When to dig carrots from the garden bed for storage in 2022 according to the lunar calendar, harvesting features

Growing a good crop of root vegetables is half the battle. You also need to know exactly when to remove carrots from the garden so that they are well preserved until the next harvest.

The final harvest time for carrot roots depends on several factors:

• purpose of the variety;
• external signs of the plant indicating the moment of ripening;
• weather conditions.

To choose the right day to harvest carrots and beets from the garden, you need to take all these factors into account. Let's take a closer look at them.

When do carrots usually ripen?

Carrots are the easiest vegetable to grow. In the spring, gardeners use a lot of tricks to make it sprout. It takes a lot of work to protect carrots from pests and diseases during the summer.

Like all other cultivated plants, carrots can be early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. Early varieties ripen within 70-90 days from germination. These varieties include:

• Amsterdam
• Touchon
• Orange nutmeg

Early – grown for fresh consumption. It is not suitable for storage. In comparison with later varieties, the taste is noticeably inferior.

The ripening time of mid-season varieties: Karotel, Nantes, Vitamin - up to 110 days. Due to the longer time spent in the ground, carrots have time to accumulate a sufficient amount of vitamins and nutrients. The fruits of these varieties ripen the sweetest and juiciest.

Late varieties have a long shelf life, reaching technical ripeness in 120-130 days. The most delicious late-ripening varieties are

• Queen of Autumn
• Sweet winter
• Red giant

The best varieties that retain their properties all winter

There are not many carrot varieties suitable for storage during the winter (read our article on how to choose the best varieties and prepare them correctly). Among the most “hardy” are the following:

• 
  Gueranda . The medium-sized orange fruits of the variety are well stored in winter. Among the disadvantages of the variety, one can note only the excessive coarseness of the pulp, which is why the root vegetables are not suitable for eating raw.

• Gross . Large-fruited late variety that can survive until spring.
• Cardinal . A winter-hardy variety that not only stores well, but also has excellent taste.
• Losinoostrovskaya-13 . Contains a large quantity of paintings and is perfectly stored in winter.
• Moscow winter . It is considered one of the best varieties for winter storage.
• Forto . A well-stored variety that is excellent for making juices.
• Nantes-4 . An excellent variety for winter storage. Grown everywhere. If optimal storage conditions are created, the harvest may well last until spring.

You can read about what other suitable varieties there are and the shelf life of carrots here.

How to tell when carrots are ready to harvest

You can determine the timing of excavation by relying on:

1. The dates indicated on the seed packaging.
2. Climatic features of the region.
3. Lunar calendar instructions.
4. External signs of the plant.

You can tell when carrots are ready for harvesting visually. If the pulled carrot is covered with small roots, and its tops begin to turn yellow, then you can safely start digging.

To be sure, you can compare the plucked specimen with the varietal characteristics indicated on the seed packaging. If cracks are found on dug carrots, harvesting carrots from the bed for storage should begin immediately.

We clean in a timely manner

The first rule of harvesting carrots is timeliness.

If this rule is not so important for root crops that will be eaten, then when harvesting from the garden for storage it comes to the fore.

There are countless varieties of carrots, but they are all divided into early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. Be sure to pay attention to this both when planting and when harvesting. Early varieties are juicy, crunchy and full of vitamins, but it is impossible to preserve them for a long time. The later ones have denser flesh, are resistant to drying out and can lie (if, of course, optimal conditions are created for them) for up to 1 year. Mid-season varieties occupy an intermediate position in terms of keeping quality.

Harvesting time for early varieties of carrots

The first harvest of early-ripening carrots can be done even before they ripen - just 50 days after planting, this is the so-called bunch harvest. Very young root vegetables are pulled out of the ground when they have reached a thickness of only 1-1.5 cm. Children really like these mini-carrots because they are already bright, juicy and sweet.

Full harvesting of early carrots begins a little later - 60-90 days after emergence

. At this point, the root vegetables are already sufficiently formed and can be used for fresh salads, cooking and early canning.

In the middle zone, the harvesting period for early carrots is from the beginning of August.

Harvesting time for mid-season carrot varieties

Mid-season carrots are harvested fully ripe - they need 90-120 days from the moment of emergence

. Many varieties of this group can be stored in a cellar until spring, but some of them gradually lose their taste.

Mid-season varieties suitable for winter storage: Samson, Vitaminnaya 6, NIIOH 336.

Carrots of this ripening period are perfect for eating, making juice, and for preparations.

Experienced gardeners with mid-season varieties in the Non-Black Earth Region often do this: they sow them in two periods - in the spring and in early June. Then the collection takes place in two stages - the first is for consumption, the second is for long-term storage.

