Carrots Nantes: the origin of the variety, yield, reviews

Carrot Nantes is perhaps the most famous Russian variety of fire-orange root crops. There is no such gardener who would not sow the seeds in the garden at least once in his life. Moreover, many grow a popular variety from year to year, not switching to newfangled imported hybrids. What is the reason for this constancy?

Not inferior to modern imported hybrids

In recent years (especially among farmers who grow carrots for sale), foreign hybrid seeds have become very popular, from which roots of an ideal appearance grow. From such seeds it is easy to grow carrots with a beautiful flat surface, without ugly shoots, large, bright, with increased shelf life. However, those who tried to compare root crops to taste, come to a unanimous opinion: carrots Nantes is much tastier, and even the carotene in it is much larger. But in terms of yield, our root crops are in no way inferior to imported hybrid varieties, and they are rivaling by their longevity. The presented orange "vitamin" variety is suitable for raw food, canning and storage until the next harvest.

Origin of variety

Carrots Nantes-4 (reviews testify to its unchanged popularity), was bred by breeders of the VNII of vegetable crops in 1943 through family, as well as individual selection of seeds of hybrids of the type Nantes. In the same year, the variety was zoned for planting throughout the Soviet Union. And it does not matter, in Uzbekistan sow this variety, or in Estonia: carrots will differ in good shoots and high yield.

Zoning

Proceeding from the fact that people are accustomed to choosing seeds suitable for growing in all areas of our vast homeland, the popularity of this or that kind of root crop is developing. Such species are often medium-ripened, which gives them both excellent taste qualities, and good stable yield and long shelf life. From all of the above, we can conclude that the variety of carrots Nantes is a universal option, regardless of the climatic zone of the sowing, because it meets all the requirements at once.

Maximum aging time

How much time should elapse from the moment of appearance of the first shoots to full ripening of the fruit? In the middle-ripening varieties of carrots this period does not exceed 4 months. That is, after laying seeds in the ground, 120 days must pass - and the carrot of Nantes, whose photo is presented here, can be safely cleaned for the winter. If the seeds of carrots Nantes were sown in early May, then with the advent of autumn in any of the fine days begin to harvest. Tighten with cleaning in the hope that the roots will grow a little more, naive. Carrots are maturing exactly as much as it is taken away by nature. However, nothing terrible will happen if, in view of certain circumstances, the harvesting of the vegetable is postponed until October. Carrots will no longer develop, but will not rot even in rainy weather. After all, such a variety as carrots Nanteskaya-4, is distinguished by good cautiousness and excellent resistance to decay.

Champion of carotene content

Growing carrots regularly, it's a sin not to take advantage of the moment of onset ripening ripeness and not start eating young roots directly from the bed. Carotene in this variety is very much, and over the winter stocks of valuable substance in the root crop are depleted. So when do you still have to prepare your body for the harsh and prolonged colds, enriching it with vitamins, if not in the summer? In addition, poreorezhivaya young carrots, you can kill two birds with a rhinestone: and get the most benefit to the body, and free space for growth of neighboring fruits. It is worth noting that, 50 days after the first shoots, the carrot Nantes-4 ripens to bundle ripeness, and carotene content in fruits reaches 20%.

Brief Description of Variety

So, what external features can he boast of? Roots have a classic orange color, an even cylindrical shape of medium size. Many believe that the excessive size of the fruit indicates its stiffness. But the housewives so like to treat the child with a juicy little carrot, or use it whole whole, without the remainder, for roasting in soup. Therefore, when buying carrots in a store, especially large root crops are often ignored. What can not be said about this variety. Carrots Nantes (reviews of gardeners indicate this) is unusually juicy and sweet. Roots have almost ideal dimensions: the length does not exceed 16 cm, and the average mass varies in the range of 100-150 g.

Average yield

So, we found out what is so attractive to the gardeners presented species for already many and many decades. Perhaps, among all varieties there is no more universal, incorporating so many positive qualities. And what is the yield of such a popular plant as Nantes carrot? Ogorodniki with confidence and without any exaggeration ascertain that regardless of climatic features they collect up to 6.5 kg of juicy vegetables from 1 m ^{2 of} land. Imagine only that from a small patch of beds people clean more than half a bucket of root crops. And if the bed is large, then the harvest is calculated in bags. And this despite the average size of carrots.

