The best predecessors for carrots
Carrots, although the culture is not picky, but when growing it, you need to know some nuances, in particular, the rules crop rotation (certain crop rotation). Applying them in practice, gardeners have found that orange roots are less sick, practically not damaged by pests and grow quite large. Some crops cannot be planted, for example, after potatoes, others cannot tolerate predecessors such as cucumbers. Today we'll talk about the best and worst predecessors for carrots.
After which you can plant carrots?
According to numerous studies, this crop rotation allows the most appropriate distribution of nutrients in the soil. Therefore, a novice gardener just needs to know, after which to plant carrots.
Worst predecessors for carrots
The worst precursor for carrots is parsley - after it, favorable conditions for the reproduction of pests are created in the soil. For an orange vegetable, they are destructive, so with such a planting it is worthwhile to wait and look for a more suitable place if you want to get a good harvest of carrots.
If the condition is not possible to fulfill, then you can carefully loosen the earth with a hoe and spill it with a steep solution of potassium permanganate. You need to do the above manipulations immediately before sowing carrots, and best of all in the fall. This action will help reduce in the future the likelihood of developing diseases of root crops and damage by their pests..
However, it is impossible to say that this method will completely protect carrots from external influences.
What vegetables can be planted after carrots?
Now it's worth talking about what vegetables are allowed to be planted after carrots. According to experienced gardeners, different varieties of peppers and tomatoes will feel good in such a place. You can also consider the option of planting cabbage of different ripening periods or salad. On small plots of land, it is difficult to follow the rules of crop rotation, therefore many summer residents plant only those vegetables that are more needed and grow well on their site.
If the soil after carrots is depleted (this phenomenon occurs very often), then agronomists recommend building a manure bed in the desired area and planting cucumbers in it. In 1-2 years, the earth will return to its normal state.
We add that in the place where the cucumbers grew, the orange vegetable cannot be planted for at least 2 years. This is explained by the fact that after a given agricultural crop, the land is saturated with organic matter, which carrots are very poorly tolerated.
Alternation of crops. What are the benefits?
Why is it so important to alternate plantings? The fact is that both vegetable and berry crops tend to take certain trace elements from the ground. If, for example, you plant carrots in the same place, the land will eventually be depleted and will not be suitable for growing any crops. In addition, if a vegetable grows from year to year in a certain area, insects begin to settle in the ground, which will harm this particular culture.
In general, knowing how to sow carrots correctly will not be superfluous, on the contrary, it will help to preserve and, of course, get a good harvest in the future.
Know the enemy by sight. How to deal with a carrot fly?
For many gardeners, the use of chemicals is strictly prohibited. Such gardeners prefer to use various tricks that can disorient the enemy. We will talk about some of them in this article.
As you know, the main pest of carrots is the carrot fly. She is attracted by the specific smell of the root crop. If an insect appears in the garden, it can destroy most of the crop.
To protect root crops, farmers used many different methods. As a result, a list of the most effective measures was compiled.
- It is believed that strong-smelling vegetables can scare off carrot flies, so experienced gardeners prefer to plant the orange root vegetable in rows diluted with garlic or onions. An insect that has flown to the scent of carrots, due to the abundance of odors, is disoriented in space and as a result flies away.
- Sometimes such measures do not help. Then in the fight against harmful insects, you can start up a mixture of tobacco dust with wood ash (1: 1). The required ingredients can be purchased at any farm store.
The product has a specific odor and is a good deterrent to carrot flies. It is used as follows: it is scattered in a thin layer in the aisles. Frequency rate of processing - once a week. You will have to do this procedure at least 6 times per season, otherwise you can not expect an effective effect.
I must say that growing a healthy orange root crop in your garden is not the most difficult task. Even a novice gardener can harvest a good harvest if he knows how to plant carrots. We wish you good luck.