration of sunlight from outside. Put a little more layer - and you will wait a very long time for germination. If you cover it with too thin a layer, all the moisture will evaporate very quickly, and there simply won’t be enough for the seeds.
5. When planting in early spring, simultaneously with covering with dark materials, it is advisable to treat the bed with em-preparations. Only no later than 5 days before sowing. Microorganisms will help the earth wake up and begin to work fruitfully for your benefit.

How to plant radishes in open ground? It turns out that using special technology. We have described many methods. You just need to choose the one that suits you personally. Then there will be no hassle and you will get an excellent harvest.

Video: early planting of radishes in open ground

Various varieties of cabbage have become traditional in domestic gardens. It is unpretentious, resilient and does not require complex care. You can plant it by growing seedlings. However, this is not suitable for all species. Some do not grow well at home, and it is not always possible to use a greenhouse for this. It is better to plant the seeds directly in open ground.

This method is also used to obtain seedlings. It is recommended to use it for cabbage and Beijing varieties, broccoli or kohlrabi.

Land preparation

Precursors for this vegetable are suitable:

• potato;
• garlic;
• cucumbers;
• legumes;
• carrot.

If predecessor garden crops were grown without the use of organic fertilizers (like legumes or carrots), then it is recommended to add organic matter to the soil before planting cabbage seeds. After cucumbers or other vegetables grown using fertilizing, additional fertilizer is not used.

It is not recommended to sow seeds in areas where cruciferous crops preceded:

• radish;
• arugula;
• radish.

In such an area, cabbage crops are resumed after three years.

If the soil is depleted, 3 to 4 buckets of humus (or peat) per square meter are added to it before sowing the seeds. Acidic soil is limed (in autumn with fluff lime or in spring with dolomite flour).

A properly prepared plot is a condition for obtaining a cabbage harvest. Before sowing, the beds are dug up, the roots of weeds are removed and the earthen clods are broken. If the area was dug up in the autumn, this procedure is repeated before planting again.

When loosened, oxygen enters the soil, which is important for the rooting and development of plants. For this purpose, digging forks are used, which do not cut the roots of the weeds (so as not to contribute to their reproduction).

Arugula depletes the soil, and cabbage can only be planted after it after 3 years

Time

Planting dates are determined depending on the type, variety of cabbage and climatic regional characteristics. Early varieties are cold-resistant and can withstand spring frosts down to -5 degrees. They are not suitable for long-term storage; they are eaten immediately. Their growing season is 3-3.5 months.

In the first ten days of April, it is recommended to cover the open ground with polyethylene so that by the middle of the month it warms up and the seeds can be sown. Do not use non-woven fabric that warms up slowly. This method is suitable for the Voronezh or Saratov regions, where temperatures below zero in the spring are less likely. When sown in early April, the harvest is harvested in the third decade of July.

In central Russia, early cabbage can often be sown in open ground only in the first ten days of May. In the southern regions (Rostov, Krasnodar regions), planting seeds in open ground is possible in early March. Then the harvest is harvested at the end of June.

Starting in May, seeds are sown in open ground, not covered with film. In the Ural and Siberian regions, spring frosts last longer than in European territory, so it is difficult to sow early cabbage directly into the beds.

Pekinka and kohlrabi can be planted until the last ten days of July, as they bear fruit in a short time. For this purpose, areas after harvesting previously ripened vegetables are also used. Kohlrabi seeds are planted at the end of June.

In case of cold weather, the sprouts can be covered with cut plastic bottles

Preparation of planting material

For sowing, healthy seeds are selected, without breaking the shell and having the correct shape. To disinfect, they are immersed for 20 minutes in warm water (temperature 50 degrees), then in cold water (no more than 2 minutes). Afterwards it is dried to a free-flowing state.

Before planting, they are immersed for half an hour in a dark pink manganese solution. After a few minutes, rinse under running water to get rid of excess manganese. This substance harms the sprouts, prevents iron from being absorbed and can cause rot of the root system.

When the seeds are washed, they are placed in soaked and wrung out gauze. Then leave for 24 hours at a temperature of 20 degrees. It is not recommended to keep them for longer than a day. Cabbage seeds quickly shed their shells and in this form have difficulty taking root.

If planting material inlaid (painted), then it has already been processed. Such seeds are sown dry in open ground.