Carrot Nantes: planting and care during the summer period

When do you start seeding? Many truck farmers are in such a hurry to make all the landings that they do not wait for the earth to warm up, and sow carrots as soon as the land is free of snow. It is not right. After all, the seeds do not swell and will not poke out until the soil temperature reaches 20 degrees. Thus, seeds laid too early will simply lie, and wait for their time. The optimal distance between the rows is 30 cm. To increase the yield, it is necessary to observe the distance and not save on the ground. Forming grooves for sowing can be done with the help of long wooden slats stacked across the beds. The depth of sowing is 1-2 cm.

After laying the seeds, the grooves are slightly mulched with loose soil or other accompanying materials (according to the tradition of our grandmothers, these may be sawdust), they are abundantly spilled and covered with agrofiber. Many gardeners use the covering material for sowing carrots Nantskaya-4. Reviews using this method indicate the preservation of the optimum temperature on the soil surface, as well as the retention of life-giving moisture and the prevention of evaporation from the bed. After 10-14 days, you can wait for the first shoots, all this time, periodically spilling the bed directly over the agrofiber.

Once the shoots have appeared, the covering material can be removed until better times or use it as a protection for strawberry plantations from thrushes. Now comes the time of daily watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil. It is for the enrichment of the soil with oxygen that we need such wide grooves. If the carrot of Nantes in places has risen too much, you can start with caution to get rid of the excessive seedlings density, thinning them. As soon as the seedlings are strengthened, to maintain a constant moisture in the row, the rows are covered with freshly mown grass or hay. Important! Uniform soil moisture prevents cracking of root crops and their incorrect formation. After reaching the ripeness of ripeness, root crops are thinned out so that they are left in a row at a distance of 6-10 cm from each other. It is necessary to make sure that carrots do not grow in pairs, otherwise there will be an interlacing.

When to finish daily watering?

After the ripeness has been achieved and the final thinning has been completed, it is possible not to carry out daily watering, but to limit irrigation at intervals of 2 times a week, but to produce them is very abundant. Ogorodniki express the opinion that one abundant watering will bring more benefits than 3-4 surface ones. And as we have already found out, mulching (overlap between rows of hay and straw) is able to retain moisture for a long time in the depths of the bed. Periodically, it is necessary to check the degree of hardness of the soil surface under the mulch. Carrots Nantes, like all root crops, loves not only moisture, but also oxygen. Therefore, if loosening is necessary, then it should be made, again to sow the bed and again to cloud the aisles.

Are there early varieties of carrots of Nantes?

Of course, the breeders did not fail to take advantage of the opportunity to bring out the early-ripening variety of the popular species. For all who want to get a ripe juicy orange vegetable within 100 days after the appearance of the first shoots and to enjoy the incomparable sweet tastes and the high content of vitamins, there is a sort of Nantes-3. Orange-red cylindrical root crops can reach a length of 20 cm. All the best qualities of the species are preserved and supplemented with a higher sweetness, which makes the vegetable ideal for baby food. Recently, Nantes improved carrots are widely spread, which has an extended shelf life. Having found the forgotten bag in 2-3 years after purchase, it is possible not to worry about good shoots.

On what soil should be grown?

We have already said that carrots require regular moisturizing and nourishing with oxygen. Therefore, for planting fit loose light sand and peaty, loamy soil. But on heavy clay soils of a large crop can not wait. The soil must be crumbly, moderately fertilized, so that the root can be properly formed, without encountering any obstacles in the form of earthen lumps on its way in the process of growth. All truck farmers from time to time complain about ugly, irregularly formed, with a lot of fingers clumsy carrots. To prevent this from happening, in autumn you can plant winter rye on the bed , thereby ennobling the soil.

Precursors on the bed

Vegetable crops must roam through beds, making a kind of cycling. This contributes to the fight against pests living in the soil. Very well the fireball root feels itself sown to the place where in the past year there were potatoes, beans, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes.

How to store vegetables: recommendations

Despite the fact that carrots of the presented variety are stored without problems, it is not forbidden to follow the general recommendations. Let's listen to the advice of experienced truck farmers and find out how they store their impressive harvest. So, experts advise before laying vegetables for storage properly rinse the roots in several waters, and then dry it. The crop is cut completely, slightly grasping the tip of the carrot, which will prevent unwanted re-germination in winter during storage. Pure dry roots are packed in dark plastic bags and put into a cellar.