There are places where experienced gardeners grow more carrots than all other crops, including potatoes. They thoroughly know all the techniques and methods, and pass on their knowledge from father to son. They also believe that growing carrots is much more profitable than, for example,. Indeed, carrots in the markets are much more expensive than potatoes, while the yield per hundred square meters can be up to a ton, which is comparable to the best harvests potatoes.

ABOUT preliminary preparation soil and seeds for planting carrots We have already said, now let’s move on directly to growing carrots.

Soil preparation

In the spring, before planting carrots, it is useful to add mineral fertilizers to the site: 15-20 grams of ammonium sulfate, 30-40 grams of precipitate and 25-35 grams of potassium sulfate per square meter.

Carrots love light, well-structured soils. For structuring, it would be ideal to sow green manure in the fall and mow them before planting.

Choose a site for planting that is as light as possible - carrots do not like shade.

Planting carrots

Carrots can be sown three times per season. The first carrot planting is done early spring , second - in summer, and the third - before winter, late autumn .

At spring sowing carrots can be planted very early, as soon as the ground thaws. It tolerates frosts down to −4 degrees. Only frosts greater than −6 degrees for a long time are fatal for her.

At summer sowing Growing carrots lasts until October, or even early November, the main thing is that the soil temperature is not below 5 degrees.

At autumn sowing planting is done quite late, when the soil temperature drops to 5 degrees and below. You can sow even on frozen ground. Before winter, carrots are sown if the winters are not cold, or if it is possible to arrange a sufficient layer of snow, 40-50 cm thick, over the plantings.

Small carrot seeds , and it is difficult to sow them without thickening. It is best to mix a teaspoon of seeds with a glass of sand. This glass is enough for ten square meters.

Sow carrots in rows, with a distance of 15 cm between them for early and medium varieties, and a distance of 20 cm for late varieties. The furrows need to be watered with water, dusted with ash, and seeds sown in 1 cm increments. If you sow with sand, figure out in advance how many seeds you have and how to sprinkle them to get the required distance between plants.

Spring and summer sow the swollen seeds to a depth of 3−4 cm. After sowing the bed cover with film at a height of 5 cm above the soil. It is best to place the film on bricks. in autumn before winter, sow dry seeds of early varieties of carrots to a depth of 1-2 cm. In all cases, cover the soil layer of mulch 3−4 cm thick.

Temperature

The optimal temperature for growing carrots is 20−22 degrees. At this temperature, the greatest growth of root crops occurs.

Watering

As a rule, carrots are watered once a week. At the very beginning, plants do not need a lot of moisture, about 3 liters per square meter is enough. Afterwards, the rate is gradually increased, bringing it to 20 liters per square meter, when the root crop begins to grow. 1.5−2 months before harvesting, watering is carried out less frequently: once every 1.5−2 weeks, and the intensity of watering is halved - 10 liters of water per square meter are spent, and 2−3 weeks before harvesting, carrots are stopped being watered altogether.

When growing carrots, you need to make sure that the soil is not too wet or too dry. Excess moisture even within a short time will lead to rotting of root crops. During drought, root crops do not grow, which also negatively affects the carrot harvest.

Weed control and thinning

Carrots develop slowly, and therefore the weeds overtake them and begin to choke them. Therefore, weeds need to be weeded regularly. The first weeding is carried out 10-12 days after emergence, when the plants have true leaves. The second weeding is 8-10 days after the first.

Weeding is done after watering, preferably in the morning, and at the same time thin out the carrot shoots. During the first weeding, thinning is done, leaving 2-3 cm between plants; during the second, 4-5 cm are left between plants. After weeding and thinning, the carrots are watered again.

Feeding

Fertilizing is done 3-4 weeks after the first carrot shoots appear. To do this, add mullein or bird droppings to 10 liters of water and add ash. At the beginning of the formation of root crops, fertilizing can be repeated.

If you have fertile land and you have been working on your plot for several years according to the principles organic farming, then you can do without fertilizing.

Pest Control

It is useful to sprinkle the soil with ground red pepper against carrot flies... You can also use an infusion hot pepper. Another protection option is combined planting of carrots and onions.

Harvesting

Carrots are harvested later than all other crops. Early harvesting, when the soil temperature is above 10 degrees, is harmful for carrots, because the root crop is still growing.

In the next article you will learn how to grow not just a big one, but a...

Video on how to grow carrots

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One gram of seeds contains from 700 to 1300 pieces.

Carrots are biennial plants. In the first year, the plant produces root crops, which, if not removed, in the second year of development form the part responsible for generation.

This vegetable is considered almost the most profitable among other root crops. The amount of harvest per hectare can reach one hundred tons. Carrots are grown for use in their natural form and for processing; this root vegetable contains a lot of carotene and other substances. The minimum temperature for seed germination is about 5 degrees. In order to get well-colored root crops, carrots need to be planted at a temperature of 16 to 22 degrees.

Priming.

Clay-sandy soils, as well as organic soils such as peat bogs, are best suited for growing carrots. Heavy types of soil, as well as those called wet soils, are not suitable for growing carrots due to the fact that the beginning of active growth of the vegetable occurs rather slowly. The approximate acidity level of the soil in which carrots will be grown should be at least pH 6, but not more than 6.5. Groundwater should be at a minimum depth of 80 centimeters, maximum 2.5 meters.

Proper crop rotation.

The best option when planting carrots would be to use fields of cabbage, leeks, cucumbers, tomatoes, as well as legumes and winter wheat, for which useful organic elements were introduced into the soil. You should not plant this vegetable immediately after the introduction of useful elements of the organic type, or where parsley, beets, celery and potatoes were grown. Carrots can be grown again in the same field no earlier than three to four years later.

Fertilizer system.