Cabbage seeds should be inspected and poor quality ones should be discarded.

Boarding procedure

In pre-formed beds, the soil is leveled using a rake. To sow seeds, make holes in the soil. A small amount of dolomite flour (or ash) is placed in each of them. It is possible to use fresh manure.

Then the holes are watered. It is necessary to moisten the soil by 20 centimeters. In sunny weather, leave them for an hour or an hour and a half to warm up the indentations.

This watering is carried out in several stages. Then the depressions are lightly sprinkled with soil, “nests” are made and several cabbage seeds (3-4 each) are planted in each at a depth of 1 to 2 centimeters. Once the seeds are planted, cover them with a glass container.

For planting kohlrabi, Peking and early varieties seeds white cabbage use a 25 by 45 centimeter scheme. When planting broccoli, the pattern is 35 by 60 centimeters.

If you plant the seeds too close, some of the seedlings will have to be thinned out

Care

When sprouts appear from the seeds, the strongest ones are left. The weak ones are plucked out rather than pulled out, so as not to damage the root system of the rest. Only one sprout remains in the hole. After thinning, glass containers are used to cover the plantings until the plants feel crowded under them.

When the seedlings take root and develop, install slug protection made from the tops of plastic bottles.

Cabbage is watered regularly. Fertilizers are also added - humus or manure (aqueous solution 1 to 10). The beds are also watered with nettle infusion (5 kilograms of nettles are poured with water in a barrel and fermented). After each watering, the area is loosened, and the grown heads of cabbage are hilled up.

In room conditions, the sprouts appear pale and unviable and quickly wither. Planting cabbage requires cold and light. This can be done outside.

The flower box is filled with soil and the cabbage seed material is sown scattered. Cover the top lightly with soil and water generously. The box is immediately taken out onto an open balcony or installed in the garden. For installation, choose a place under the sun's rays.

Polyethylene is stretched over the top. Sprouts will appear in a week and a half. It is better to transplant them into the garden early, when one or two leaves have already appeared.

• The “cold seedling” method allows you to obtain persistent and viable seedlings
• Early ripening varieties do not last long in open ground. In this case, the vegetables become covered with cracks.
• In order for early plantings to ripen faster, they are stimulated with the growth vitamin “Gumi” or another.

To control pests, chemicals are used only on late varieties. To treat summer varieties, spray with garlic tincture. Knowing how to properly prepare the seeds and knowing the growing time, it is easy to get large vegetables and a rich harvest. Can be grown in Russian in the open ground even more whimsical varieties - cauliflower or kohlrabi.

Carrots are perhaps one of the most beloved and often grown root vegetables in summer cottages. It is difficult to imagine traditional home cooking without this colorful ingredient: many varieties of this garden crop can be stored fresh for a long time, representing an invaluable source of microelements and vitamins during the winter season. Is it easy to cultivate carrots on your plot? Growing and caring for this vegetable crop in open ground has a number of features. Despite the apparent simplicity of this process, we must not forget that carrots are a rather capricious vegetable. Unsuitable conditions, untimely watering or fertilizing will lead to the fact that instead of smooth, juicy carrots, at best you will get a harvest of fodder vegetables. Therefore, it is so important not only to know how to plant carrots with seeds, but also how to provide the root crops with proper watering, care, and protection from pests. When should sowing begin? What do novice gardeners need to know in order to grow beautiful and tasty carrots? Planting and care in open ground, methods of preliminary seed preparation and simple proven methods of protection against natural enemies of this root crop are collected in this article.

When is the best time to start planting carrots?

The time to sow carrots in open ground largely depends on the variety of root crop. Conventionally, they are usually divided according to ripening periods. This:

• early ripening or early varieties of carrots, in which the growing season begins 50-60 days after germination;
• mid-season (from 90 to 110 days);
• late (late ripening) - from 120 days;

Certain varieties are quite suitable for winter sowing under film. These include, for example, the well-proven “Moscow Winter”, “Amsterdamskaya”, “Incomparable”, very tender carrots “Children's Sweetness”, the hybrid “Baby F1”, the cold-resistant variety “Parizhskaya Karotel” and other early and mid-season varieties. The optimal time for winter planting of seeds can be determined independently. Summer residents who have been practicing this growing method for many years recommend waiting for the first slight freezing of the soil, 3-5 cm deep. This will avoid untimely germination. You can safely begin to germinate overwintered carrots in the second half of April. To do this, a small greenhouse or simply arcs covered with film are installed above the bed, after which the seeds are provided with intensive watering.