Harvesting mid-season carrots
• In the middle zone - August - September
• In the southern regions - end of September
• In the Urals, Siberia, and North-West - mid-second half of August

Harvesting time for late-ripening carrot varieties

Root crops of late-ripening carrots must be harvested when they are finally formed and acquire varietal size. This happens after 120 days or more.

Harvesting late-ripening carrots
• In the middle zone - second half - end of September
• In the southern regions - early October
• In the Urals, Siberia, North-West - late August - first half of September

These carrots are best suited for long-term storage, but in the northern regions of the country they do not always have time to fully ripen. If your climatic conditions are quite severe, it is worth planting mature mid-season varieties for winter reserves; this will be a good alternative.

In addition to the approximate harvesting dates for groups, you can check information from the manufacturer specifically for your varieties - find the packaging of your carrot seeds (you shouldn’t throw away such things when planting) and see what dates are indicated there.

How to choose the right day to harvest carrots

When it comes time to dig carrots, it is very important to monitor the weather forecasts. Carrots should only be removed from the garden for storage on a dry, sunny day.

A week or two before the proposed digging, watering the beds completely stops. Otherwise, fruits saturated with moisture will be stored worse.

Some gardeners do not start digging until the first frost. There is an opinion that such carrots will be easier to store. We can partly agree with this.

REFERENCE. At low positive temperatures (+4 - +7 C0) there is an intensive increase in vitamins and microelements in root vegetables.

It is better if the air temperature before cleaning is no higher than 18-20 C0. However, you shouldn’t delay it too much.

How to harvest correctly

It is important not only to correctly determine when to harvest carrots from the garden, but also to maintain harvesting technology, as well as prepare the crop for harvesting. This work includes the following activities:

1. 30 days before harvesting, stop all watering of carrot beds. This will prevent the roots from cracking.
2. Mineral and organic fertilizers are also not applied to carrots during this period of time.
3. Harvesting is carried out on a warm and not rainy day, before the onset of night frosts. Frozen root vegetables will not withstand long-term storage.
4. Digging up root crops with a pitchfork. With this option, harvesting will take place with minimal damage to root crops. Root crops are dug up and removed from the soil, capturing the tops.
5. After extraction, the root vegetables should be cleaned of soil particles with your hands, being careful not to injure the skin. We carry out harvesting and transportation carefully, avoiding bumps and breaks in the carrots.
6. For freshly dug carrots, we recommend removing the tops - this will preserve the juiciness of the root crop.

Freshly dug carrots are laid out to dry. On a sunny day, a couple of hours will be enough to dry completely, but on a cloudy day, it is better to put the crop in a cool room.

Once the root vegetables are dry, clean them from the soil again.

Methods for removing tops

There are several ways to remove carrot tops and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. The following options are most often used in practice:

• twisting it and tearing it off with your hands;
• cutting leaves with a knife without touching the top of the root crops;
• cutting off the tops with a knife, leaving a tail 10-15 mm long;
• cutting the tops together with the top part of the carrots to a depth of 2 mm.

The latter method is intended for experienced vegetable growers and requires pinpoint precision. It is used to prevent the regrowth of tops during storage.

After pruning, the root vegetables should be dried well so that the wounds heal. Otherwise, you can lose the entire crop due to rot during winter storage.

When to harvest carrots for storage in 2022 according to the lunar calendar

In addition to weather conditions, external signs, as well as varietal characteristics, when choosing a date for digging, many gardeners check the lunar calendar.

According to the advice of astrologers, carrots are harvested during the waning moon phase, but not when the Earth's satellite is in the constellations Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces.

Thus, it is best to dig early varieties for fresh consumption and for preparing second and first courses from August 1 to 7, as well as from August 23 to 30.

September is the time to dig for mid-season varieties before the rains linger. Carrots harvested in September - from the 1st to the 7th and from the 23rd to the 31st - can be put into cellars for storage.

Achieving technical maturity of late varieties may take until October. It is very important not to leave carrots in the ground during very cold night temperatures. Favorable days for cleaning in October will be the beginning of the month - from the 1st to the 5th, and the end - from the 23rd to the 31st.

Types of carrots and harvest times

As already mentioned, the carrot variety tells the farmer how long a given root vegetable needs to ripen and what specific signs of ripening indicate that it is time to get the vegetable out of the ground. In the table we will cover all these types in more detail.

Table 1. Types of carrots depending on ripening

Early ripe carrots

Early ripening carrots can be removed from the soil in two ways:

The second method involves an “individual” approach and seems to be more economical, since cases of simultaneous ripening of all vegetables are rare, and the likelihood of losing unripe fruits is high.

