Gardeners often ask the question when to harvest carrots and beets. Some do it in September, others in October. The difference in terms of cleaning is very big.

We can only say unequivocally that for the harvesting of these root crops, one cannot wait for stable and severe frosts.

Despite the fact that the onset of technical ripeness of carrots and beets is not clearly expressed, you need to learn how to navigate yourself. It is impossible to give advice on when to dig up carrots and beets. After all, it is not known when you planted them and what maturity they are.

How to determine the technical ripeness of carrots and beets

Sometimes technical ripeness can be determined by the yellowing of the lower leaves. At the same time, if the weather is dry, then this sign may indicate a lack of moisture in the soil. But if the central leaves wither, this is a sign that the plants are sick or damaged. Such roots should be pulled out immediately.

When there is a wet and warm autumn, carrots and beets that have already stopped growing can begin to grow again. They begin the second stage of their growth, so they are biennial plants, producing seeds in the second year. The appearance of new leaves reduces the amount of valuable nutrients. Such root crops lose quality and will be poorly stored.

Early harvesting of carrots and beets is also undesirable, since in the warm period of time these root crops begin to wither.

How to dig up carrots

Digging up carrots is better with a pitchfork. Don't keep it in piles outdoors—carrots don't need to be dried.

Usually carrots are dug up in the second half of September-early October, depending on what the weather is like. Thick tops of carrots protect it from the cold. In cool weather, sugars accumulate in root crops.

Beets are harvested a week after carrots.

After digging, the tops of the carrots are carefully cut off, leaving petioles up to 2 cm. In beets, the tops are cut off completely, leaving no petioles. Root crops should not be washed or dried, as this will adversely affect the storage of the crop.

Have a good harvest!

14.09.2017

We will talk only about table carrots - fodder is harvested at other times. Table carrots can be harvested for bundle products (this is what grandmothers start selling back in June) and for long-term storage.

"On the beam"

Carrots can be harvested for beam products when the diameter of the root crops in the upper part becomes more than 1.5 cm, and preferably a little more than 2 cm. At this time, it is easy to pull out the carrots by simply pulling the bunch of leaves, but sometimes (especially in dense soil) the leaves break off . Therefore, it is better to pick it up with two fingers for the root crop itself.

For long term storage

Carrots are one of the weakest vegetable crops. It is very difficult to save it until the new harvest, but still possible. One of the most effective techniques increasing keeping quality - late harvesting.

For long-term storage, carrots are harvested at the end of the growing season, when it has already stored a maximum of nutrients. Usually, cleaning begins when the average daily temperature drops to 10 ... 12 degrees. In the Moscow region, this is the middle or end of September, sometimes the beginning of October. In any case, carrots should be removed before frost, because frozen root crops do not store well. Rains are also dangerous: with a sharp increase in humidity, carrots crack. In dry weather, cleaning should be postponed until the last opportunity.

It is too late to harvest carrots when the snow fell - the root crops froze. They won't keep for long.

When to harvest carrots in Siberia and the Urals?

In Siberia and the Urals, autumn frosts can begin as early as mid-September, or even earlier. Therefore, vegetable growers in these regions should carefully monitor the weather forecast and start harvesting as soon as temperatures drop to zero or below, snowfalls or prolonged rains are expected on the horizon. In Altai, carrots and beets are usually harvested in the middle or end of October, but, for example, in 2017, the dates will obviously shift due to early frosts. The timing of harvesting carrots and beets in Siberia and the Urals as a whole is about the same: in Tyumen this year you can start from September 15, in Yekaterinburg - from September 20 (but, possibly later, there is no weather forecast for the end of September yet), in Tomsk - also from 15, in Novosibirsk at the end of September, rains are expected: therefore, it is better not to stretch the deadlines for harvesting carrots. But this is in 2017: already in 2018 everything can change.

How to clean?

It's great if you can cut or mow the tops before harvesting. Root crops with cut leaves lose less moisture, and their integuments coarsen faster. If it is impossible to cut the leaves before digging, they are cut after, but as soon as possible. Carrots intended for eating are cut short, removing the apical bud - otherwise it will begin to sprout. The queen cells left on the seeds are cut so that the apical bud remains intact.