The time for regular spring sowing, of course, should be determined taking into account the climatic characteristics of a particular region. Particular attention should be paid to such characteristics as the ability for long-term storage. For juicy early ripening varieties, such as, for example, carrots “Tushon”, “Lydia F1”, “Minicore F1” and similar varieties, this quality is not important. For winter stocks of this vegetable, it is preferable to choose those that retain their properties for a long time: varieties of the “Nantes”, “Orange Muscat” and “Fairy” varieties, suitable for April planting, “Chantane” or any late varieties.

If we focus on the conditions of the middle zone, then to grow the first crop rich in vitamins, it is preferable to sow early varieties of carrots no later than the end of April. That is, starting around the 20-25th. Juicy early ripening varieties are perfect for this: “Amsterdamskaya”, “Orange Muscat”, very sweet carrots “Touchon”, “Lyubimaya” and others.

For a “reserve” harvest, carrots should be planted no earlier than May, preferably in the middle of the month. In this case, it is recommended to choose varieties that are late or mid-ripening, but always with a long period of preservation of all the properties of the root crop. For example, mid-season carrots “Alenka”, “Nantes”, “Leander”, “Grenada”, “Vitaminnaya” can “survive the winter” very well. Almost all late varieties can, if properly stored, last the entire winter season and remain tasty and healthy until next spring. Good characteristics The popular varieties “Red Giant”, “Queen of Autumn”, “Mo”, “Flakke”, “Incomparable”, “Saint Valerie” and other late-ripening varieties deserved their place. Particular attention should be paid to the “Perfection” variety, which has a high immunity to rotting from moisture.

Stratification and germination

What advice from experienced gardeners should you use to avoid ending up with crooked and tasteless “fodder” carrots? Planting and care in open ground begin with preparing the seeds of this root crop long before they fall into the ground.

First of all, it is worth paying attention to when the seed material was harvested. As a rule, summer residents use purchased seeds or fairly fresh “homemade” seeds collected from last year’s harvest for sowing. If you use purchased ones, then before planting carrot seeds in open ground, you should pay attention to the expiration date stamped on the bag of seed material: a guaranteed good result in the form of an excellent harvest can be obtained from seeds that are no more than 3 years old at the time of sowing. 4 years old.

Next, a reasonable solution would be to preliminary preparation to increase the germination of seed material. This procedure includes preliminary germination and stratification, that is, the period of keeping the seeds in special conditions. How is carrot seed stratification carried out at home? The entire preparation and hardening process will take at least 10 days.

The first thing you need to do is soak the carrot seeds for two hours. The water should be neutral “room” temperature.

After soaking, the seed material is evenly scattered onto a damp cloth. The seeds are also covered with a moistened cloth on top.

They should be kept in the fabric until they swell. All this time the fabric needs to be moistened. Without allowing the seed material to dry out, they need to be carefully mixed from time to time.

As soon as the seeds begin to hatch, they must be placed in the refrigerator. Hardening under such conditions is carried out for 10 days.

There is another, long-known method of pre-germination of seed material. To do this, the seeds are simply poured into a cotton bag and “digged in”, that is, they are buried at a shallow depth in the ground for about 10 days.

Where to plant carrots? Choosing a suitable location on the site

To get a good harvest, you will need to allocate a suitable place on the site for carrot beds that meets all the necessary conditions.

One of the main needs of this vegetable is a lot of sunlight. Carrots grow poorly in the shade and do not taste good.

If winter sowing is planned, then it is necessary to make a bed not only on a lit, but also on an elevated piece of land. This will prevent further erosion of the seeds by melt water.

It is also important what crops grew in this place last year. Carrots cannot be grown for several years in a row in the same bed - the soil is depleted, giving microelements to the root crop, so the soil must be given a “rest” for at least one or two years. In addition, natural enemies of this root crop can be transmitted; pests can remain in the soil from last season. For the same reason, you should not plant carrots after parsley. Beans, caraway seeds, dill, parsnips, and fennel are also considered bad “predecessors”. Carrots grow best after grains, nightshades (tomatoes or potatoes), onions, cucumbers, cabbage, and garlic.