In the sunny regions of Russia, early-ripening carrots are harvested at the beginning of summer

In the warmest regions of Russia, the harvest of early ripening carrot varieties begins in early June. Of course, not all root vegetables have time to ripen by such an early time, therefore, in the first summer month, those vegetables that have reached optimal condition and acquired roots are dug up.

Weaker and underdeveloped vegetables are left untouched so that they have a chance to ripen. Due to the increase in free areas after the removal of ripe root crops, their slower “comrades” begin to grow faster. As a rule, by the beginning of June, all planted root crops are in the desired condition and are dug up for sale or immediate consumption.

It is advantageous to collect early-ripening carrots selectively - as they ripen

Important! After digging up ripe vegetables, do not forget to fill the depressions in the soil left by the collected carrots. Otherwise, the likelihood of carrot fly spreading increases, causing significant damage to the crop.

Medium and late ripening carrots

Depending on the variety, these carrots require 80 to 120 days from sowing to fully ripen. The advantage of mid- and late-season carrots is their frost resistance, but it is not advisable to abuse this strength. These carrots are dug with an eye to the temperature characteristics of the region:

• In sunny and warm regions, late carrots can easily ripen until mid-October without negative consequences;
• In cold and rainy regions, the main time for digging carrots is the first two weeks of September.

When picking carrots, you should focus not on specific numbers, but on the air temperature

There are also special winter varieties that are dug closer to December, when the temperature reaches negative values.

Video - Harvesting late-ripening carrots

Digging technique

To extract late-ripening carrots, you need to choose a day without precipitation. At the same time, it is advisable that the rains fall a couple of days before harvesting - this will moisten and soften the soil. For comfortable removal of vegetables, the soil should be moderately dry and loose. Root vegetables should be removed taking into account their shape and dimensions:

1. Medium and short carrots are dug out of the soil quite simply without special tools;

Short carrots are easily removed from loosened soil

Keep in mind that carrots, despite their strength, are vulnerable to mechanical damage. Left scars are fertile ground for the penetration of rot pathogens and harmful microbes.

A shovel with a bayonet helps keep the extracted carrots intact

Important! Root vegetables that are broken during removal or cracked on their own should be consumed first, since their storage time is very limited.

Prices for a bayonet shovel

bayonet shovel

When you shouldn't dig carrots in 2022

Definitely, regardless of dates, regions and astrologer predictions, it is better to refuse digging on a rainy day. However, if the weather permits and there are all signs of maturity, then August 8, 9 to 21, as well as August 22 are considered unfavorable days for agricultural work with crops growing underground according to the lunar calendar.

The same dates - 8, from 9 to 21, 22 September, according to astrologers, you should not dig carrots, and beets, turnips or daikon with them.

In October, you should refrain from excavation work on the 6th, from the 7th to the 19th and 20th.

Cleaning technique

How to properly store carrots? Medium and short root crops must be harvested by hand . Hold the carrots in the ground with one hand, while the second hand should firmly grasp the tops. A long carrot is dug up using a pitchfork or a shovel .

Basically, many people decide to dig with a shovel. After all, a pitchfork can accidentally injure or pierce carrots. This must be done so that the root vegetables do not get hurt or break. The top layer of soil rises along with the carrots. After this, you need to pull it out, carefully holding it by the tops .

There is some belief that the plant should be left on the ground for several days. Allegedly, nutrients will move from the aboveground part of the plants to the underground part. Unfortunately, this opinion is wrong .

Everything happens completely the other way around - the root crop can dry out if the tops draw all the juices from it. Therefore, the tops need to be cut off as soon as the soil on the root crops dries out. How to do it? There are several ways:

• twist by hand;
• cut with a knife to two millimeters from the top of the carrot head.

Thus, the shelf life of the plant will significantly increase.

But you can find out how to leave carrots to winter right in the ground in the garden bed by reading our article.

When to dig up carrots for storage? Carrots are harvested only in good weather .

Beginning gardeners sometimes wonder whether carrots need to be dried. The clear answer is no.

Before storing it, carrots must be moistened .

You can also use the lunar calendar , which has already appealed to many experienced gardeners. Its advantages are simply undeniable. After all, caring for plants does not happen anyhow, but according to the rhythms that Nature determines. When to dig up carrots for storage according to the lunar calendar? For example, the 3rd, 5th and 10th are considered favorable days for cleaning .

You can clearly see an experienced gardener harvesting carrots using a shovel in this video:

Signs associated with harvesting carrots

Folk signs go back centuries. Our ancestors did not know about the lunar calendar, could not rely on the recommendations of manufacturers and breeders, but relied on their own experience.