On not large areas root crops can be gently lifted with a fork and then pulled out of the ground. Some use a shovel: in principle, if you use it carefully, there are almost no damaged root crops. Carrot varieties with short, thick roots, and especially when grown on light soils, can simply be pulled out. For example, "Carotel" twitches just fine.

Carrot harvester CF300

On large areas, special machines are used for harvesting carrots. These are, firstly, rather old MMT-1 and EM-11 root harvesters with a track of 140 cm; secondly, a carrot harvester MUK-1.8 with a track of 180 cm and beet lifters different models, as well as imported ones - for example, CF300 True, beet lifters do not harvest carrots, but only dig them up. It has to be removed manually.

After harvesting, the carrots are dried a little in the shade, separated from the clods of earth and sorted. It should be dried in partial shade, under a canopy: under such conditions, the causative agent of bacterial rot dies within a few hours.

Carrots for short storage can be washed.

How to store carrots?

• color, size and shape standard for this variety;
• with a diameter of at least 2 and not more than 6 cm;
• with the rest of the petiole no more than 2 cm long;
• whole;
• unfaded;
• without damage.

A small amount of carrots can be stored in plastic, leaky sealed bags on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of + 4 degrees. Periodically, the packages should be opened and root crops that begin to deteriorate should be discarded. If large drops of condensate appear inside the bag, the carrots must be transferred to another bag.

Storage in sand or peat

Carrots are stored in the sand until the next harvest.

Carrots are stored very well in sand or peat. On the one hand, sand prevents the roots from drying out, and on the other hand, it instantly absorbs the released moisture and thereby prevents the development of rot. The matter is simple: a container is placed in a cold basement, prepared carrot roots are placed in it and poured with river sand cleaned of large organic matter and stones. Then, as needed, the roots are dug up and used. Stored even longer than before the new harvest.

Storage in bags

Losses during storage in bags in a cold basement rarely exceed 5% in half a year

Storage in plastic bags good way. About 20 kg of healthy root crops are placed in a large bag and placed on the floor or a rack in a room with a constant low temperature. The bag should be covered but not tied. Polyethylene practically does not pass gases: therefore carbon dioxide, which is formed during the respiration of carrots, will accumulate in the bag and slow down the metabolism of root crops. At a temperature of about 1 degree, carrots in a bag can be stored for up to 7 months with virtually no loss. It is only important that the bags themselves do not stand too close to each other, and heat can be easily removed from them.

Storage on racks and piles

When stored on racks, and even more so in heaps, even at optimal temperature and humidity, some of the root crops deteriorate due to damage by rot and mold, as well as due to rodents. This method of storage is used only when working with commodity volumes, but the enterprises must have technologists. They know better than me what to do and how to do it.

That's all. Now you know when to harvest carrots in the fall, how to choose storable root crops, and how to keep them until summer. Good harvests!

Nowadays, in the market or in the store, you can buy any vegetables throughout the year. This statement in fully also applies to such an indispensable root crop as carrots. However, many, not without reason, believe that in this case it is impossible to be completely sure of the absolute ecological purity of the product. Therefore, most gardeners prefer to grow on their own. personal plot natural vegetables. Carrots are a popular and favorite vegetable crop in every summer cottage. Rich in trace elements, carotene, vitamins, substances that increase immunity and help cure many ailments. Carrots are one of the main crops in baby foods. All summer our “girl in the dungeon, the scythe on the street” grew and grew stronger, filled with juices. And now, finally, the time has come to harvest, dry, lay in storage. Without vitamin carrots, we are nowhere. It is good everywhere: in soup, and in salad, and in vegetable stew. Therefore, it is so important to remove carrots from the garden in time. Hurry up - the carrot will wither, it will be poorly stored. And yes, it's not worth the hassle either. When is the best time to harvest carrots? The cottage cheat sheet and the Lunar calendar 2018 will tell you.

Useful composition of carrots

It contains not only carotene, but also other carotenoids: phytoene, phytofluene, lycotine.

Also vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, pantothenic and folic acid, vitamin PP, essential oil, nitrogenous and pectin substances, enzymes, mineral salts: calcium, phosphorus, iron, cobalt, boron, chromium, copper, iodine - and other trace elements.

This is what makes it so useful. IN traditional medicine it is used as a multivitamin remedy for beriberi, anemia and general loss of strength.

