Content
Modern gardeners are offered more than 200 varieties of carrots for growing in central and northwestern Russia. However, among such diversity, one can single out the best types of root crops with high yields, excellent external and taste qualities and other comparative advantages. Among them, undoubtedly, one should include the “Queen of Autumn” carrots. A description of the main characteristics of this vegetable, its photo and agricultural technology features are given in this article.
Description of the root vegetable
The proud name “Queen of Autumn” was not given to this variety for nothing. It is characterized by late ripening period and excellent characteristics of carrots. Each root vegetable has an even conical shape, its length varies from 20 to 25 cm. The average weight of the vegetable is 60-180 g. The flesh of carrots is bright orange with a reddish tint, very sweet and juicy. You can compare the given description of the “Queen of Autumn” with the real external qualities of the root vegetable in the photo.
To simplify classification, all carrot varieties are divided into 10 varieties in accordance with the shape, size and main characteristics of the root crop. Thus, the carrot variety “Queen of Autumn” belongs to the Flakke variety. In Russia it is customary to call him Valeria.All root crops in this category contain a relatively low amount of carotene, but at the same time have high yield and shelf life. Thus, the yield of the “Queen of Autumn” variety, in the presence of favorable growing conditions, is 9 kg/m2. The root crop can be stored throughout the winter period, until the onset of the new harvest season.
Features of agricultural technology
At first glance, there is no wisdom in growing carrots. But for some reason, often, despite the efforts put in by the gardener, the vegetable becomes bitter, cracks, has insufficient weight, shaped defects and other shortcomings. In order to exclude them, the peculiarities of the agricultural technology of the cultivated variety should be taken into account.
Sowing seeds
Loose soils are best suited for growing carrots. They can be created by mixing compost, sand and garden soil. Raised beds also provide comfortable conditions for root crop growth. Dense, compacted soil is the main cause of distortion of carrots.
The best predecessors for the crop are tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, and cereals. At the same time, it is unlikely that it will be possible to grow a full-fledged crop on depleted soils, so it is better to take care of applying fertilizers in advance in the fall.
Carrot seeds are initially suitable for sowing in the ground, however, many gardeners claim that pre-soaking the seeds for 3-4 days in water speeds up the plant growth process.
Taking into account the characteristics of the “Queen of Autumn” carrots, breeders have proposed a scheme for sowing the seeds of this variety.Thus, there should be a distance of at least 20 cm between the rows, and at least 4 cm between adjacent seeds. It is quite difficult to maintain such an interval due to the small fraction of the seed. Therefore, gardeners use some tricks, for example:
- Seeds are glued onto a strip of toilet paper at the required intervals, after which it is embedded in the ground;
- mix the seeds with dry sand and sprinkle the resulting mixture into the furrows, thereby adjusting the distance between the seeds.
When sowing a crop, the recommended seed placement depth is 2-2.5 cm.
Growing
The “Queen of Autumn” variety is highly resistant to cold weather. Thus, even young shoots can successfully withstand frosts down to -4 0C. However, during long-term cold spells, the growth of root crops slows down significantly. The optimal temperature for growing vegetables of this variety is +18 0WITH.
Under favorable conditions, crop seedlings appear 2 weeks after sowing the seed. So that during this time the bed is not covered with abundant greenery and weeds it should be covered with polyethylene. The construction of a shelter will also prevent moisture evaporation and cracking of the soil.
When growing carrots of any variety, special attention should be paid to watering. It should be moderately abundant and systematic. Otherwise, you may encounter the following situations:
- frequent abundant watering makes the carrots coarse and tasteless, like fodder;
- Carrots without sufficient watering grow limp, lack sweetness, and may even die. It is characterized by poor keeping quality;
- lack of systematic watering leads to cracking of the root crop;
- superficial watering of the ridges leads to the abundant formation of small roots on the surface of the vegetable, as well as to its curvature;
Thus, carrots of the “Queen of Autumn” variety need to be watered abundantly, but infrequently. This will allow the root crop to form smooth, juicy, and sweet.
Thinning is another mandatory step when growing carrots. The first thinning should be performed 12-14 days from the date of emergence. Secondary thinning should be done after 10 days. Thinning should be carried out with extreme caution so as not to damage the root system of the remaining plants, as this can lead to subsequent deformation of the vegetable. Densely growing carrots grow frail, thin, and quickly rot during storage.
Feeding carrots during the growing period can be done with special fertilizers or superphosphate. At the same time, the use of fresh manure leads to bitter taste and ugly distortion of the fruit.
If all cultivation rules are followed, the fruits of the “Queen of Autumn” variety ripen 117-130 days after sowing the seed. This period is considered quite long, however, it helps to improve the keeping quality of carrots.
An example of how to properly grow large, tasty carrots of the “Queen of Autumn” variety is shown in the video:
Vegetable storage
Carrots are a rather capricious vegetable to store. Therefore, even such a specialized variety as “Queen of Autumn” should be properly prepared for long-term winter storage. To do this you need:
- Harvest the crop in accordance with its ripening period, which is stated by the manufacturer, since unripe carrots are prone to rotting, and overripe carrots are susceptible to pests;
- Watering should be stopped a few days before harvesting. This will preserve the sweetness and juiciness of the vegetable;
- Trim the tops below the growth point by 0.5 cm, so that the greens do not absorb juices from the root crop;
- The prepared carrots must be dried in the sun for 2-3 hours, and then placed in conditions with a temperature of 10-140From for 2 weeks. This will allow the carrots to heal damage, and diseased fruits to show defects;
- Winter storage of vegetables can be carried out in containers with sand or sawdust filler, as well as in moss, clay, onion peels, and a plastic bag.
Optimal conditions for winter storage of carrots are humidity 90-95%, temperature 0-+10C. In such conditions, carrots of the “Queen of Autumn” variety can be preserved until the new harvest without loss of quality.
Conclusion
Choosing the “Queen of Autumn” variety is an excellent solution for farmers who not only want to get a rich, tasty carrot harvest, but also preserve it throughout the winter. After all, fresh, juicy carrots in winter can become a tasty treat and a natural source of vitamins. At the same time, a vegetable grown with your own hands is doubly tastier and healthier.