So, for example, the sign that yellowed leaves are a signal to harvest root crops has survived to this day. It's hard to argue with this observation.

September 13 is called Kupriyanov's day. “Every root has its time,” our great-grandfathers said. On this day they dug carrots. All cleaning work must be completed before Kornilov Day - September 26. “From this day on, the root does not grow, but only freezes.”

Signs of carrot ripeness

Mid-season varieties are the most optimal. These carrots can be stored much longer than early carrots. Perfect for regions with a short warm period, where there are frosts and cold weather already at the beginning of autumn.

Late varieties have better shelf life. These fruits differ in taste and size. And with proper harvesting, root crops last until spring - this is much longer than the previous two varieties. It is better to alternate carrot varieties in the garden. This way the harvest can be harvested over several months, which is convenient for busy gardeners.

It is important not to make a mistake when choosing the moment to collect carrots. Here are some signs:

1. Look at the growing season on the packaging. We must remember when the shoots appeared. It is not difficult to calculate at what point the crop reaches maturity. Pay attention to the sowing sites. A mistake can be fatal if different varieties grow in the beds.
2. Estimate the size of vegetables. This can be done from the photo on the package with the seeds, and there is also information about the parameters. If the sizes do not match those in the garden, then it is better to wait a little longer.
3. Assess the condition of root crops. Sometimes small roots may turn white. This means that the crop must be harvested urgently, otherwise there is a risk of overgrowth.

It is recommended to look at the tops. The lower stems should turn yellow and become limp, only then can harvesting work begin.

Timing for digging carrots depending on the region

The timing of harvesting in different regions of the country will shift depending on the climate.

Middle lane

In the Middle Zone, mid-season carrots with ripening periods of up to 110 days are dug in early to mid-September. By the end of the month, you can begin harvesting late root crops for storage

Ural

Gardeners in the Ural regions can get a harvest of mid-season carrots already at the beginning of autumn, and in two to three weeks the late-ripening red beauties will ripen and be ready for harvesting.

South

The favorable climate of the southern regions allows farmers to plant carrots earlier than others, which is why they begin digging at the border between summer and autumn. By the end of the first autumn month, the beds with late varieties are already harvested.

Carrot storage

To preserve root crops, it is not enough to know when to put carrots away for storage; you also need to create the proper conditions during the storage process itself. There are many methods for effectively storing carrots in winter. Let's take a closer look at some of them:

1. Storage in boxes. Slightly dried carrots are shaken off pieces of soil and placed in rows in shallow boxes. Root crops are sprinkled with wet sand or peat and placed in a permanent storage place.
2. In plastic bags. Some gardeners store carrots in plastic bags. The bags are pre-perforated to ensure good ventilation.
3. Clay crusted. To do this, each root vegetable, before storing, is dipped in a clay mash, to which you can add chopped garlic. The protective shell will protect root crops from mice and pathogens.
4. In the hole. In a hole 30 cm deep, the bottom is covered with sand. Then the root crops are placed in rows, sprinkling each row with sand. Having laid the root crops, the hole is filled up and covered with tree foliage, spruce branches and slate. In winter, put more snow on it for insulation.
5. In a refrigerator. Each root vegetable is wrapped in paper to prevent evaporation and placed in the refrigerator for storage. Under such conditions, carrots will not lose their juiciness and taste.
6. Storage dried or frozen. If you don't have a suitable place to store carrot roots, you can freeze or dry them. With this option, no rot will be a threat to the crop.

Important! When storing carrot roots in a basement or cellar, do not forget to provide ventilation in the room. Storage temperature and fresh air flow are important for the safety of the crop.

In order to harvest valuable and juicy carrot roots correctly and without loss, you should clearly determine the degree of its maturity and know when to put carrots away for storage. The cleaning process itself must also be carried out according to certain rules. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to preserve carrots in winter.

Denis Matinov I managed to live in different cities; for the last 10 years I have been living with my family of seven people on earth. On our plot we are creating a family estate, growing...

How to dig carrots correctly

Digging or pulling carrots depends on the variety. Thick and short ones can be pulled out if the tops do not break off and the root crop does not get stuck in the ground. Otherwise, it's worth taking a pitchfork.

Use a pitchfork or shovel to dig up the carrots carefully so as not to touch them. Damaged fruits will not store well; they should be used immediately for food or preparations. When you take it out of the garden bed, you need to carefully clean off any remaining soil.

IMPORTANT. You cannot tap carrots against each other to peel them with a sharp object. This will negatively affect the keeping quality of the crop.

The dug up fruits are carefully inspected. Beautiful, smooth, crack-free and damage-free specimens are set aside for storage. The rest will be used for food and processing in the near future.

