One of the most popular vegetables in our gardens is carrots. She alone bright appearance cheers up, not to mention the presence of many vitamins in it. Having grown a crop on the site, I really want to keep it in the winter, so that until spring I do not have to buy vegetables in the store.
When to remove carrots from the beds for storage
Among gardeners there are different opinions on this issue. Some people think the sooner you clean, the better. There are also those who leave part of the crop to winter in the ground.
Did you know? There were times when carrots made coffee for soldiers. Did it in Germany. The drink had invigorating properties.
Depending on grade
The period of harvesting carrots depends on its variety and maturity.
Early ripe varieties
The early varieties are already ready for use in July, but they are not suitable for storage in the winter - they quickly deteriorate. Therefore, if early varieties grow on your garden, then they need to be dug up and used as quickly as possible. It is good to prepare salads from such vegetables, add to preservation or freeze.
Mid-season varieties
The ripening period of such varieties is about 110 days, that is, they are ready for harvesting already at the end of August. When the lower leaves begin to turn yellow, it means that the root crop has matured and you can dig.
Late ripening varieties
These varieties are the longest in the ground and are best stored. Harvest must be in time before the onset of autumn rains and frosts. In the old days they were oriented on October 13th. Although it is believed that if this vegetable is kept in the ground when frozen to -5 ° C, then its palatability improves.
Important! The main thing is that the soil has cooled sufficiently by the time of harvesting, since it is bad for root crops to be preserved when a sharp temperature drop occurs.
Duration of harvesting varieties planted before winter
Carrots are sown for the winter to get an early harvest. Ripening period depends on the variety. As a rule, this is 2-3 weeks earlier than the early varieties sown in spring. So you need to start cleaning at the end of June.
Depending on the region of cultivation
Cleaning times may vary by region. So, in Siberia, the summer is very short. Here either varieties with a short ripening period are chosen for sowing, in order to harvest already in August, or seedlings are grown and then root crops are harvested in September.
In the south - Kuban, Krasnodar Territory - frosts are not terrible, so you can dig out beds in November. The main thing here is not to overexpose, otherwise the fruits will crack and not be well preserved. In the Moscow region, the middle lane and in the Leningrad region, carrots are harvested from August to October, and in the Urals they try to do everything until the end of September.
By calendar dates
Many gardeners are guided by the Lunar calendar, which indicates specific dates for harvesting.
So, in 2019, the calendar recommends doing this:
- from July 23 to July 27;
- from August 19 to August 25;
- September 8, 9, 16–21, September 25–26;
- October 3–6, 5–19, October 22–25.
Signs of ripe carrot harvest
Before you send carrots for storage in the store, you need to make sure that it is fully ripe.
This can be identified by the following signs:
- yellowing of the lower leaves;
- the presence of small roots;
- if cracked fruits occur during undermining;
- the size and color of the carrots matches what is indicated on the package of seeds.
The influence of weather on the timing of carrots
It must be remembered that we collect carrots only in clear weather. The earth must be dry, otherwise the crop will quickly decay. In rainy weather, under no circumstances should you dig. Also, do not wait for frosts, since a long stay in cold earth leads to the defeat of the fruits with gray rot.
Important! The main enemy of the crop is a carrot fly. It is possible to prevent its appearance if the beds are mulched - first, after sowing, cover with a black film, and when the seedlings grow — to fill up with sawdust.
How to collect from the garden for the winter
Harvesting is carried out according to a certain technology, which is not at all complicated.
How to choose a day to collect
It’s better to plan cleaning on a day off, so that you can do it right slowly. After all, you need to harvest the cellar or storage on the same day. If you leave the carrots in the air for more than 2 hours, it will wither. The day should be clear, with low humidity. Cleaning begins as soon as the dew dries.
Digging and tearing
On loose sandy soils, root crops can be pulled out manually. So there is less risk of mechanical damage. However, this method is only good for short fruits. Long and sharp will have to be torn with a pitchfork or undermined with a shovel. To do this, they retreat from the bed of centimeters 8 and drive the tool into the soil. Lumps of land are lifted along with carrots and only then with a hand they pull it onto the leaves with their hands.
Topping
The tops must be removed as soon as the root crops dry out a little. It can be twisted by hand or cut with a knife, leaving 2 mm. If you leave more greens, it will begin to germinate in the cellar and take juiciness and nutrients from the fetus.
Drying
Even if it suddenly rained on the day of harvesting and wet the crop, carrots cannot be dried on the street, as they will quickly wither. In this case, it is brought into the cellar and there they are laid out in one layer.
Did you know? Initially, the carrots were purple, and the usual orange was brought to us in the Netherlands in the XVII century.
If cleaning occurred on a fine day, then the plants are left on the bed for no more than an hour. This time is enough for the earth to dry out, and the fruits remain fresh and juicy.
How to store the crop properly
Digging out the beds when necessary is half the battle. It is important to know how to preserve all this good until spring. First of all, you need to sort - to sort the fruits by size, select all spoiled, damaged by a shovel or rodents. They will have to be consumed first or given to pets.
There are several ways to store carrots:
- In the sand - root crops are lowered into the cellar, stacked in boxes and sprinkled with layers of previously calcined sand.
- Fall asleep with sawdust, it is better from coniferous species.
- Sprinkle with dry chalk or dip into its solution and dry.
- Dip for 3 minutes in a clay solution and dry.
Adhering to simple rules for harvesting and learning how to determine how root crops are ready to be extracted from the ground, you can easily save carrots until spring and spoil the whole family with natural vitamins in winter.