Before planting carrots, you need to carefully study the composition of the soil and determine its type in order to introduce the necessary nutrients into the soil. organic elements V required quantities. The optimal content of beneficial microelements in standard soil is the following proportions:

Nitrogen - up to 120 kilograms per hectare;

Phosphorus - up to 80 kilograms per hectare;

Potassium - up to 200 kilograms per hectare.

The nitrogen/potassium ratio should be 1 to 1.5.

Nutrient formulations containing phosphorus must be introduced into the soil at autumn period. Potassium-based fertilizing should be applied in half in spring and autumn if the soil is considered heavy. If the soil is light, then the entire dose is introduced into spring period, before sowing. Potassium-based fertilizers, especially potassium sulfide, should be applied with caution, as this can lead to increased salt levels, which will negatively affect the initial active phase of plant growth. Nitrogen must be added to the soil shortly before sowing. If there is a shortage of nitrogen elements, then after 5 weeks you can fertilize the soil using a surface method.

Growing technology. How to prepare the soil?

Experts advise not to forget that during the cultivation of carrots, the number of root crops and the volume of the harvest largely depend on how deeply the land is plowed. If the depth is large, then you should expect smooth, long, even root crops that have an attractive presentation. So to get maximum quantity attractive carrots appearance, it is worth plowing as deeply as possible in the autumn, you can even use an additional hole.

Construction methods

The number of seeds during planting depends entirely on the purpose of the ripe carrots. To get early harvest about 3 million seeds per hectare need to be sown. To obtain carrots for storage and sale as fresh root crops, you need to sow no more than 2 million seeds per hectare. To obtain carrots that will be processed or intended for storage, you need to sow no more than 1.3 million seeds per hectare.

The number of seeds for sowing carrots intended for processing depends on the type:

• varietal seeds - 1 - 1.2 kilograms per hectare;
• hybrid seeds - 0.85 - 0.95 million seeds per hectare.

Seeds should be sown in the soil to a depth of no more than 2 centimeters. To ensure that the root crops are approximately the same in size, experts recommend using a precision seeder, with which the seeds will be evenly distributed in the soil.

If the carrots are intended for sale in fresh or for industrial use, then you need to choose the number of seeds and the breeding method that will lead to a crop of the most attractive appearance and required type. The optimal method is double-row sowing on a ridge, with the width between rows being about 70 centimeters. Modern seeders make it possible to sow carrots using a new method - in three rows, with the width between rows ranging from 65 to 75 centimeters. To use a mechanical method of eliminating the upper, leafy part of carrots, you can sow in one row, and leave the width between rows no more than 45 centimeters. In cases where harvesting is done with a blade combine, and the tops are removed automatically, 95 percent of harvesting is done without the use of manual force.

The time for sowing carrots also depends on what the root crop will be grown for. To get an early harvest, the optimal time for sowing will be the earliest - around March, when it becomes possible to go into the field. To get carrots that will go into storage, you need to plant the vegetable a couple of weeks later, this will not allow the crop to overripe and outgrow.

How to protect crops from weeds?

Means of protection against unwanted plants are used only if this is provided for by the carrot protection system in connection with the timing of harvesting root crops. If carrots are grown for bunch sale, then protection products are applied before the carrots sprout.

If the weeds are not removed, then it is necessary to re-treat after the plants produce at least a couple of full leaves. You should know that it is best to process crops in the evening, without wind and at temperatures from 10 to 25 degrees.

Carrot diseases

Fields with planted carrots must be protected from all kinds of diseases. Plantings that are affected by infections and diseases cannot be removed mechanically, and the crop will not be kept intact for long. It is in order to avoid infection that the field must be kept clean until harvest. First of all, crops must be protected from the most dangerous diseases for carrots - powdery mildew and Alternaria.

Types of pests

The greatest dangers to carrots are moths and carrot flies. To protect the plantings, you need to use seeds that are treated with special chemicals. The second treatment is carried out around the end of May, at which time flies most actively attack carrots. If two treatments are not enough, you can repeat every two weeks, and if increased pest activity is observed, then you can repeat the treatment every two to three days.

To fight diseases, unwanted plants and insects, you need to use only those drugs that are recommended for the region in which the vegetable will be grown. Specialists who understand such drugs can give detailed recommendations and advice.

Harvest

During the carrot harvest, the main thing that needs to be closely monitored is that the root crops do not have time to dry out. This is true for both manual and mechanical methods of collecting root crops. When harvested carrots dry out, their shelf life is significantly reduced and their quality decreases. Carrots intended for storage can be harvested either manually or mechanically, but root crops intended for processing are harvested exclusively with a combine.

The best predecessors for carrots are cucumber, early cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, annual grasses, soil turnover, and in field crop rotation - winter crops in black fallow. It is not recommended to place carrots after sunflowers, which share diseases with them.

Soil preparation depends on the predecessor. After the predecessors clear the field early, the soil is cultivated using the semi-fallow method. First, peeling is carried out with LDH-10. LDG-15 to a depth of 6-8 cm, after two weeks fall plowing is carried out with plows with skimmers PLN-6-35, PLN-5-35, PLN-4-35 to a depth of 27-30 cm. Thin soils - to the depth of the arable layer with simultaneous deepening. After early autumn plowing, cultivation or disking with harrowing BDT-3 + BZSS-1.0 is carried out, under which glyphos, zero, glyalka (4-8 kg/ha) are added to control rhizomatous weeds. The field layout is carried out by planners P-2.8, P-4, PA-3. IN winter time snow retention is carried out, early harrowing is carried out in two tracks with heavy toothed harrows (BZTS -1.0) or medium ones (BZSS - 1.0).