What determines the timing of carrot harvesting?

Carrot harvesting occurs at the end of summer and the very beginning of autumn, but there are no exact dates to guide the summer resident. Collection time depends on several factors:

1. Variety of carrots. Without taking into account the specific variety, you risk overcooking the carrots or removing them from the soil too early;
2. The climate of a certain region. Since temperature conditions differ significantly in different regions of Russia, the time of collection falls in different months;
3. The type of soil in which carrots grow. Clayey, sandy, calcareous and other types of soil require an individual approach and affect the ripening time of vegetables;

Soil plays an important role in the timing of root crop ripening

• Motives for cultivation. As a rule, carrots are grown for two purposes - for quick sale or for long-term storage. The first and second cases require different harvest times and even different varieties;
• Orientation to the time of planting seeds. A vegetable needs a certain time frame in order to have time to germinate and ripen, so you should rely, not least of all, on your own carrot planting calendar. Growing time again depends on the type of carrot.

Before planting seeds, it is necessary to study in detail the structure of the soil on the site, its advantages and disadvantages. Read on to learn about which types of soil are most common in Russian conditions and about processing methods.


Types of soil and their features

Prices for carrot seeds

carrot seeds

How to properly remove tops

The tops must be removed directly in the garden bed. Left on the vegetable, the carrot foliage will draw moisture from the fruit.

Trim the tops with a sharp tool, leaving only a centimeter, or maybe less. It is important not to damage the integrity of the carrot itself.

The fact is that insects or pathogenic fungal spores may remain on the greens, which will spoil the crop during storage. Under no circumstances should you tear off or unscrew the carrot tails.

REFERENCE. Carrot tops are added to soups, salads, and even brewed as tea.

When and how to remove carrots and beets from the garden

Carrots and beets are the most popular root vegetables among Russian gardeners. It is very important not only to grow, but also to properly dig up the harvest of these very useful vegetables.

In this article we will talk about when and how to harvest carrots and beets. We'll tell you how to store them in winter so that they don't lose their unique beneficial properties for a long time.

HARVESTING CARROTS

Many amateur gardeners do not always know when to harvest carrots and beets. And the root crops are harvested at the same time. But it's not right. The harvesting dates for these root crops do not always coincide.

Carrot harvesting dates. The timing of carrot harvesting depends on the varietal characteristics (early, mid-season or late). In addition, it differs for different climatic zones of the country.

Early varieties of carrots ripen in 80 - 95 days from the sowing date. Therefore, they usually ripen in July. These varieties do not last long, so they are best used for fresh consumption.

If you delay harvesting, the root vegetables in the ground will become tough and tasteless.

Mid-season carrot varieties ripen in 100 - 120 days - by the beginning - mid-August. They can be stored for quite a long time (until February - March of the next year).

Late varieties of carrots are ready in September - early October - 125 or more days after sowing. These root vegetables can be stored until the end of spring next year.

You can determine the favorable date for harvesting carrots by pulling out one root crop. If the entire length of the carrot is covered with small roots, then it’s time to dig up the crop.

How to properly harvest carrots . Harvest carrot roots on a dry, sunny day.

As a rule, gardeners dig up carrots in the old proven way: using an ordinary garden fork or shovel. It is better to use a fork, especially for varieties with long roots that are very easy to trim with a shovel.

Use a fork to dig up the carrots by sticking them into the side of the row. Holding the tops with your hands, carefully pull the root crop out of the ground.

Place the collected root vegetables along the bed. While you dig up the entire crop, the carrots will dry out. At the same time, it is important not to leave it with the tops on the ground for a long time, otherwise the tops will draw out all the moisture from the root crop.

Peel the carrots from small lumps of earth, and then cut off all the tops.

After this, rinse the vegetables well in clean water and place them to dry in a well-ventilated, dry area. Drying time for carrots is 10 – 12 days.

It is very important that the sun's rays do not fall on root vegetables, otherwise their shelf life will be sharply reduced. Mid-season carrot varieties dried under the bright sun may not last even until next year.

When harvesting carrots, dig up the large root vegetables first, and allow the small ones to grow for some time.

When harvesting late varieties of carrots, remember that this vegetable stops growing at an air temperature of + 8 degrees.

So, when this temperature is established, you can safely dig up the entire crop, because before the onset of winter you still need to dry it well and put it away for storage.

BEET HARVESTING

We told you when to harvest carrots, now let's talk about the timing of harvesting beets.

Beet harvesting time . Gardeners know well that beets are a cold-resistant root crop, so their late varieties are dug up in the garden last of all vegetables.