How to prepare the soil for a carrot bed?

Before planting carrot seeds in open ground, the ground should be prepared.

It is best to start preparing the area allocated for spring sowing in the fall. You will need to dig deep and carefully, selecting roots and weed residues, and apply fertilizer. After such preparation in the spring, you will just need to once again loosen the area for the carrot bed and start sowing.

The soil should be fairly light and loose, this will allow the root crop to grow well while maintaining an even shape. Dense soil is best mixed with sand, compost, well-rotted manure or peat.

Particular attention should be paid to the acidity level of the soil. Excessively acidic soil negatively affects the taste of carrots. The optimal Ph level for growing this root vegetable is 6-7. You can achieve the desired acidity by adding known substances to the soil: dolomite flour, wood ash or chalk.

Forming a bed: what distance should be between the rows?

For sowing, you will need to make furrows 2-3 cm deep at a distance of at least 20 cm between the rows. After the grooves are spilled with a small amount of water, the carrot seeds are evenly sifted and sprinkled with earth.

Several convenient ways to sow small carrot seeds

The small size of carrot seed creates certain inconveniences when sowing: light seeds are not easy to pour into the furrow evenly and not too often. Here are some proven, convenient ways to sow small carrot seeds.

One of the quite popular, although requiring patient work, methods is to stick carrot seeds on toilet paper. Many summer residents prefer to spend several winter evenings gluing seeds onto paste (it’s most convenient to do this with a match or a toothpick) and drying the resulting paper strips, so that later, instead of tedious sowing, they can place the “blanks” on toilet paper in the grooves and sprinkle with soil.

It is much faster and easier to stir the seeds with a small amount of sand before sowing. Such seed material is evenly scattered into the groove and does not stick together.

You can sow carrots in a paste made from potato starch. To do this, the seeds are mixed with such cooled potato “jelly” and poured into the grooves through a kettle and sprinkled with earth.

Make seed pellets at home. Seed material in a special shell, which does not require additional germination, has probably been encountered by every summer resident in stores. You can make such a “blank” yourself: cut paper napkins (toilet paper) into small squares, in each of which place a carrot seed with a drop of paste and a granule of a suitable mineral fertilizer. After this, you need to roll up the paper squares and dry them. Such preparations can also be made in winter and stored in a dry place until the start of the sowing period.

Fertilizers and fertilizing

It is necessary to add fertilizers to the soil even before planting carrot seeds in open ground. This can be done even during the autumn preparation of the area allocated for planting this root crop. Of the natural fertilizers, rotted cow manure is well suited for this purpose at the rate of 0.5 buckets per 1 m² of land. It is important to remember that you cannot use fresh manure to fertilize a carrot bed: it will unnecessarily increase the acidity of the soil, which will cause the root crops to grow crooked.

For pre-feeding, you can also use nitrogen fertilizers mixed with phosphates. For example, based on 1 m², you can apply the mixture in the following dosage:

• double superphosphate (granules) - 2 tablespoons;
• dolomite flour - 2 tbsp;
• wood ash - 2 tbsp;
• potassium sulfate - 1 tbsp;
• saltpeter (sodium) - 1 tbsp.

Periodic feeding of carrots can be carried out using a mixture of mineral additives in two stages.

Three weeks after the emergence of seedlings, a solution is added to the soil between the rows at the rate of:

• 1.5 tbsp. l double superphosphate;
• 1 tbsp. l potassium sulfate;
• 1 tsp. urea;
• 10 liters of water.

Half a month after the first feeding, you need to add a solution at the rate of:

• 1 tbsp. l azofoska;
• 1 tbsp. l potassium sulfate;
• 10 liters of water.

Fertilizing can also be done with an organic mixture - a solution of chicken manure with water (1:10) with the addition of superphosphate. The resulting additive must be infused and then diluted again with water 1:10. The resulting composition should also be applied no more than two times.

Additionally, growing carrots can be fed with a solution of boric acid and water in a ratio of 1 tsp. for 10 l. This composition should be applied twice per season: in the first ten days of July and at the beginning of the ripening of root crops (the first days of August).

Important! The prescribed dosage should be strictly observed when using nitrogen-containing fertilizers. An excess of nitrogen when growing carrots not only leads to coarsening of the roots, but also contributes to an increase in the level of nitrates.