Carrots are responsive to the addition of organic and mineral fertilizers. To obtain a root crop yield of 40-50 t/ha, VNIIO recommends applying up to 30 tons of humus or compost, depending on the cultivation of the soil, mineral fertilizers: on podzolic soils - nitrogen up to 90 kg/ha, phosphorus and potassium, each up to 100 kg/ha; on leached and typical chernozems - nitrogen up to 90 kg/ha, phosphorus up to 100 kg/ha, potassium up to 90 kg/ha. The preparation and application of mineral fertilizers is carried out using machines ISU, PE-0.8 G, SZU-20, RUM-8, and organic fertilizers - ROU-8.

Organic and 2/3 of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied as the main fertilizer in the fall, and 1/3 of phosphorus-potassium and nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring and during fertilizing. All operations must be carried out in the best agrotechnical terms with the smallest gap between soil preparation and sowing. Before sowing, seeds are calibrated using seed cleaning machines OVS-10, K-231, PSS-2.5, and disinfected hot water(temperature 48°C) for 20 minutes, divided by specific gravity in a 3-5% solution of table salt, bubbled for 18-20 hours. After bubbling, to accelerate growth and increase yield, the seeds are placed in a combined solution containing 1% crystallon and microelements (0.1% manganese sulfate and 0.05% zinc sulfate, boric acid, ammonium molybdic acid and copper sulfate). Keep the seeds in solution for 24 hours at a temperature of 18-22°C.

1 liter of solution is consumed per 1 kg. Immediately before sowing, the seeds are dried in the sun. thin layer, then disinfected with TMTD (6-8 g/kg of seeds). In ensuring normal plant density of 0.8 - 1 million/ha, sowing time and seed placement depth play an important role. Optimal timing sowing to obtain early products at a soil temperature of 4-5 RS and a humidity of 70-80% HB, and for long-term storage, carrots are sown 2-3 weeks later. The seed sowing rate is 4-6 kg, the seeding depth on light soils is up to 3 cm, on heavy soils - 1.5-2 cm. Sowing is carried out using SKOSH-2.8, SKON-4.2, SO-4.2, SO seeders -5.4 or precision seeders SUPO-6A, SUPO-9A. On a flat surface they are sown in a row method with row spacing of 45 cm and in a belt method according to the pattern 40+40+60 cm, 55+55+70 cm, 8+62 cm; on ridges - 5+27+5+27+76 cm, 32+32+76 cm, 45+45+90 cm, on ridges with row spacing of 60 cm. Simultaneously with sowing, rolling with smooth water-based soil (ZKVG-1.4) or annular (ring-toothed) rollers KKN-2.8.

Caring for carrot crops consists of controlling weeds, pests and diseases, loosening rows and rows, watering and fertilizing.
After sowing, 3-4 days before emergence, to destroy the crust and destroy weeds, pre-emergence harrowing is carried out across the crops with mesh (BSO-4) or rotary (BRU-0.7) harrows. In this case, not only the crust and weeds are destroyed, but also the crops are thinned,

To control weeds in carrot crops, herbicides are used: prometrin (gesagard) - 2-3 kg/ha (4 months before harvesting), racer - 2-3 l/ha, stomp - 3-6 l/ha, targa - 1 -2 l/ha, Targa-super - I -2 l/ha. centurion - 0.2-0.4 l/ha. The preparation, application and incorporation of herbicides is carried out by a system of machines: APR “Temp”, ON-400-1. POU, KPS-4+ZBZSS or FPU-4.2 or KFO-5.4. The consumption of herbicide working solution is 400-500 l/ha. Herbicides are more effective when applied to wet soil.
The first inter-row tillage is carried out 7-10 days after sowing (when rows are designated) to a depth of 6-8 cm with a protective zone of 8-10 cm, subsequent ones - at 10-12 cm with a protective zone of 10-12 cm.

Thickened crops, when 1-2 true leaves are formed, are thinned across the rows with medium or light harrows. In one pass, harrows destroy 20-25% of seedlings. Harrowing is carried out in the afternoon to reduce damage to plants. With sparse seedlings, harrowing is excluded. The distance between plants in a row for varieties like Nantes should be 2-3 cm, for other varieties 3-4 cm. Standing density is 0.8 - 1 million plants per 1 hectare. Carrots respond well to fertilizing. The first fertilizing is carried out after thinning at the rate of 30-50 kg/ha of ammonium nitrate, 50 kg/ha of superphosphate and potassium chloride; in the second feeding - at the beginning of the formation of root crops, up to 100 kg/ha of potassium chloride is added.

To destroy weeds and apply herbicides, cultivators are used - KRN-4.2, KOR-4.2, KGF-2.8, FPU-5.4, KOR-5.4. The number of inter-row treatments depends on the weediness of the fields, the mechanical composition of the soil and ranges from 2 to 4.
To obtain sustainable carrot yields, it is necessary (in the active layer of 30-50 cm) to maintain soil moisture at 70-80% HB. In dry weather, carrot crops are watered 3-4 times with irrigation norm 300-400 m7ha. Watering is stopped 2-3 weeks before harvesting to avoid cracking of root crops.

To harvest carrots with a tramline of 1.4 m, the MMT-1, EM-P root crop harvesting machines are currently used. The machines extract root crops from the soil, load them into adjacent 2PTS-4 transport or into containers, which are sent to PSK-6 or LSK-20 sorting lines to separate foreign impurities and non-standard root crops. Standard root vegetables are loaded into containers or boxes and sent to the consumer or for storage. IN recent years When harvesting root crops, they use more promising harvesting machines with a tractor track of 1.8 m - the MUK-1.8 combine. On farms with small areas sown with carrots, beet lifters SNU-ZR, NSSH-2M, PM-4, etc. are used, which dig up root crops, and then select them manually, cut them and immediately sort them, rejecting non-standard, atypical root crops.