Early beet varieties ripen 60–75 days after sowing. Therefore, the timing of their harvesting is the end of July - the beginning of August.

Early varieties do not last long, so use them for cooking in the summer.

Mid-season beet varieties ripen in 80–95 days (second half of August–September). Remove them at the end of August - September. Root vegetables of mid-season beets can be stored until the New Year.

Late varieties of beets are ready on the 105th - 135th day (late September - mid-October).

Don't rush to collect late beets in September. Its biological feature lies in the fact that as the temperature drops to +2...+5 degrees, root crops continue to grow actively. It is at the end of its growth that beets accumulate the largest amount of vitamins and nutrients.

Therefore, the most favorable time for harvesting late beets is mid-late October. But still, it’s better to focus on the climate of your region. It is important to get there before the autumn frosts.

If you do not harvest for a long time, beet plants exposed to the first cold will immediately freeze the tops and the upper part of the root crops protruding above the ground.

How to properly harvest beets . Harvest beets on a dry, sunny day.

You need to harvest beets in the same way as carrots - using a pitchfork or shovel.

Holding the root crop by the tops, dig it up from the side with a shovel or fork and carefully pull it out of the ground.

It is very important not to stick the tool too close to the root crop: you may accidentally scratch or cut it. But such beets cannot be stored for long. In addition, it will become a source of disease for other root crops.

Just as when harvesting carrots, spread the vegetables along the bed to dry the soil on them.

After harvesting, rinse the root crops well and trim the tops, leaving a “stump” of 2–3 cm.

The most favorable conditions for storing beets are a dry, well-ventilated room.

Dry the beets for 14 - 16 days, turning them from one side to the other. Do not expose the arranged vegetables to direct sunlight.

Properly prepared beets will be stored well and will last until the spring of next year.

HOW TO STORE CARROTS AND BEETS

We told you when to remove carrots and beets from the garden. Now let's look at how to properly store them in winter. The storage time of these root crops depends on preparation and storage in the basement or other storage.

Preparing root vegetables for storage . Carrots and beets can be stored well in the same room. Before storing, vegetables need to be properly prepared.

An important point is careful reassembly before storing. Only healthy vegetables can be stored for a long time without rotting or losing their beneficial properties.

Inspect all root vegetables, set aside large and small ones separately (carrots and beets - separately from each other). Large vegetables do not store as well as small ones, so place them separately and use them first in winter.

How to store carrots and beets . To successfully store carrots and beets in the winter and spring of next year, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for them.

The air temperature in the room should be within 0...+1 degrees, and humidity - 90 - 95%. At higher temperatures, carrots and beets will begin to sprout. At lower humidity, they will begin to dry out and wrinkle.

Carrots and beets are stored very well in boxes with sand or sawdust.

Place each vegetable in rows, sprinkling them with sand (or sawdust) and place these boxes on the lower racks in the cellar or basement.

You can also store carrots and beets on a closed, insulated loggia in boxes or plastic bags with holes for moisture evaporation. Do not forget that vegetables are living, and they also “breathe” and sweat even when cut.

When storing on the balcony, it is important to maintain favorable conditions (temperature and humidity) for storing these vegetables.

There are other ways to store carrots and beets - for example, in clay or a chalk shell, but they are quite labor-intensive, so we will not talk about them.

USEFUL TIPS

WHEN AND HOW TO HARVEST CARROTS AND BEETS: 6 COMMON MISTAKES

We told you when and how to harvest carrots and beets. It would seem that this is not at all difficult, but some gardeners, usually beginners, often make a number of typical mistakes. Let's look at them together.

Incorrect cleaning time . It is necessary to correctly determine the timing of harvesting carrots and beets. Unripe root vegetables are poorly stored, and they still do not contain enough nutrients and vitamins.

Overripe carrots and beets crack.

Harvesting too late can lead to freezing of root crops. And these don't last long.

Therefore, determine exactly when to harvest carrots and beets in your climate.

Cleaning time also depends on the weather. The most favorable is a dry, sunny day. We do not recommend harvesting beets during rainy times. Root vegetables that are saturated with water become watery and are poorly stored.

Improper harvesting of beets from hardened soil . If by the time of harvesting carrots and beets the soil is very dry, first (a couple of hours before harvesting) water it thoroughly with warm water.

The hard soil will soften well, and it will be easy for you to remove root crops from the garden.

Careless handling of vegetables . Do not throw the dug up carrots and beets on the ground, but place them carefully, because when they hit the ground, cracks may appear on the fresh root vegetables. Such vegetables can no longer be stored.

Incorrect sorting of vegetables . Before storing, be sure to sort the vegetables. First, discard damaged, small, twisted roots. These cannot be stored for long.