With daily use of its fresh, patients gain weight. They also become less susceptible to infectious diseases, their complexion is refreshed.

For those who eat a lot of carrots, drink carrot juice, “love” the sun, a tan “sticks” to them better and lays down more evenly. Before going to the beach, it is enough to drink a glass of freshly squeezed carrot juice so that the tan goes smoother and faster.

Modern medicine believes that carrots have many wonderful properties: vitamin, tonic, tonic, moderately soothing, vasodilator, mild diuretic and choleretic, anti-inflammatory and wound healing.

The benefits of carrots for the human body are very large. By adding it to your diet, digestion improves, milk secretion increases in lactating women. Carrots also help to remove sand and small stones when nephrolithiasis, enhances the work of the sex glands.

In addition, it activates intracellular redox processes, regulates carbohydrate metabolism, cleanses wounds and ulcers from pus, reduces pain and inflammatory processes, contributes to the rapid epithelialization of tissues.

When to harvest carrots according to the lunar calendar 2018

Digging up beets and carrots is advised during the waning moon. In this lunar cycle, the movement of juices in the fruits slows down, growth stops, and the time is right for harvesting the crop from the beds. In 2018, in September-October, the waning moon will be:

• September 1-8;
• September 26-30;
• October 1;
• October 3-8;
• October 25-30.

For root crops, the movement of juices is important because the juiciness and saturation of the fruit determine the desired structure and taste. Beets and carrots dug in the right cycle are easier to prepare for storage. In addition, they have a long shelf life.

Signs that carrots are ready for harvest

When harvesting carrots great importance has a timely harvest. With the onset of low positive temperatures in September, root crops accelerate their growth. And if you dig up the carrots ahead of time- root crops will not have time to gain the optimal mass and will go to storage not fully ripened. Such fruits are very poorly stored.

Root crops overexposed in the ground lose their taste, or carrots can go into secondary growth. With the onset of negative temperatures, the likelihood of carrot diseases increases.

These are the main reasons that indicate how important it is to remove carrots from the garden at the optimum time. This is the only way to expect a quality harvest.

At the beginning of September, one should already seriously think about harvesting, choosing fine days and monitoring the moment when root crops are ready for harvesting. Here are some signs that indicate that it's time to remove carrots from the garden:

• yellowing of tops;
• the diameter of the carrot in the middle of the root crop is more than 1 cm;
• white thin roots along the entire length of the carrot;
• Longitudinal cracks in root crops indicate a late harvest.

Note! Useful material and vitamins accumulate in root crops mainly a month before harvest, when the average daily air temperature drops to +4..6 degrees. Therefore, it is not correct to harvest before this period.

How to properly dig carrots from the garden for storage

Having decided on the time, start cleaning. It is required to properly dig up the root crops, dry and prepare carrots for storage for the winter in the cellar and at home. Carrots are not potatoes, although they usually occupy a large garden bed in vegetable gardens, they cannot be compared with potato plantations. It digs easily, and if the day is dry, it is enough for the root crop to dry slightly in the air.

1. Choose a fine day, without precipitation.
2. Prepare shovels or pitchforks in advance. It is more convenient to dig up root crops with a pitchfork, so the carrots are less damaged. On light soils, vegetables are pulled out by hand, gently holding the tops.
3. They remove the ground from the carrot, lay it on the bed to dry. You can not tap vegetables among themselves, shaking off clods of soil. Root crops are damaged, after which they rot faster during storage.
4. The tops are cut with a sharp knife or simply turned inside out. It is recommended to cut off the top of the root crop (up to 1 cm) to remove all growth points of the carrot. Otherwise, during storage, the vegetable will begin to produce sprouts, and this affects the juiciness and quality of the pulp.

How to store carrots

It is best to store the dug up carrots and beets in the cellar or basement, because there is the most suitable temperature for long-term storage. Do not store vegetables on a balcony that is not glazed - sooner or later the crop will freeze there, and all your work throughout the season will be nullified.

To prevent mice from reaching the harvest in the cellar, special shelves can be constructed there. If you are spared from such a misfortune, carrots and beets can be poured into ordinary boxes or bins.

Sometimes root crops are dipped in clay or sprinkled with sand to better storage, but if the temperature is kept within +3 ° C, they themselves are remarkably stored throughout the winter without any additional processing.