Carrots are harvested selectively for bunch production when the root crops reach a diameter of 1.5 cm.
According to GOST, standard carrot roots must be fresh, unwilted, whole, undamaged, undeformed, with the shape and color characteristic of the variety, with a diameter of 2.5-6 cm (bunched carrots are at least 1.5 cm), the length of the remaining leaf petioles is no more than 2 cm .
Depending on the variety, agricultural technology and growing area average yield carrots range from 20 to 40 t/ha, and advanced farms receive up to 50-70 t/ha.
Our production experiments (1981-1985) on the introduction of industrial technology for growing carrots of the Chantenay 2461 variety at the Kruglinsky state farm in the Michurinsky district of the Tambov region showed that in our conditions it is possible to consistently obtain a carrot root crop yield of 40 t/ha.

Read about this topic on the website:

Carrot photo

Carrots are a labor-intensive crop, yield 30-100 t/ha. With the use of a complex of care machines, labor costs can be reduced several times.

Soil cultivation. Best soils for carrots - floodplain, chernozem, medium and light texture. Predecessors are early ripening cabbage, cucumber and potatoes. Autumn processing begins with peeling the soil to a depth of 6-8 cm. If necessary, after peeling, the field surface is leveled with a leveler (P-4). Plowing is carried out to a depth of 25-28 cm with a plow with skimmers (PLN-5-35) in the autumn.

Spring tillage. The field is harrowed early with a BZTS-10 harrow, at soil moisture of 70-80% and physical ripeness. On irrigated soils with an average supply of nutrients, N – 80-120, P – 40-80, K – 60-180 kg a.m. are applied. ha 1 ha, and on rain-fed ones - 20-30% less. Fertilizers are pre-mixed using an ISU-4 mixer-loader. For transportation and application of fertilizers, the RMG-4 spreader is used; RUM-5.

Soils with a density of more than 1.2-1.4 g/cm3 are milled or plowed to a depth of 18-20 cm without moldboards, but with skimmers, then the plowed field is cultivated to a depth of 10-12 cm with an aggregate made of disc harrow BDT-3.0, tooth harrow ZBZTS-1.0 and smooth roller ZKVG-1.4. On light soils, plowing is replaced by loosening to a depth of 14-16 cm with a combined ripper-leveler RVK-3.6 with crushing of lumps and rolling.

Plants in rows spaced about 6-8 cm apart have more colored phloem.

The length of the root crop is determined from the head (without leaves) to the place where the root diameter is 1 cm. The size of the root crop head can be small, medium and large. The most valuable varieties are those with a small head, and, consequently, with a small leaf rosette. The leaves in this case are highly productive. Root crops with the largest heads are selected for testes.

Varieties. The following varieties are suitable for harvesting with a combine: Chantenay 2461 - long-lasting, resistant to mechanical damage, growing season 115-125 days; Nantes 4 - high taste and satisfactory keeping quality, Losinoostrovskaya 13. The tops of these varieties are 55-60 cm, have a cone shape and are convenient for machine harvesting.

Sowing is carried out in April-May with calibrated seeds (0.8 mm fraction). In the south for winter storage carry out summer sowing of carrots. On moderately fertile soils, the seeding rate is 4-6 kg/ha.

Seeds are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm. For combine harvesting, the sowing pattern is 20 × 50; 45 × 45 cm or three-line 40 × 40 × 60 cm. The SON-2.8A, SKON-4.2 and SO-5.6 seeders are used with broadband single-line sowing with a row spacing of 45 cm. Eurotekhnika supplies pneumatic precision seeders "Gaspardo" " Under irrigated conditions, after sowing, the field is rolled with smooth or ring rollers across the rows.

Caring for crops. To reduce weediness and improve germination during the formation of a soil crust, three to four days before emergence, harrowing is carried out across the rows with a BSO-4 mesh harrow.

In industrial cultivation technology, seedling thinners USMP-2.8A, USMP-5.4A or harrows across the seedlings (in rows of 3-5 cm) are used to thin out entrances.

For chemical and biological protection, see Chapter 3.

Crops are treated using sprayers OP-1600-2 and OH-400.

To combat crust and weeds after watering, 3-5 inter-row treatments are carried out with cultivators KRN-4.2, KOR-4.2 or milling cultivators KGF-2.8 and FPU-4.2, with a pattern of 55 × 55 × 70 cm cultivator KF-5.4. The first treatment is carried out after emergence of seedlings to a depth of 5-8 cm with a cultivator with weeding tines and spherical protective discs; subsequent ones - when weeds or soil crust appear. The depth of processing is increased to 10 cm, the protective zone - to 12 cm. If necessary, mechanized processing is combined with manual weeding in rows.

Irrigation. Carrots need irrigation when soil moisture is below 70% HB. Irrigation is carried out with DDA-100MA units at a rate of 300-450 m3/ha every 7-8 days, six to eight times during the growing season. 20-25 days before harvesting, watering is stopped if the humidity does not fall below 50-60% HB.

Harvesting. Carrots are harvested using a lifting-type root harvesting machine (MMT-1) or ME-45 (Evrotekhnika). They are harvested before frost, since frozen tops lose their strength, which leads to losses and clogging of the working parts of the harvesting machine. Harvesting is carried out in the third ten days of September when the soil temperature drops to +80C.

Carrot tops are used for animal feed (30-40% of biomass). To collect tops, use a pick-up loader E-062/1 with a transport trailer 2-PTS-4 and tractor MTZ. The yield of root crops is 30-100 t/ha.