Only whole, absolutely healthy root vegetables are suitable for winter storage.

Under no circumstances should you dump everything in the basement. Carrots and beets cannot be stored in the same container. Also sort each vegetable and place it in boxes: large ones separately, small ones separately.

Storage in unprepared premises . Before storing carrots and beets, be sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect the room where they will be stored.

Clean the walls, floors, and shelving with water and some type of chlorine-based disinfectant. You can carry out fumigation there with sulfur bombs or pollination with 5% copper sulfate.

If you do not do this, pathogens and spores of fungal diseases will instantly settle on your vegetables and quickly make them unfit for consumption.

Incorrect storage of carrots and beets for winter storage . The most common mistakes here could be:

- using last year’s sand in which vegetables are placed;

— the use of wet sawdust (they are designed to absorb liquid when storing root vegetables, so they must be dry);

— tying plastic bags with root vegetables (they must have holes for ventilation, otherwise the vegetables will rot);

— rare monitoring of the condition of stored root vegetables (you should carefully inspect them weekly, rejecting vegetables at the beginning of disease damage).

THE BEST VARIETIES OF CARROTS AND BEET FROM OUR COLLECTION

We told you when to harvest carrots and beets. In conclusion, we present you the best varieties and hybrids of these popular root vegetables from our collection.

CARROT

Squirrel F1, Yaroslavna F1, Coraline F1, Crown F1, Dzherada, Veronica F1, Margarita F1, Prominance F1, Soprano F1, Laguna F1, Presto F1, Boltex, Maestro F1, Nelly F1, Bolero F1, Nantik resistafly F1, Romance F1, Silvano F1, Elegance F1, Chantane a cour rouge, Red core, Morelia F1, Kuroda Chantane.

Sweet hybrids: Princess F1, Honey saved F1, Late sweet F1, Early sweet F1.

BEET

Miracle F1, Boldore, Betty F1, Aksinya F1, Smile of Fortune, Diaz F1, Monty F1, Carillon, Granddaughter F1, Daughter Cylinders F1, Elizabeth F1, Dove F1, Isabella F1, Detroit F1, Cardial F1, Lukerya, Lyubushka F1, Mona .

Miracle beet: Rodin F1, Mario F1, Boltardi, Larca, Eagle F1.

Read more about these varieties and hybrids on our website or in the “SEEDS 2022” Catalog.

And you can order them from us for spring planting today!

How to prepare root vegetables for storage

Dug carrots with trimmed tails are kept in the garden for a couple of hours to pre-dry. Then they are removed from the garden under a canopy or in another ventilated room.

You should not leave fruits in the garden to dry due to the risk of rain. It is also dangerous to keep the crop under the sun; it will become lethargic and tasteless.

The carrots are dried under a canopy and stored in a cool, dark place for 5-7 days. It is necessary that the root vegetables cool down and are not shocked by the low temperature of the cellar.

How to dig carrots correctly

It is better to dig up carrots on a dry, sunny day so that the soil is moderately moist.

The process consists of a series of step-by-step actions:

1. Use a pitchfork to carefully dig up the soil around the root crops. In this case, there should be a distance of about 15 cm between the garden tool and the vegetable.
2. Pull out all the vegetables one by one by the tops.
3. Peel the remaining soil from the carrots with your hands.
4. Spread the fruits in one layer to dry on a dense material in the fresh air or in a room with a temperature of +5°C, turning them over periodically. If the carrots were dug up in dry weather, it is enough to keep the crop in the air for 3-4 hours, if the surface of the fruit is wet, leave it for 3-4 days.

Short-fruited carrots can be pulled out by hand without the help of additional tools, but provided that the soil is not heavy, otherwise the tops can be torn off, and the fruit itself will remain in the ground.

To harvest the crop more efficiently and quickly, it is better to do the harvesting together: one digs with a pitchfork, the other immediately pulls the tops.

How to dig carrots correctly:

Gardening Tips and Tricks for Harvesting Carrots

Experienced gardeners say that readiness for digging can be determined by the size of the top of the carrot sticking out of the ground. When its diameter reaches one and a half centimeters, the carrots can be dug.

Sometimes the weather brings surprises. The forecast promises frosts, and the root crops have not yet reached technical maturity and are not ready for harvesting. In this case, you can cover the beds with agrofibre or any other non-woven material.

When digging carrots, the largest, most beautiful, smooth specimens can be set aside for seeds. They are stored separately from the rest of the crop. On such vegetables, the tops are not cut too short so that sprouts appear on them by April. With the onset of stable above-zero temperatures in April, seed carrots are planted in shoulder-deep holes.

