Sowing carrots in May: is it worth it?

There are many opposing opinions regarding the timing of planting this healthy vegetable. Some believe that it is best to do this in April, others are inclined towards the middle and even the end of May, and some prefer winter sowing in November.

Let's figure it out

Proponents of winter sowing argue that carrots sown in the autumn cold germinate earlier, are less sick and are less susceptible to pests. But it should be taken into account that the early harvest is unlikely to survive until spring even in the best storage conditions.

The same applies to April sowing. But if you sow late-ripening varieties in the middle or even the end of May, the harvest will ripen in November. All that remains is to put it in boxes, cover it with sand and put it in the cellar. You will not be left without carrots until the new harvest.

In general, regarding the timing of sowing, there is a simple rule: early varieties are planted as early as possible, in April, and in the southern regions - even at the end of March, mid-season varieties - in early May, and late varieties - in the second half of May.

REFERENCE: Early varieties – Alyonka, Zabava F1, Minikor.

Mid-season - Losinoostrovskaya 13, Nantes 4, Karotel, Red Cor, Altaiskaya shortened, Chantenay Royal, Samson.

Late - Flaccoro, Canada, Red Giant, Queen of Autumn.

The most productive and long-lasting varieties are Nantes, Shantane, Moscow Winter, Vita Longa, and Champion.

Landing Features

If you can't wait to try some vitamins, then sow the soaked seeds and cover with film. Carrots germinate slowly; you can wait three weeks, or even a month, for seedlings. Pre-soaking the seeds before planting will reduce this period by a week or two or even more.

But even with late sowing, such a technique will be useful. This helps retain moisture in the soil, and even in drought your beds will not suffer.

Plant carrots in grooves up to 2 cm deep, at a distance of 1.5-2 cm from each other, leaving row spacing of 15-

30 cm. The later the variety you plant, the greater the distance between the rows.

IMPORTANT! When thinning, never leave pulled out plants near the garden bed; their smell attracts pests. The tops can be put in a salad or added to soup. Many people like it.

What do carrots like?

Carrots love light soils, they can even grow in sand, but you need to provide them with sufficient nutrition.. Humus, compost, and peat will significantly increase the yield. And you need to be very careful with mineral fertilizers, so potassium salt, potassium chloride, as well as complex fertilizers containing this element destructive to carrots will definitely not bring any benefit.

You also need to be careful with nitrogen fertilizers. If in the spring or June their use is completely justified, then in August such fertilizer will only lead to rapid growth of greenery to the detriment of root crops, and will also reduce their shelf life.

Superphosphate can be applied, but it is better in the spring. But preference should be given to organics. It grows especially well in a garden bed where manure was added 1-2 years ago.

This vegetable does not like acidic soils. If the soil acidity is high, add lime, dolomite flour or ash. Carrots are especially responsive to ash, which is rich in microelements. In addition, it repels carrot flies and other pests.

Have a good harvest and good health! We hope that our tips will be useful, and that your carrots will grow big, very big, strong and tasty.