How to grow carrots in a biological way
How to grow carrots in a biological way
Carrots adapt well in warm climates and in soft, loose soils, with very little skeleton and well drained. If grown in pots, the optimum soil can be obtained by mixing sand in soil. The soil should be worked up to about 40 cm deep, placing compost or other organic fertilizer; better a very mature manure (and therefore with a lower nitrogen content) to avoid excessive vegetation at the expense of the roots.
For sowing, remember that carrots are planted directly in the ground (not transplanted) between March and June. A sowing of 25 cm between the rows and 5-8 cm in the row should be chosen, with the seed buried one centimeter deep.
After sowing, even 40 days may pass for the emergence of young seedlings (to speed up the germination you can put the seeds in warm water or chamomile for a few hours), so during this period do not forget the irrigation (remember that seed of carrots germinate at temperatures between 12 and 20 degrees) and control of weeds with frequent weeding that are done by hand near the seeds and with the hoe in the inter-row spaces. With carrots you can also use the technique of pirodiserbo.
In the accretion phase it may be necessary to re-root the roots, if these emerge from the ground, to prevent them from becoming green and inedible. Moreover this operation is useful to keep the earth soft. In some cases (land exposed to the wind) mulching can be carried out as an alternative. For irrigation do not exceed, you must irrigate when the soil becomes dry.
For a good organic cultivation is great consortium with onion (or leek, garlic or scallion), the two plants remove the parasites in a mutual way. Even the radish goes very well with the carrot. For succession, however, it is good to follow the carrot tomato or potato and then the legumes.
Among the plant diseases remember that: the lack of water causes partition of the root, ruining the vegetables, while the excess of water produces splits that often associate with bacteria and become rot. For bacteriosis, therefore, these should not be presented with good soil management. Among the fungi we remember the peronospora (two different types that attack root and aerial part), the alternaria, especially on heavy clayey soil and the sclerotinia that causes damage to the plant tissues, which are covered with a white mold and then black dots . With good intercropping, careful irrigation dosing and good selection of manure, these phenomena should not occur.
Other enemies that are worth mentioning are: nematodes that produce bumps on the root, while the ferrets or elatiids pierce it. Carrot fly which, however, can not bear the smell of onion or garlic, does not create problems in combination. For aphids, if you were to present, treat the carrot plant with nettle macerate or decoction of garlic.
For the harvest, this is variable, depending on the variety, after 75-130 days. It should not be harvested too far otherwise it becomes woody and not edible. This must be done by grubbing up the root after moistening the soil.