Watering rules

Carrots, like many root vegetables, can suffer from dry soil and excessive amounts of water. Proper watering of carrots consists of observing the “golden mean”.

Before germination, you need to water the bed with the planted seeds often, but with a small amount of water.

After germination, watering is required only once a week, not abundantly: the ground should be saturated with water no more than 30 cm deep. Excessive amounts of water are guaranteed to cause cracking of the roots, and if the beds are not watered deeply enough, this will lead to the formation of many small shoots and produce the so-called hairy carrots.

Lack of moisture and prolonged lack of watering affect the taste of the crop: carrots become very hard and lose their sweetness.

In excessively hot summer weather, watering can be done a little more often, as the soil dries out, about 3 times a week.

If there is sufficient humidity, experienced gardeners recommend stopping watering approximately 3-4 weeks before the start of carrot harvest. This promotes long-term storage of the root crop and also improves the taste of ripened carrots.

Thinning, loosening, hilling

In order to collect even and large carrots from the garden, cultivation and care in open ground must necessarily include removing weeds, hilling root crops and timely thinning.

First of all, do not neglect timely and regular loosening of the carrot bed. Despite the fact that during the preparation before sowing the soil was made as light as possible, after the first shoots it is necessary to provide the root crops with a sufficient amount of oxygen. You should loosen wet soil after watering or rain, and do so very carefully. During this period, the tender, fragile “roots” of carrots are located near the surface; careless loosening can easily damage them.

The same caution should be applied to thinning - an important “operation” that allows you to obtain a harvest of large root crops. It should be carried out after the first strong “leaves” of carrot tops appear. It is important to remember that if thinning is done incorrectly, the remaining root crops can be damaged, which will lead to unwanted shoots and a harvest of “horned” carrots. Therefore, this procedure must be carried out according to the following rules:

• thinning should only be done in well-moistened soil;
• “extra” root crops must be removed slowly, pulling them upward; you cannot swing or abruptly pull the root out of the ground;
• It is better to thin out in two stages: the first time it is enough to leave a distance between the root crops of about 3 cm, after 14-16 days the procedure must be repeated, leaving the largest carrots at a distance of about 4-5 cm from each other.

Hilling carrots, covering the root crop with soil, is necessary to avoid the formation of a green top part. If this is not done, the substance solanine is formed in fruits with a “green stripe,” which gives carrots a bitter taste during winter storage.

Pest control: how to protect crops from insects and diseases?

The carrot fly is considered one of the main natural enemies of this root vegetable. There are several simple, including preventive, methods of combating this insect:

• do not leave removed carrot tops and weeds after thinning near the beds;
• mulch growing root crops with clean straw or sprinkle the surface of the bed with one of the natural remedies for carrot flies: tobacco dust or hot pepper;
• It is recommended to place onions as a “neighbor” next to carrots; the fly also cannot stand its pungent smell.

Aphids grow on the tops and above-ground parts of the plant, feeding on their juices. For the above-mentioned insects, it is recommended to treat with insecticides (Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocide), but not more than 2 times a month.

Wireworms, which are the larvae of click beetles, spoil the harvest of root crops by gnawing holes in them. In order to collect most of these pests, you should dig “trap” holes into which a small amount of well-rotted grass mass and a piece of raw potato are placed. The hole is covered with earth on top and left for 2-3 days, and then the larvae are removed and destroyed.

Garden slugs are less dangerous than wireworms, however, it is better to deal with them. As a “trap”, you can lay out pieces of pumpkin in the garden or dig several containers of beer near the beds. It is easier to collect and destroy slugs that have gathered overnight due to the smell of the “trap”. Pine needles scattered between the rows help to repel slugs from carrot beds.

The adult insect does not threaten vegetables, but its caterpillars gnaw off the aboveground part of root crops. Insecticidal treatment with special preparations (Etaphos, Cyanox and others) will help get rid of them.

In addition to insect pests, there are a number of diseases to which carrots are susceptible. Here are the most common root crop lesions:

• Gray rot - fungal disease. It requires urgent “treatment” - treating all root crops in the garden with a disinfectant.
• White rot is a consequence of an excess of nitrogen, which occurs with a large amount of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. To neutralize this disease, special preparations containing copper should be added to the soil.
• Bacteriosis and Alternaria (black rot) are diseases that arise due to the use of low-quality seed material. They can be prevented by preliminary disinfection. Treatment is spraying with fungicides.
• Fomoz (or dry rot) - is caused by fungal pathogens and is practically impossible to disinfect. Prevention is the preliminary application of fertilizers containing potassium.
• Felt disease appears after carrots are harvested and interferes with the storage of root crops. You can fight it by spraying with fungicides.