From the harvesting machine, carrots are supplied to a stationary sorting station PSK-6 or line LKS-20. Root crops enter the bunker, from where they flow evenly to the loading elevator and conveyor-sorter, where soil impurities are separated. The remaining mass goes to the transport and sorting surface, where the carrots are separated into fractions. Large carrots, as well as impurities, fall on bulkhead tables, where non-standard and damaged root crops are manually separated and placed on SL 80-12 unloading conveyors, from which they enter the general flow of the fine fraction. Clods of earth and plant debris are separated. Commercial carrots are packed in bags or containers with plastic liners.

Carrots are a well-known and irreplaceable root vegetable, the demand for which exists throughout the year. Therefore, it is not surprising that many agricultural producers consider this plant as a source of stable income.

Carrots are a crop that is profitable to grow!

Why are carrots attractive to producers?

• maintains its presentation all year round;

• there is a possibility of wholesale sales;

• wide sales opportunities - shops, markets, catering establishments;

• there is no need to worry about storing leftovers in storage;

• low cost of cultivation and low storage costs.

Depending on the variety and growing conditions, the average crop yield is 500 c/ha with 100% profitability. It is more profitable to sell the crop in late autumn and early spring. In April, for example, the price of vegetables is 4 times higher than in summer.

An undoubted advantage is that carrots are cold-resistant. Seeds can germinate already at +4, and seedlings tolerate frosts down to -5. The crop is better adapted to air drought than others, and the variety of varieties and hybrids makes it possible to obtain excellent marketable products not only in the lungs sandy soils, but also on loams and peatlands, as well as on heavy black soils. Carrots can be a good precursor for many vegetables.

What is needed for a carrot business?

1. Land plot. It doesn't have to be hundreds of hectares. Modern technologies allow you to get up to 1 ton of vegetables per hundred square meters, so a share is suitable, personal plot or rented plot.
2. Equipment. The need for one or another equipment dictates the planting area. In one case, a walk-behind tractor will suffice; in another, a cultivator and precision seeders, and a combine harvester are needed.
3. Seeds. Depending on your desires, soil climate and consumer demand in your region, you can select carrot seeds of a suitable variety type that are suitable in terms of ripening time, taste characteristics. The range of seeds is very wide; choosing the right variety or hybrid is not difficult. Domestic seed producers can please the farmer low prices, but foreign ones differ more high quality and germination percentage.
4. Fertilizers and plant protection products. It’s difficult to say what kind of fertilizers exactly. It all depends on how depleted the soil is, what crop was the predecessor, and the ph of the soil on which you plan to grow carrots.
5. Storage for finished products and reliable distribution partners.
6. Staff. Even if you plan to plant seeds, cultivate, and harvest using machinery, you will need people for security, and also for sorting and shipping the collected products. The larger the crop area, the more workers you will need. The advantage is that this is seasonal work.

How to grow a large crop of carrots?

Suppose a farm purchased carrot seeds good grade, but the harvest was not encouraging. Why? The trick is that the quantity and quality of harvested root crops depends not only on seed material, but also on growing technology.

The “right” area! Carrots do not tolerate shading, so choose areas that are well lit throughout the day, with the slope oriented from north to south.

Soil preparation. The best predecessors will be legumes and potatoes for one simple reason - these plants “clean” the field from weeds. The soil should be moderately loose and moist, but most importantly, leveled.

Compliance with sowing dates:

• bunched products - before winter until the soil freezes;
• for early products - with the first opportunity to enter the field;
• for storage - from mid-spring to early June;
• repeated sowing - in the southern regions, in the presence of drip irrigation.

Choice of variety. It depends on the chosen production strategy, hybrid or variety, panned or pickled. For industrial cultivation The following are recommended:

• "Amsterdamskaya" - high consumer qualities;
• “Red Core” - successful on heavy soils;
• “Talisman” is a productive variety;
• "Leander" - for storage and processing.

Hybrids, as a rule, are more tolerant of flowering and species-specific phytopathogens, and are more stress-resistant. In any case, each variety or hybrid has its own recommendations for growing, the main thing is not to make a mistake with the quality. Carrot seeds contain a large volume essential oils, this causes slow germination. In order for the seedlings to be friendly, one-year-old pelleted seeds are needed. Best quality can only be guaranteed by a large, trusted supplier.

Fertilizers. It is important to take into account the high sensitivity of the root crop to organic matter. On fertilized fresh manure carrots should be the second, or better yet, third crop. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be good feeding. And if the vegetable is planned to be stored, the dose of potassium fertilizer is increased.

Some growing features

For all its unpretentiousness, the “royal” vegetable turns out to be extremely demanding of certain factors.

Degree of soil moisture: “mature” root crops are not afraid of heat, but in the initial phases of plant growth, moisture is simply necessary. You need to water generously, but avoid flooding. During the period of root crop formation, carrots are watered no more than once a week, and two weeks before harvesting, watering is stopped.

Neighborhood with weeds: carrots are exactly the crop that absolutely does not tolerate the proximity of weeds. They can be destroyed manually or using selective herbicides.

Pests: Compared to other root vegetables, carrots are less susceptible to diseases and pests than others. Its main enemies are carrot flies and wireworms. You can get rid of them using specially designed insecticides. But if you don't have too much large area seeding and you are an ardent supporter traditional methods treatment, then you can try some of your grandmother’s methods. Who knows, maybe they will help you, the main thing here is to control the result and prevent the pest population from increasing to such a scale that it is difficult even for professional insecticides to cope with the lesion. Here are some popular methods:

• watering with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 5 liters of water);
• watering with ammonia alcohol solution (50g per 10l of water).

The vegetable is rich in microelements and vitamins; every person knows about its benefits. Carrots are eaten daily, in various dishes, both raw and processed, in every home and in every family. You can even sell small carrots that used to be used as food. This idea belongs to Michael Yurosheko, and it became so successful that a special variety of Baby carrots was created.

Good luck to you and great harvests!