If the humidity is relatively low in the room where you store vegetables, root crops can be placed in ordinary plastic bags. In order for the crop not to become a victim of moisture, the vegetables are sprinkled with sawdust.

Carrot Storage Secrets

• The optimum temperature for storing carrots is from 0 to 1 degrees. The higher the temperature, the less carrots will be stored.
• Humidity - from 90-95%.
• It is better to store carrots in an open container.
• You can sprinkle the roots with sand, peat or onion peel.
• Do not place carrots next to apples during storage.

Harvesting carrots is a controversial issue. Some believe that you can harvest the root crop at any time up to mid-autumn. Others remain in favor of harvesting the vegetable on a fixed time frame. Summing up the question of when to remove carrots from the garden, you need to focus on the carrot variety, planting date, climate, weather conditions, weather forecast for the next month, and obvious signs of carrot ripening. You can store carrots in winter where these conditions are met. The easiest way for residents of private houses, there is always a place for the harvest. In apartments, the harvest is stored on the balcony, in the refrigerator, pantry, basement or in non-residential buildings: sheds, garages.

What is a vegetable garden without carrots? Of course, not a single gardener can do without this culture. However, this seemingly ordinary and familiar vegetable is fraught with certain problems. As an experienced gardener, I can say that growing carrots is only half the battle.

It is equally important to choose the most suitable time for harvesting. This question is not as simple as it seems. Let's take a closer look at the features of carrot ripening, the optimal time for its collection, preparation for storage and the storage process itself - its subtleties and secrets.

In fact, understanding this issue is much more important than we think. If you pull a vegetable out of the ridges ahead of time, then it will not have time to collect enough sugars and nutrients, respectively, its taste will leave much to be desired.

And, on the contrary, if the carrot lingers in the soil longer than the due date, then it will not only become overgrown with numerous hairs, but also crack, begin to rot and be damaged by pests.

The ripening time of carrots, the timing of its harvesting are determined by many factors, these include varietal characteristics of the root crop, climatic conditions throughout the summer period, a list of fertilizers used during the growing season, and much more.

Therefore, it is not possible to designate any specific dates; each gardener will have to navigate according to his individual indirect signs.

In this case, the smallest detail has great value: a gardener's instinct, a bag of seeds saved from the moment of sowing, color of carrot tops, appearance, taste of a vegetable, ambient temperature.

However, first of all, it should be borne in mind that varieties of carrots in terms of ripening are early, medium and late. In this regard, the main factor can be called the period of ripening of root crops indicated in the characteristics of the variety, as well as the recommended period for sowing seeds.

Early ripe varieties of carrots and the timing of their ripening

For early carrots, the growing season is 60-80 days. By itself, the early root crop is juicy with a high sugar content, tasty and healthy, ideal for summer light salads.

Such a carrot is quite small, it is not at all suitable for long-term storage. For this reason, carrots of this type are planted in limited quantities, so that they can be eaten before the start of autumn.

Early varieties of carrots must be dug up by mid-summer. Otherwise, the vegetable will become tasteless, or even crack and get sick. All the same can be attributed to root crops planted before winter.

Therefore, if you took care of replenishing your diet with vitamins last fall and planted carrots before winter, then do not forget to completely harvest by mid-July. The liberated bed can be reused by sowing any early crop or feeding the soil by planting green manure.

Mid-season and late varieties: terms and features of harvesting

Varieties of carrots, the ripeness of which occurs 80-110 days after sowing, are considered mid-ripening. This group includes the most popular varieties among gardeners: they easily manage to ripen even in not the longest summer and are perfectly stored. Such carrots are harvested by mid-September.

When carrots take more than 110 days to ripen, they are classified as late-ripening autumn varieties. It will be perfectly preserved without loss of taste and nutritional qualities until the next harvest.

However, if the summer is cold and rainy, it may not fully ripen. With favorable climatic conditions autumn carrots can sit in the garden until mid-October.

Sowing time is of great importance. Most often, due to its cold resistance, carrots are one of the first crops that appear in the spring in the garden. However, the weather brings surprises every year, and if in one season it is warm by mid-April, then in another, sowing is not possible until the end of May.

