When is the best time to harvest carrots and beets

Some vegetable growers are sure that carrots can be harvested at any convenient time, almost until mid-October, since this vegetable crop not afraid of frost. Others believe that it is imperative to adhere to certain deadlines when harvesting carrots, otherwise the roots will become woody, less juicy, or even start to rot.

So who's right? When should you pick carrots? The following factors affect the timing of cleaning:

• which varieties of carrots grow in your beds - early ripening, mid-ripening or varieties intended for winter storage;
• biological features cultivated varieties;
• cultivation goals;
• condition of plants;
• weather.

Having correctly determined the appropriate time when you need to harvest the carrots, you will get high-quality root vegetables with a pleasant taste and attractive appearance. Timely harvesting will also have a beneficial effect on the nutritional value and keeping quality of root crops.

Early and late carrots - when to pick different types of root vegetables?

WITH long ago in Russia, it was believed that the best time when you can harvest carrots and other root crops ended on September 13th. After this date, the beds should have remained clean. This makes a certain sense: when the temperature drops to +4 degrees, the roots stop growing, and at a temperature of -3 degrees, there is a high risk of damage to the carrot by gray rot, as a result of which its keeping quality will deteriorate greatly. Therefore, it is better to dig up the carrots even before the onset of stable autumn frosts, at most until the end of September. But it is also not recommended to pull root crops out of the ground too early, since they long time were in reasonably warm soil - sudden movement into a cool cellar or basement can result in significant storage losses.

Of course, this only applies to varieties of late ripening. When picking mid-season carrots, you can figure out for yourself - the ripening period lasts from 80 to 110 days. Additional signs of ripening root crops will be yellowed lower leaves... Overexposing a mid-season carrot in the ground is not worth it, its taste can only worsen from this.

Carrots with early ripening, as well as those planted before winter, begin to be harvested in the middle of summer, making vitamin salads from them and eating them fresh - they are very tasty and juicy. To obtain a bunch of carrots, you can collect root vegetables when they reach a diameter of more than 1 cm.If you skip the period when you need to harvest early ripe carrots, leaving them in the ground for a long time, they will lose their bright taste and attractive appearance: the roots can crack.

How to harvest correctly?

So, you have decided for yourself when it is best to harvest carrots. Now you can start directly with the harvesting process. Short and medium-sized root crops are harvested by hand: with one hand holding the carrots in the ground, and with the other firmly grasping the tops. Long carrots should be carefully dug with a pitchfork or a shovel so as not to injure or break the roots. Raising upper layer ground with carrots, remove it, holding the tops.

There is a misconception that carrots, along with the tops, should be left on the field for several days so that everything nutrients from the aboveground part of the plants they moved to the underground part. In reality, everything happens just the opposite: the tops draws all the juices and nutrients from the root crop, from which it begins to dry out. Therefore, when harvesting carrots, without delay, trim the tops as soon as the ground on the roots dries up a little. You can leave the leaves only on a bunch of carrots, but it is better to leave the petioles no more than two cm.

The tops can be twisted by hand or cut with the top of the carrot head up to 2 mm. This will help to significantly increase the shelf life of the carrots, since the tops will not begin to sprout, causing the root crop to dry out and reducing its nutritional value.

Now you know when to remove carrots from the garden and how to harvest them correctly. Remember that enough ripe carrots should be sent for storage so that they have time to accumulate important biological constituents and carotene. It is also important not to allow when harvesting mechanical damage to root crops otherwise they will be poorly stored.

If you still have doubts about when to harvest carrots from your garden, try plucking a few root vegetables and visually assessing their ripeness or taste them. Let not the first time, but soon you will learn how to reliably determine the most optimal time for harvesting carrots!

and HERE ANOTHER OPINION

Experienced vegetable growers advise not to rush with harvesting carrots, since the largest increase in root crops (in middle lane Russia) is observed in September in the second half of the month. In the north of the country, frosts are early, so carrots are harvested there in early September. The fact is that it must be removed before the onset of frost on the soil. To determine the question, should it be removed or not, or maybe left in the ground for 2-3 weeks, dig one carrot out of the ground.