Timely prevention and treatment of these diseases, together with proper care, will allow you to get an even harvest of sweet carrots that can last until spring.

In our area it is difficult to find a personal plot without cucumbers. This crop is grown by many gardeners. Moreover, over the long history of this culture, a huge number of ways of planting and growing cucumbers have been invented. Each gardener has his own secrets for growing cucumbers, which have their own advantages and disadvantages, but at the same time are ideal for certain climatic conditions.

An important place in obtaining a high-quality harvest is occupied by the correct and timely sowing of cucumber seeds in the ground. Without proper sowing, it is very difficult to obtain a harvest of any crop, including cucumbers. Therefore, every gardener should know how to plant cucumbers correctly.

1. Sowing cucumbers is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Therefore, every gardener should know the basic rules for sowing cucumber seeds in the ground: It is better to sow cucumbers after cabbage, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, carrots and other vegetable crops. cucumbers cannot be sown after
2. teak crops. It is also advisable not to sow cucumbers on heavy and acidic soils. Cucumber seeds should be sown in a prepared bed.
3. To do this, starting in the fall, you need to add 5-10 kilograms of rotted plant manure per 1 square meter to the soil.
4. Before sowing, your own cucumber seeds must be disinfected with a weak 5% solution of potassium permanganate. This will avoid many viral and fungal diseases.
5. In the south, cucumbers are sown on level, well-cultivated soil. IN temperate and northern regions Cucumbers are mainly sown on ridges or beds. Often, to insulate the bed, fresh manure is added there, which is sprinkled with a thick layer of soil (0.4-0.6 m).
6. Cucumbers are sown in shallow rows (2-4 cm) with a distance between rows of at least 70 centimeters and a distance between plants of 5-10 centimeters.
7. In the southern regions, cucumbers need to be sown much less often, so the distance between rows should be more than 90 centimeters, and the distance between plants 15-20 cm. Some gardeners sow cucumbers using a nesting method according to the pattern: 70x70 or 60x60 centimeters. In this case, 4-6 seeds are sown in the nest.
8. If the soil is dry, then before sowing the seeds, the soil should be watered generously with warm water.
9. To improve harvesting, plants with strong stems (corn or sunflower) are often sown between rows or special supports are built. Cucumbers trail along them, making it easier to harvest. At the same time, cucumbers are better pollinated by insects, and the yield will be 20-30% greater than with conventional cultivation. After sowing, the bed needs to be leveled.

To obtain quick shoots, the bed is often covered with a transparent film.

In this case, the distance between the soil and the film should be at least 5 centimeters.

Sowing cucumber seeds is not a difficult task, but if done correctly, you can get a much larger harvest than with simple sowing.

Therefore, gardeners come up with more and more new ways every year to get the harvest as early as possible, as much as possible and for as long as possible. This is also facilitated by breeders who develop many varieties and hybrids that are more productive and disease resistant.

Listen to the radio broadcast:

How to achieve a good harvest of cucumbers. (The main summer resident of the country Andrey Tumanov)

Without high-quality and timely sowing, it is difficult to get a good harvest even from the most productive varieties or hybrids of cucumbers.

Cucumbers are grown in almost all regions. In some climatic zones it is possible to harvest only 5-6 times during the warm season, in others - 40-50 times.

It turns out that in the northern regions, where there is a short warm period of the year, there is no point in growing cucumbers from direct sowing of seeds in open ground, since the harvest will be harvested within a short time (1-2 weeks). Therefore, in these regions, seedlings are often grown first, which are then transplanted into open ground when stable warmth sets in. Cucumbers are sown in open ground in warm regions where it is possible to harvest for a long period (1-2 months). Each climate zone has its own timing for sowing cucumber seeds in open ground. This is explained by the fact that cucumbers are afraid of spring frosts, which are fatal to this crop.

Therefore, to get a good harvest, gardeners must know when to plant cucumber seeds in open ground.

Timing for sowing cucumber seeds in the ground