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Carrots are a product without which it is very difficult to imagine soup, borscht or spring salad. Just like onions, beets and potatoes, this vegetable is very popular in every country in Europe. Therefore, it is not surprising that many Russians are interested in the question of when to plant carrots in Siberia.
Siberian climate
Speaking of Siberia, most people imagine severe frosts and snowdrifts. However, this is not entirely true. Of course, Siberia is quite cold, but there are no such extreme conditions that it would be impossible to plant carrots, beets or some other vegetables. Plus, the weather tends to change. Winter in the region is much milder than it was a hundred years ago. Just like in the rest of the Russian Federation, the year may turn out to be warmer or colder. For comparison, it is enough to take at least information for the last 3 years: 2016, 2017, 2018.
Siberia is a huge region of Eurasia, stretching from the shores of the North Ice Ocean to Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. It is clear that not every part will be equally successful in growing carrots.
Carrots are grown in Siberia
In Western Siberia
This part of the region has the mildest climate. The Altai mountains act as a huge natural barrier that does not allow the cold Kazakh winds to pass through. Vasyugan swamps, stretching for hundreds of kilometers, moisturize the air well, making the summer heat not so unbearable.
The air temperature in winter ranges from -15 ºС to -30 ºС. In summer, you can count on temperatures from +15 to +35 ºС. In such conditions, a large number of heat-loving fruit plants, including vegetables, can be sown. It is important to make sure that they are sown at a certain time by breeders and technologists, then one can hope for good fruits.
In Eastern Siberia
Although the general annual temperature here is only 0 degrees, it is much colder in winter in this part than in the west of the region. The sun may not appear in winter for a whole month (the so-called polar nights). Snow begins to fall in the 20th of October. Summer is sunny enough. The air temperature can warm up to +15 ºС, but it rarely rains.
So planting late-ripening vegetables doesn't make sense here. The fruits may simply not have time to ripen. For the summer, owners can choose those varieties of carrots and onions that love the sun, but do not require heat.
Northern territories of Siberia
It is actually tundra. The area differs in the most stringent conditions. Summer in the north of Siberia almost never happens. The thermometer mark drops to -40 ºС, or even lower in winter. On some days of summer, the air can warm up to +10 ºС. Of course, there can be no talk of any sowing. Although the breeders took care of frost-resistant shrubs and vegetables, however, these simply do not have a chance to be planted, because the earth here thaws very slowly, and then for a short period.
When to plant carrots and onions
How to choose a period
Siberian gardeners know very well when to plant carrots in Siberia. They set aside spring and autumn for this activity. However, you should not rush too much: at the beginning of spring, frosts may still occur, which will freeze the plant, preventing it from growing to the desired size.
Important! Carrot seedlings can withstand up to -4 ºС.However, a temperature of -8 ° C will change the composition of the vegetable, and the starch will turn into sugar. Therefore, the carrot cannot be stored for a long time.
The most successful dates to sow vegetables depends on the particular variety, the desired storage duration and the readiness to plant the soil itself.
How carrots are grown and looked after in Siberia
Spring landing
This is the most common variant in Siberia. Although the fruits, as local farmers assure, will not be as large as after the autumn planting, they can be preserved and frozen for a long time.
Experts call April and May the best months for planting carrots. You need to focus on the temperature regime. The air should warm up as much as possible, and the soil should dry out. If the soil thaws over an extended period, parasites, bacteria and viruses will begin to multiply in the soil. Be sure to treat the soil with special antiseptics during this period.
Important! It is better not to plant carrots and onions if the ground is still very wet and looks more like a swamp, otherwise the seeds will rot.
It is better to sow the vegetable in an open and sunny area. Carrots do not like shade or the same place. Planting material is often planted in an area where other vegetables used to grow.
About a week before sowing, it is worth taking care of the soil. The bed is leveled, and the soil is watered with warm water. As gardeners point out in their videos, the seeds themselves must first be cleaned of essential oils. To do this, they must be thoroughly rinsed with very warm (up to +50 ºС) water, then dried naturally.
It is important to sow the seeds evenly. Therefore, they are sometimes mixed with sawdust or pasted onto paper.
Carrot seeds are glued on paper, sown
Naming the advantages of planting carrots in spring, Siberians point to:
- maximum saturation of the vegetable with vitamins;
- long storage period.
The main disadvantage is the need to control weeds, because they grow especially actively in spring.
Planting carrots in autumn
In Siberia, carrots and onions are often planted in autumn. The crop can be harvested next year. The optimal period for harvesting these vegetables is April-May. Often, the carrot fruit is the only fresh vegetable during this period. If the autumn is warm, sowing carrot seeds is also allowed in mid-November. However, most gardeners are not at risk and sowing at the end of October.
For good yields, you need to take care of proper soil preparation.
Fertilizing is mandatory, for example:
- superphosphates;
- phosphates;
- potassium salt.
Important! Organic fertilizing (humus, manure, compost) is not used in the autumn.
Unlike spring sowing, autumn sowing does not provide for seed washing. They must be dry. Although carrot seeds are very small, it is best to sow them at a great distance from each other so that you do not have to remove part of the garden later. The optimal distance between autumn fruits is 15 cm.The seeds are introduced into the ground in the fall to a depth of 2 cm.
Some owners try to cover the carrots with sacking for the winter. So it should grow all winter, you can open the vegetable after the snow has thawed. However, this is not required.
Some Siberians prefer the autumn planting of carrots, determining its such advantages:
- the fruits themselves are much larger in size than the spring ones;
- no need for preliminary preparation of seeds;
- autumn fruits are more resistant to diseases and pests;
- lack of weeds that take away the strength from the fruit.
Astrologers' recommendations
Astrologers also give their advice on when to plant carrots in Siberia in spring. Prevents the lunar calendar from sowing onions and carrots during the full moon. On such days, the root system of the plant is very weak and sensitive to any action. The land does not yield a good harvest. Loosening of the soil is undesirable, as well as rarefaction of carrots that have already come off.
The vegetation processes also slow down significantly on the days of the new moon.Neither the earth nor the seeds close to the new moon will bring the expected result.
The most favorable period will be the time when the earth's satellite will gradually begin to decrease in diameter, this is the so-called waning moon. All the juices from the tops begin to run in a different direction and saturate the root crop with useful elements. The seeds sown at this time will come off easily and provide good fruit.
In addition, the astrological forecast also indicates the influence of the constellation in which the moon falls. You can count on a good harvest of carrots and onions if you plant them during the period of activity of the signs: Capricorn, Virgo, Taurus. They all belong to the elements of the Earth.
The best varieties for Siberia
The breeders took care of a good harvest in various parts of the Russian Federation and developed certain frost-resistant carrot varieties intended for cultivation in Siberia.
The most popular of them are:
- Nastena is sweet. This carrot variety is best planted in May. It has a sweet taste (hence the name), therefore it is most often used to obtain juice;
Rich harvest of carrots in Siberia
- Altai shortened. Used for spring planting. Although small in size (up to 120 grams), they can be stored for a long time;
- The Queen of Autumn. It can be sown both in autumn and winter. The fruits are bright in color. Can be stored for a long time, used for processing or preparing any first or main course;
- Dayana. The variety was bred for winter planting. The fruits are large and give birth well.
As is clear from all that has been said above, carrots can be grown in Siberia in the same way as in the Moscow region or in the Urals. The Siberian harvest is resistant to many plant diseases and pests.