If it begins to grow on the sides with small roots - it's time to dig.

It is better to dig up these root crops with a garden pitchfork, and not with a shovel. They are buried in, and then pulled out of the ground, holding by the tops, while it is necessary to ensure that the tip of the carrot does not break off, because otherwise it will not withstand long-term storage, and it will need to be used as food as soon as possible. It is advisable to shake off the soil from root crops with your hands to avoid mechanical damage.

The carrots removed from the garden are washed, the leaves (tops) are carefully cut off, since if it grows, it will suck out all the juices, and leave it to dry: it can be on the table or on a film. Carrots are stored perfectly in boxes, sprinkled with sand mixed with lime - 10 parts of sand and 1 part of slaked lime. You can dip them in a clay "chatterbox" and dry thoroughly.

First of all, beets are harvested from root crops.

This vegetable is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals, and also underlies enough effective diets... The winter table cannot do without it. Beet harvesting time plays an important role.

This is usually September. It should be noted that in regions where autumn is long and warm, it is possible to harvest beets until mid-October. You can also leave small roots in the ground. The most important thing is to remove the beets before the onset of frost, otherwise they will be poorly stored, wrinkle, begin to rot, but the most important thing is that they will lose their rather pleasant taste.

And before the first frost, you should not dig it out, and the lower yellowed leaves do not mean at all that the beets have stopped growing, since they dry constantly when new ones appear. It is advisable to remove it in dry weather. Grown root crops by digging with a shovel are removed from the soil, cleaned of the remnants of leaves (tops) and earth on them. This is how it is ready for storage. For storage sand will do or sawdust

Why can't you leave beets in the garden for a long time?

The timing of harvesting beets depends not only on physiological reasons, that is, ripening, the size of the root crops, but also on the weather conditions of the area where they are grown. Especially it concerns late varieties designed for the winter. Therefore, when deciding whether to postpone or start harvesting this healthy vegetable it is necessary to take into account its features:

And further

Harvesting beets and harvesting beets for the winter

Root crops are perfectly preserved. Therefore, many gardeners harvest beets for the winter. It is very undemanding to storage conditions. You can store crops in bulk in bins. Most suitable varieties for long-term storage these are Podzimnyaya, Incomparable and Bordeaux.

Harvesting of beets is carried out somewhat earlier than harvesting of carrots. Its roots are larger and protrude more above the ground. Therefore, they are more severely damaged by frost. Early ripening varieties ripen in July. By the time of readiness, root crops of the first quality class have a diameter of 5-10 cm. Root crops of the second quality class reach a diameter of up to 14 cm.

Harvesting of beetroot is carried out when its leaves turn yellow and dry. Usually this is the end of August and the first half of September.

Root crops very carefully, so as not to damage them, dig in with a pitchfork. Then they are removed from the soil with their hands, cleaned of the remnants of the earth. After that, using a sharp knife, carefully so as not to hurt the root crop itself is cut off. The length of the petioles after harvesting should be no more than 2 cm. After a while, after these sections have hardened, the crop can be stored.

How to store beets - the best storage conditions for beets

To prevent the development of microorganisms, the crop should be chalked. It is good to keep beets nearby. This has a beneficial effect on both.

Root crops have a characteristic thick skin. It protects them from mechanical damage, and also reduces moisture evaporation. In addition, the vegetable has the ability to heal small scratches on its top. But the shelf life of such a crop is reduced to 4 months. If the skin of the heads is peeled off, then the period is reduced to 3 - 4 months. The crop damaged by diseases and insects can lie even less. Even one sick head in the entire batch can destroy a large number of other root crops. After collection, all heads need to be thoroughly examined, damaged, rotten and diseased specimens must be separated. Then air dry.