Growing carrots as a business is a profitable business related to the vegetable growing industry. At the same time, you will not need large investments at the stage of organizing an enterprise.

• Step-by-step plan for starting a carrot growing business
• We are looking for employees
• We select a plot of land
• We purchase raw materials
• Selecting a tax regime

Carrots are a root vegetable containing a large amount of vitamins and useful substances. That's why she uses in great demand among the population.

Pros and cons of a carrot growing business

It is not difficult to produce and sell carrots. This business has its advantages:

• High demand. Russian citizens are accustomed to eating carrots almost every day and adding them to dishes.
• Small starting capital.
• Unpretentiousness of the root vegetable. Growers harvest large harvests even in unstable weather conditions.

Didn't work out this area without any disadvantages that prevent you from earning decent money. The main ones include:

• Physical activity. This business requires from the entrepreneur not only mental skills, but also hard work.
• Learning the basics of growing root vegetables. Without knowledge about vegetable growing, it is impossible to grow high-quality fruits. Training will take time (at least a month).

To take a high position in the market, you need to approach growing carrots with all your heart.

Step-by-step plan for opening a carrot growing business Looking for employees

It will not be possible to engage in vegetable growing alone due to the large amount of work. At first, it is not necessary to hire employees from outside. You can ask for help from relatives and friends, of course, for a fee.

Also, in order to save money, you can involve schoolchildren or students who are on summer vacation to work. You have the right to appoint yourself wages. This could be part of the harvest or money. For example, 5 thousand rubles each. per month to one employee. On average, three people will be enough.

Since you will only be involved in administrative duties, and the workers will take on all the “dirty” work, then 45 thousand rubles. the three summer months will not go in vain. Employees must prepare the soil, sow, water, protect and harvest crops.

We select a plot of land

To grow carrots you don’t need a room, but you do need a plot of land. If you have a dacha, then you have the right to produce root crops on it, provided that there is enough space for planting large quantity seeds

A more profitable option is renting land plot. Of course, the price depends on your regional location. In megacities, there is a problem with free land for planting, so the rent will be quite high. In the provinces and former collective farms, things are different. The average cost of land for rent is 5 thousand rubles. per month. for 50 acres.

To take land for temporary use, contact agricultural enterprises or municipal authorities (administration).

It is important to know what was previously grown on this site. Carrots will grow if grain crops, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and onions grew there. It’s even better when nothing was planted in this area for several years.

Choose a place that receives direct sunlight, as carrots love light.

What equipment will you need to grow carrots?

Most of the money will be spent on buying a car if you don’t have one. It must be roomy to transport employees to their place of work. A minivan, pickup truck or jeep is suitable for these purposes. Do not forget that production will be located in places where there are no asphalt roads, so vehicle must overcome impassable places.

Main technological equipment:

• Motoblock. It is necessary to cultivate the soil.
• Hiller. It is needed to form pits.
• Seeder. With its help, seeds are quickly planted in separate holes.
• Digger. Workers use it when harvesting.

All this equipment will cost approximately 50 thousand rubles, not counting the vehicle, the price of which is from 100 thousand rubles.

You will need to transport the harvested crop to a vegetable base, to a store, to a buyer, or to a basement. From 50 acres you can harvest approximately 30 tons of carrots, depending on its variety. A truck is suitable for transportation. You don't have to buy it. You can rent or order several transportations.

We purchase raw materials

Seeds are used as the material for growing carrots. They must be treated before planting. To do this, they are disinfected, then soaked and germinated. Preparing the seeds has great advantages: after it, the carrots grow much faster (the tops sprout within two weeks instead of a month).

You can do this process yourself or hire a retired woman who will happily take on this work. It is possible to agree on a symbolic payment expressed in cash or food products.

For 50 acres you will need approximately 1.5 kg of raw materials. Seeds are sold at different prices, depending on the variety. They range from 500-2500 thousand rubles. per kg.

Preparation of documents necessary for legal cultivation of carrots

The organization of almost any direction of agricultural business has its own nuances that greatly distinguish this type activities from other commercial projects. For example, most village residents who know perfectly well how to work the land, but are not familiar with legal issues, start their business by selling agricultural products, without registration, etc. They sell surplus grown products, which is an absolutely legal activity. But when it comes to large volumes, no one will believe that you “accidentally” grew an “extra” 10-50 tons of carrots.

To organize and develop your own carrot growing business, in the form of farm, you must prepare the following documents:

• application in the prescribed form;
• agreement on the creation of a peasant farm (peasant farm), with copies of documents of its participants;
• a copy of the passport of the head of the future household (it will be checked against the original!);
• documents confirming the place of registration of all participants in the agricultural project;
• receipt of payment of state duty.

Within five working days, after submitting the above papers, you will be given documents on registration of the farm, as well as taxpayer certificates and confirmation that you are registered with Rosstat.

In addition to the above documents, you no need to obtain additional licenses or permits. But, as a rule, initial stage creating a farm, you have to resolve many issues with representatives of local authorities.

Selecting a tax regime

When preparing documents for your future farming enterprise, do not forget to choose the correct code for your activity and optimal mode taxation. For a farm that plans to grow carrots, from all codes all-Russian classifier OKVED 1.13 is best suited, and optimal system taxation, in in this case, is the Unified Agricultural Tax (USAT).

This regime allows farmers to pay only 6% of profits, doing this twice a year.