We look at external signs showing that it’s time to harvest the carrots

Not only the approximate dates are important - they can also shift depending on what kind of summer it is. If the season was cold and rainy, the carrots may take longer to ripen; if it is hot and sunny, then they will ripen earlier. Therefore, the second rule is to look at the root vegetables themselves.

External signs that it’s time to harvest carrots:

1. The first and most important sign is that the carrots have reached the desired size.

. For different varieties, the shape, length and diameter of root crops are purely individual, so here you need to focus on varietal information.

2. The lower leaves gradually sink to the ground, lose their color, turn yellow, and wither

. Such changes begin with the lowest leaves and gradually move to the middle ones. If all the carrot tops have turned yellow, then this is no longer a sign of maturity, but of disease.

The lower leaves have dropped - the carrots are ready for harvesting
3. Thin, hair-like, white roots on root vegetables

they say that carrots are putting out roots again - this is a signal for urgent harvesting.

Common mistakes

It is not recommended to wash carrots before storing them. It is quite difficult to dry a large harvest efficiently. Moisture remaining on the vegetables will cause them to rot.

The exception is a small amount of vegetables. Then after washing it, you can dry it and store it in the refrigerator. Temperature +4 C0 is just suitable for these purposes.

For fear of precipitation, do not cover the dug-up fruits with polyethylene. Due to condensation caused by evaporation of moisture from the carrots, the crop will become even more wet.

Storage conditions

After harvesting and preparing the carrots, they can be sent for winter storage. If there is a lot of harvest and the gardener wants to save some of it until the next season, it is better to follow the basic recommendations. The location must meet the following requirements:

• air temperature - about 4 degrees;
• indoor humidity – 70-80%;
• darkness (it is better to keep root vegetables in the basement or cellar).

If the cellar is used for storing food, it is treated annually with a 2% solution of copper sulfate before storage.

You can keep carrots in the cellar in ordinary wooden or plastic boxes. But in order to increase the shelf life, it is recommended to sprinkle the layers with the product with sand or sawdust. The harvest itself, stored in the basement, must be periodically inspected and sorted. It is important to promptly remove rotten elements and wilted vegetables from the total mass. If the crop withers quickly, it means that the room is too warm and not humid enough, it is better to find another place to store it.

Answers to frequently asked questions

How to store carrots in a clay shell?

The clay shell as a storage method is the most waste-free method. With it, only 4% of the harvest stored in the cellar is lost. Carrots, dipped in a solution of water and clay and thoroughly dried, can be stored without sand or sawdust, retaining moisture. To prepare the solution, the clay is diluted with water to the consistency of thick sour cream.

Is it possible to make juice from carrots stored in the cellar?

As a rule, mid- and late-ripening varieties are harvested for storage. They are distinguished by their juiciness, sugar content and high content of nutrients and vitamins. The juice prepared from these specimens will be rich in phytoncides and potassium salts, which strengthen the heart muscle. One glass of carrot juice a day reduces the risk of strokes by half.

How to store carrots after harvesting

It is better to store carrots in a cellar or basement at a temperature of +4 degrees. Air humidity 80%.

There are several storage methods:

In sand

Sand for storing carrots should be non-river and wet. Use 1 liter of water per bucket of sand. Fill the boxes with a 3-5 cm layer of sand. Then add a layer of carrots and repeat the procedure. Some gardeners use dry sand.

In the sawdust

Sawdust should not be coniferous, because will give carrots an unpleasant taste. For storage, use boxes or plastic bags. The sawdust must be damp. Leave the bags open or make holes in them.

In the moss

Sphagnum moss has disinfecting properties and will retain the moisture of the fruit. Use damp moss. Cardboard boxes or wooden boxes are suitable for storage.

In clay

To do this, prepare a clay solution. Fill half a bucket of clay with water and let it sit for a day. Mix the swollen clay and fill it again with water in a 2-3 cm layer. It should acquire the consistency of sour cream. Then dip the vegetables in it, let them dry and place them in boxes.

In onion or garlic peel

This will prevent the fruit from rotting.

In the garden

Suitable for those who do not have a cellar or basement. In this case, the carrots are not dug up, the tops are cut off. The top of the bed is sprinkled with sand and covered with film. Sawdust, leaves, humus or peat are poured onto the film. Cover the top with roofing felt. Carrots will keep well all winter if there are no rodents in the garden.

In plastic bags

Carrots are not washed, dried and placed in bags, left untied.

Another way to store carrots in bags is in the video below.

In the freezer

Peel the carrots, put them through a food processor, put them in plastic wrap and save your harvest until summer. You can read about freezing carrots in the freezer here.