If the crop has no mechanical damage and is not infected, then it will lie quietly for 8 months. This means that with careful harvesting and under the right conditions, the harvest can be preserved until next year's harvest. In doing so, it will be kept fresh. Heads with a diameter of up to 10 cm are best preserved. The best moisture content for a crop is 80-85%. And the best temperature is 2-3 ° C. Storehouses should be cool and dry. Protect it from freezing. After it thaws, the heads will rot and get sick. It should be borne in mind that keeping quality may depend on growing conditions and on the characteristics of a particular variety.

There are many options for storing beets. The heads can be put into plastic bags, which are then covered with sawdust or sand. Can be left in sand, peat, shavings or sawdust in dry and clean boxes. Large batches store well in containers with polyethylene liners. Top containers are filled with wet sand up to 7 cm. They can be installed one above the other. With this method, the losses will be no more than 5%. But in this case, the temperature should be 0 ° C. If it rises by even a couple of degrees, the amount lost crop will increase significantly.

You can also remove root crops in the underground, cellar, pit, trench or basement. In the trenches, the heads are covered with earth and covered with leaves.

If the collection was carried out using machines, then the heads are stored in bins. The bulkheads are leveled for best ventilation... Small heads are stored separately from large ones.

Refrigerators can also be used for storage.

A natural question that gardeners ask themselves when growing carrots: "How to save a root crop in the fall - winter period? "When cleaning and storing an underground beauty, it is worth considering certain subtleties... Savvy gardeners offer several ways to store carrots. However, the successful storage of any root crop begins with proper harvesting.

Cleaning time

The main rule of keeping quality of the carrot crop is timely and correct harvesting. Carrots are not afraid of frost, so you can harvest this root crop until mid-October. In the soil, carrots perfectly tolerate frosts, if before that you crush their tops to the ground, but being in the frosty air negatively affects it. It is practiced to dig up roots even from the snow, this method allows them to cool down before long-term storage.

The lowered average daily temperature slows down metabolic processes in carrots, it cools down and this has a beneficial effect on storage. It is the middle of September - the beginning of October that is considered optimal time harvesting. If weather forecasts predict rain, then dig up the carrots before the rain season. During the lingering autumn rains, the carrots are saturated with moisture, become tasteless and crack.

Harvesting times vary depending on several factors:

The purpose of the cultivation;
- weather;
- the general condition of the plants;
- growing region;
- meteorological forecasts;
- features of agricultural technology;
- the ripening time of a particular variety;
- the size of the root crop.

Choose warm, good weather when the soil is dry. Depending on the variety, the ripening time of the red-haired beauty is different. Usually, the harvest times for carrots are indicated on the seed bag. Harvesting ahead of time is not worth it, since the carrots do not have time to ripen and accumulate enough sugars, which will negatively affect its taste. Carrots overexposed in the garden have an excess of amino acids and sugars, and this makes it a delicacy for mice, carrot fly larvae. You can prepare the carrots for harvesting at the end of August, press the tops to one side, covering the carrots that have appeared from the ground.
Additionally, when harvesting carrots, be guided by the color of the tops, as soon as they begin to turn yellow - the roots are ready for harvesting.

Removing the tops

Stop watering a few days before digging up the carrots. It is also recommended to trim the tops, leaving the tail of the carrot about 5 cm. This procedure allows you to preserve the juiciness of the root crop, which disappears with the rapid growth of the tops.
After digging up the carrots, all tops are removed completely in two stages. We must remove the tops so that it does not take over useful material... First, we cut or unscrew the tops just above the root crop head. The next day, the head is cut off completely, including the growth point (cut thickness 0.5 - 1 cm). Please note that the cut should be smooth and even.
Cardinal pruning significantly increases the shelf life of carrots, while it does not germinate in winter, the fruits do not wilt or dry out.

How and how to dig carrots

Experienced vegetable growers suggest pulling carrots by hand by the tails. When there is not enough strength to get the root crop out of the ground, you can dig up the carrots with a shovel or blunt forks with flat teeth, which will damage the carrots less. Use the tools carefully, otherwise they can leave a mark on the root crop, and it will subsequently start to rot. While pulling the carrot with your hands, hold it against the ground with one hand, with the other firmly grab and pull on the tops.