You can make your task much easier if you get into the habit of making notes on packets of seeds. Just enter the exact date of sowing and save the bags until the time of harvest. The packaging always indicates the ripening period of a particular crop variety, from which you can easily calculate the approximate date of harvesting root crops.

However, if you nevertheless neglected this advice and threw away the packaging, then you will have to focus on the external signs of carrot ripeness.

How to determine the ripeness of carrots by external signs

• Yellowed or dried lower leaves. The readiness of root crops for digging is evidenced by the yellowing and lodging of the lower foliage. The middle leaves change their appearance when the carrot is sick, attacked by harmful insects, or has been in the garden for too long;
• Increasing the "hairiness" of carrots, i.e. the appearance of white thread-like roots on it indicates that the carrot is overripe and is preparing to grow. Vegetables must be harvested urgently, otherwise you risk getting hard dry roots instead of tasty and juicy carrots;
• The taste and appearance of carrots is determined by trial. Dig up a few and look at them. If the roots are bright orange in color, large, tasty, then it's time to remove them from the garden.

Autumn cooling, in addition to its detrimental effect, can sometimes bring benefits to the plant. To carrots it has the most direct relation. So, starting from the end of summer, a gradual cooling slows down the growth of green mass, due to which the root crop itself begins to intensively gain weight.

At the same time, the carrot is in the stage of accumulation of sugars, minerals, vitamins and other elements - it reaches the stage of full biological maturity, reaches the optimal level of keeping quality and taste.

Carrots completely stop growing when the air temperature drops to 3-5 degrees Celsius. This means that it is time to dig up the roots.

At the same time, the time of cooling has another side - precipitation and the first frosts. Prolonged rains cause the appearance of rot and other diseases, and frosts worsen the keeping quality of fruits. Follow the weather forecast, if precipitation and frost are expected, immediately clean up.

In such circumstances, the amount of accumulated vitamins and even the ripeness of root crops cease to matter, your harvest is at risk.

Having decided on the moment of harvesting the culture, do not relax! The technology of harvesting carrots has its own secrets.

The subtleties of the technology of collecting root crops

Prematurely, about three to four weeks before harvest, watering carrots should be stopped. This is necessary because vegetables extracted from dry soil retain their juiciness much longer. So choose a sunny, dry day, arm yourself with the right tool, and start digging.

If your site boasts light and loose soil, then you can simply pull out the root crops with your hands. To do this, grasp the bottom of the tops with one hand, and lightly hold the base of the fruit with the other. In some cases, a small spatula can help, with which root crops are undermined.

When the soil in the beds leaves much to be desired, it is best to use a pitchfork. An ordinary shovel will also work, however, you need to wield it very carefully so as not to damage the crop. Step back a few centimeters from the carrot row and gently pry the ground.

Pull out the carrots that appear from the soil, holding on to the stems, with your hands. Immediately sort the root crops: immediately remove all small, clumsy, damaged and cut ones to the side, and you have to prepare large even fruits for winter storage.

How to Properly Prepare Carrots for Storage

• You should start with cleansing. Release the root crops from adhering soil, but this must be done very carefully - the method of tapping carrots against each other is not at all suitable, since the carrots will simply crack.
• Further, without fail, the root crops should be freed from the tops - otherwise, during the drying process, it will take some of the moisture from the carrots. You can cut the foliage in a couple of steps or immediately, cutting off the base of the fruit along with the tops. If you give preference to the first option, then first cut off the greens just above the base of the carrot, and then cut off 0.5-1 cm of the pulp itself from the top along with the growth point. There is no big difference between these methods, the main thing is to make the cut as smooth and even as possible.
• Removing the growth point is necessary to prevent the germination of carrots during storage. In addition, more moisture and nutrients will remain in root crops cut in this way, the risk of getting sluggish and shriveled vegetables in winter is significantly reduced.
• After the pruning, the carrots need to be spread out in the sun or under the roof for a couple of hours to dry out. Drying for a long time is not recommended, as vegetables can wilt.
• Next, the carrots are sent for a week and a half to a cool room, where the temperature remains around 10-14 degrees. During this period, minor damage to it will drag on and dry out, and specimens affected by diseases and rot will become noticeable, and you can get rid of them in time.
• Before sending the carrots to the cellar for the winter, they once again carefully inspect and sort them out, rejecting low-quality root crops.