Technology for growing carrots for sale

Stages	Process Description
Variety selection	Before planting, you need to decide on the variety of carrots. To find best option, plant several varieties.
Land preparation	It must be fertilized. Therefore, they begin to cultivate the soil in the fall. They dig it up and put compost on top. In the spring, the soil is dug up and fertilized again.
Seed preparation	First they are washed in hot water, the temperature of which is 50 degrees. This is necessary so that the layers of essential oils come off. After this, the seeds are germinated for three days. Be sure to dry them completely before planting.
Sowing	Before planting carrots, make beds on the site and water them with water (preferably warm). After this, the seeds are planted in the holes.
Care	To collect good harvest, the beds are weeded, sprayed with chemicals against carrot flies and pests, weeds are destroyed, sprinkled with ash, dust (tobacco), watered with a solution of potassium permanganate, and onions are planted nearby.
Harvest	This stage takes place in late summer - early autumn. You can’t cope with this alone, so business owners hire additional employees who help collect all the carrots in a small amount of time (within seven days).

How much money do you need to start a business?

We can highlight the main costs associated with the organization and development of the enterprise, which should be included in the business plan for growing carrots.

How much can you earn from growing carrots?

To calculate the average profit level in a given industry, we take the average values. For example, you collected and sold 20 tons of carrots for 20 rubles. per kg. You can earn 400 thousand rubles. If you come across low-quality root vegetables, you can process them and make Korean carrots or juice. So, you can earn another 100 thousand rubles. But these 500 thousand rubles. you can only get it after difficult ways of finding clients.

There is an easier option. To do this, you can sell the product to a retailer. But the price for it will not exceed 12 rubles. per kg. As a result, you will receive about 220 thousand rubles.

There is always a great demand for carrots, so you will always find customers. Main sales channels:

• wholesale centers;
• retailers;
• grocery stores;
• sanatoriums;
• restaurants;
• supermarkets.

A more profitable option is to supply goods abroad. But this is very difficult to implement.

Your revenue directly depends on the quantity of carrots grown, the price per kilogram and the place of sale. You should not enter this business without analyzing the market and competition in your region. In any case, selling carrots is profitable, especially for rural residents.

Carrots are very healthy vegetable, rich in vitamins and minerals, its cultivation is quite simple. It is also very tasty, sweet and bright color. How can you imagine soup, pilaf or salad without this orange ingredient? Therefore, carrots are in great demand in the vegetable market and many are engaged in growing them on their standard plots of 6 acres, but there they are given two or three beds, but what is grown is enough for the family for a year. And this means that she has high yield.

Of course, everyone can grow it in their own garden. This means that carrots are simple and unpretentious in the growing process. Then you can make a good plan, get started serious business, and earn a fair amount of money by growing carrots. But such a business will require very small investments, and net profit will be much higher.

What do we need to create a carrot business?

To begin with, a good plan, according to which we will guide ourselves later. What will you grow crops on? Business will require fertile land. According to the plan, the area should be both medium-sized and rather large - for about three people, fifty acres will do.

But here you still have to work hard - caring for carrots for the first time will not be easy. Not everyone has such a plot, so it can be rented as farmland. It will cost 400-1000 rubles, it all depends on the remoteness of the city and the duration of the rental. Mark in the business plan in advance what area the plot should have and where it will be located, and how to grow carrots taking into account the weather.

Attracting employees

It is difficult to do the amount of work to grow carrots alone. Change the plan, it will be much easier if you are not alone, for example, you can call your relatives, friends, schoolchildren who have summer holidays, explain your plan to them, and start a joint business.

Digging, planting, hilling is incredibly difficult with only a shovel and a rake; here you will need more complex and, accordingly, expensive equipment, that is:

1. Walk-behind tractor (costing approximately 15-30 thousand, the price depends on the fertility, cultivation and use of the land before visiting);
2. It comes with a hiller (it makes convenient ridges for planting carrots, its cost is about 900 rubles);
3. Digger (with its help you can dig up crops; purchase will require about 800 rubles);
4. Additionally, you can take a manual seeder for more accurate, quick, and convenient planting of carrots in ridges (costs 2-5 thousand). These items are essential for any startup farming business.

Seeds

Of course, you need the seeds themselves, which one? carrot business without them, right? Here the calculation varies, depending on how to plant and what density of ridges will be in the area, weight 2 kg. We do not advise you to sow them too close and densely, otherwise the carrots may offend you with their size and taste; they should be spacious.

The best type of seeds is in granules and ribbons, and you need to purchase them from trusted wholesale stores, establish contact with them in your business, where it is both cheap and reliable, because you often come across empty or spoiled seeds. Be sure to highlight this point in your business plan.

Business protection

If you are not going to weed all the weeds, but also do not want their further cultivation, which interferes with the crops, then you can protect necessary plants, in particular carrots, using special means against weeds that can be spread by hand sprayer.

Wild plants especially appear early in the season when carrots are growing, and can even be confused with them, but these similar plants are unlikely to give you a juicy orange fruit. Any gardening store will help you choose the best products. Allocate some funds for them in your business plan.

Attention to detail

For more earnings To get more from your business, you can apply fertilizers that will nourish the soil for good growth and development. But they can wait if the soil is not depleted and has retained its fertile properties. Just make a note in the plan.

Is that all? But what should you use to pack and transport food? Polyethylene nets are ideal; 500-600 pieces are enough, also for unforeseen cases.

You will need a truck for business. This can be hired temporarily; the greater the carrying capacity, the fewer flights you will have to make to bring it necessary equipment, technology and marketing of the harvest. That is, we will burn less gasoline and save natural resource on the planet, we will also have our own funds, which will be useful in business.

What will be the image and plan of action?

• First, we plow the ground with a walk-behind tractor or a cultivator, trying to prevent the appearance of large lumps and foreign objects, the depth is not very large, about 20 cm. Then we attach the hiller and separate the ridges at a distance of 30-50 cm. Afterwards we use a manual sowing hopper, you can pour seeds and even fertilizers there. A manual seeder will evenly plant seeds in ridges with optimal distance for the growth of good marketable fruit size. Now you can carefully water it with a spray bottle, because it’s convenient: watering so many ridges with a hose or watering can can damage the planting order and the seeds themselves, unevenly distribute the water, that is, somewhere they will wait for moisture, somewhere the flow of water will wash them out from the ridges . But you don't have to water the carrots. After all this, you can leave the area until shoots and weeds appear. Then you can spray and sometimes water.