Wipe off heavy dirt and clods of soil on the root crop with a dry cloth or palm. It is categorically impossible to wash, scrape with a sharp object, knife, knock down the earth, thereby damaging and spoiling vegetables.

Drying

Drying is required to prepare carrots for long-term storage after pruning. If the weather is sunny and dry, then you can dry the carrots in 2 - 3 hours. When the harvesting took place on a cloudy day, the roots should be thoroughly dried in a cool room for 1-2 days. After drying, we will clean the carrots again from the remnants of the earth. If dirt remains on the roots, do not try to remove it completely, do not damage them.

Quarantine the carrots, place them in a room with a temperature of 10 - 15 degrees for a week. During this time, the places of the cuts in the area of ​​the carrot head will tighten, and sick and spoiled roots will make themselves felt.

Sorting

After drying, immediately before harvesting in storage, the carrots should be examined and sorted out. Even while digging up the harvest, carrots can be cut by a careless movement of a shovel or harmful insects. Inspect each carrot for rot, wilting, or damage.

The carrot harvest is ready for storage.

It would seem that harvesting carrots is such a simple matter that even Small child... Pull ripe root crops for yourself from the garden bed and cut off the tops. But if everything were so simple, the harvesting of carrots, the timing of harvesting and the storage technology of root crops would not cause so many questions among gardeners.

But the taste of root crops, their appearance and the ability to long-term storage. If you want sweet, vitamin-rich, beautiful and smooth carrots that are resistant to different types rot, you need not only to sow seeds in suitable timing and provide seedlings proper care, it is also important not to miss the time of picking carrots, dig them up without harming the root crops, and prepare them properly for winter storage.

Gardeners usually dig up carrots the old fashioned way - by hand using a shovel

Gardeners usually dig up carrots the old fashioned way - by hand using a shovel. In large farms, preference is given to mechanized harvesting of carrots using various harvesting equipment. Let us consider in more detail in what ways and with what technologies the harvesting of carrots can be carried out.

Video about correct collection harvest carrots

Traditional hand picking of carrots

First of all, you need to correctly determine depending on what varieties you have sown. Early ripening varieties can be harvested after sowing after 2 months, mid-ripening varieties after 3 months, and late-ripening varieties after about 4 months. When harvesting carrots intended for winter storage, it is important to set the time so that enough useful vitamins have already accumulated in the root crops, but the carrots have not yet had time to crack or rot from a long stay in the soil and frost. A sure sign that you can start harvesting is yellowed tops.

The technology for harvesting carrots is simple:

• remove dried lower leaves from plants so that they do not interfere with digging in and pulling out root crops;
• dig up the carrots with a shovel, holding the blade strictly vertically and placing it in the ground 5 cm from the row, so as not to accidentally damage the roots;
• holding the carrot with your hand to the ground, gently pull it out by the tops with your other hand;
• fold the pulled out root crops along the row so that the dirt on them dries up a little;
• When you have finished digging up the carrots, lightly peel off the soil and trim the tops.

Do not dig up root crops immediately after the rain, otherwise they may crack and become unsuitable for long-term storage.

Most auspicious days for harvesting carrots - the end of September, when the weather is dry for a long time. Do not dig up root crops immediately after the rain, otherwise they may crack and become unsuitable for long-term storage. Leaving the dug carrots along with the tops in the garden is also not recommended, since the tops will draw nutrients from the root crop. Place carrots with cut tops in storage boxes right away.

Machine methods of harvesting carrots

Businesses specializing in the cultivation of carrots on an industrial scale harvest mechanically using different types combine harvesters. The timing of picking carrots varies and depends on the onset of full maturity of the root crops - ripe carrots do not darken from a long stay in the fresh air.

Video about machine methods of harvesting carrots

Before mechanical harvesting, the tops of the carrots are removed with a topper, the crops are cleared of weeds. Weed control is especially important when harvesting with a top-lifting machine as it automatically tracks the row of plants and can be tilted to the side by growing weeds.