• And so, 80-100 days pass, you have tanned and gained experience in caring for vegetables, finished growing, and completed most of the plan. The time has come to collect what has been grown. Don’t forget about the walk-behind tractor, attach a digger to it and dig up the grown fruits.
• The tops of carrots need to be cut off, then we sort them into two parts: substandard (crooked, small, that is, fruits unfit for sale) and marketable. We pack what we receive in nets, load it onto the car, and take it to right place and sell it at the right price. Your plan was a success! The price ranges from 10 to 30 rubles per kilogram, for example, in the spring you will receive 30 rubles for grown carrots, in the fall it drops to 20 rubles. How much can you collect from fifty acres? About 20 tons, of which approximately 5 will be substandard and 15 will be selected.

Now let’s do the math: at a price of 10 rubles. per kilogram you can earn 150-170 thousand rubles (15x10x1000). The costs will be a maximum of 30-40 thousand rubles, and even durable equipment can be used next time according to a different plan or simply resold.

But it is also possible to grow other crops or leave carrots to grow. You can register your business as a personal subsidiary plot and significantly reduce taxes. It is also worth planning to take into account the weather, on which the harvest inextricably depends. This business can be expanded and promoted, income will increase, and many buyers in vegetable markets will receive good product. Let's invite people to grow crops. We hope your future plans are successful!

We will talk about how you can earn extra money in a season in the amount of about 130 thousand rubles without large capital investments.

So we will talk about growing a crop known to us all - carrots. As you know, carrots can be grown not only on summer cottages in six acres, where in the best cases one or two small beds are allocated to this crop (and why more, after all, so much of it grows from this area that it will be enough for the whole family for a year - high yield is the main strong point in growing carrots), you can grow carrots and in the fields, sowing hectares of area with this crop and collecting tens of tons of harvest. But this is not suitable for us, because this is a large capital investment! So, the area that can be processed by two to three people and from which you can harvest in one season and, most importantly, sell the crop before the onset of cold weather (we don’t have a vegetable store) is 0.5 hectares or 50 acres of land. From this piece of land you can collect up to 20 tons of carrots, of which 5 tons will be substandard (crooked, broken) and 15 tons will be a selected vegetable. At a price of 10 rubles per kilogram, we have an income of 15 * 10 = 150 thousand rubles, plus another 15-20 thousand if we sell substandard goods.

What do we need:

1. A plot of land of 50 acres, if there is a good supply, you can rent it outside the city, renting land for agricultural land costs a penny and half a hectare will cost 400 rubles, or even less, as agreed with the chairman of the local agricultural enterprise

2. Working hands (2-3 people - for example you and your relatives)

3. Walk-behind tractor - depending on the degree of development of the land, its lightness, etc., you will need a walk-behind tractor costing from 15 to 30 thousand rubles (the more light earth the more cheap we choose a weapon). We will also need attachments for the walk-behind tractor.
- a hiller for making ridges in which we will sow seeds costs about 900 rubles
- a digger with which we will dig up the crop - 800 rubles

4. A manual precision seeding seeder, which we will use to sow carrots into ridges, costs from 2 to 5 thousand rubles

5. Carrot seeds about 2 kilograms (preferably in granules, this will make it possible to comply with the seeding rate and the distance between the fruits will be sufficient for the growth of fruiting bodies to marketable sizes) in this quantity, it is better to buy seeds at wholesale stores - cheaper

6. Fertilizers - optional, if the soil has not been used for a long time and, as they say, has rested, then fertilizers do not need to be used. In any case, their cost will not exceed 1 thousand rudders for a given area

7. Plant protection products against weeds and a hand sprayer. At the stage of germination and the beginning of growth, weeds pose a serious threat to your harvest; weeding such an area by hand is a fantasy, so there is only one way out - the use of herbicides. You will need about 2 kg, which ones they will tell you in any gardening store, accordingly you will also need a hand sprayer, all together it will cost no more than 1.5 - 2 thousand rubles

8. Polyethylene nets about 500 pcs for packaging the harvested crop about 5 rubles per piece total 5*500=2500 rubles

9. A car (your own or hire) or other vehicle on which you can bring a walk-behind tractor and other equipment and transport carrots to a vegetable base (you must agree on sales in advance)

Now the technology itself: We plow the ground with a motorized cultivator to a depth of about 20 cm so that there are no large lumps, attach a hiller to the walk-behind tractor and cut the ridges, the distance between the ridges is 30-50 cm. Next, we pour the seeds into the hopper of a manual seeder (if there are fertilizers, we pour them there too) and we sow in the ridges. We are waiting for shoots and spraying against weeds. After 80-100 days, you can harvest the crop, attach a digger to the walk-behind tractor and dig up the crop, then collect the fruits while sorting commercial carrots and substandard ones. We pack the harvest into nets and take it for sale.

That's all. Costs will not exceed 40 thousand rubles, and this is if you buy a walk-behind tractor (for next year the equipment will remain and the costs will be much lower) the proceeds from the sale of the entire harvest will be 150 - 170 thousand rubles, our net profit is 110 - 130 thousand. If you register this whole business as a personal subsidiary plot, then you don’t have to pay taxes. But in agriculture As in any other business, there are risks, for example, drought or, on the contrary, a very rainy summer will greatly affect the harvest and can upset your plans.

But in any activity, those who do not take risks, you know what, so go for it, the choice is yours... By the way, more interesting business ideas that can be implemented at home can be found in this article -