The question, or rather two questions, that torment many summer residents is when to start digging up red beets and when to start harvesting carrots from the garden? No one wants to rush into this, but no one wants to be late either.

Beet and carrot harvest. © Mark Willism

The thing is that a lot depends on the correct and most appropriate harvesting time for these, essentially the simplest root vegetables: the taste of the root vegetables, their quality during processing and fresh consumption, and their vitamin content. If you dig it up early, they (vitamins) will not have time to accumulate in them, and of course, the shelf life of root crops will be reduced. After all, if you dig up too early or too late, you can end up with rotting root crops in the middle of winter, which means simply losing the harvest.

A lot depends on the simple inscription on the package of seeds. It states in black and white how many days should pass from the appearance of the first shoots to the digging up of root crops. Of course, nature itself intervenes here: after all, summer can be hot and with plenty of moisture, and then the dates on the packaging can coincide quite accurately. Or it may be cool and deprived of additional moisture in the form of rain, and then the root crops will ripen later and, accordingly, they will need to be dug up later.

Let’s take our time to figure it all out, and then, I’m just sure of this, by the end of the material you will already know exactly when to dig up both carrots and beets.

When to dig up carrots and beets?

Cultivation of carrots and beets is approximately the same and you can’t draw any special conclusions here. But at the very end, the overwhelming majority of gardeners still converge on a common opinion - you need to dig up carrots after the very first frost, and beets - be sure to exclude even the smallest ones, otherwise they definitely won’t lie.

In general, there is, of course, a grain of truth in this. As for carrots, they can withstand frost, you can dig them up even after the first autumn snow, they will not freeze. However, to ensure that the carrots do not freeze, you need to use a little trick: walk around the garden and thoroughly press the carrot tops into the soil. This method cannot exactly be called new, but it allows carrots to go through all the stages of preparing them for storage. It has long been noticed, and this has been verified more than once or twice, that if you dig up carrots before frost, they will be stored 30% less than when dug up after.

As for table beets, as we have already mentioned, everyone is unanimously convinced that by the first frost the beets should at least be pulled out of the soil. Although, on the other hand, if the autumn is normal and the weather is dry without rain, then table beets feel quite fine in the soil: they will be preserved in the soil much better than those dug up in advance in a cellar or basement. And the shelf life of beets continues to increase by at least 50%.

It's a completely different matter when autumn is rainy. There is an extremely high probability that the root vegetables will pick up so much unnecessary moisture that they will begin to deteriorate during storage. It is clear that if you delay digging up table beets during the wet season, they will be completely unsuitable for storage. This is where gardeners are partly right, who do not take unnecessary risks and do not wait for an increase of a couple of grams, but dig up beets as soon as the threat of the first frost arrives, or when the cold autumn rains begin to fall.

The time it takes to dig up carrots and beets may entirely depend on the growing region. So, if you are a resident southern region, then the excavation will be carried out later, the central one - in the middle, and the northern one - at the earliest. You also need to focus on the forecasts of the region where beets are grown: so, if meteorologists predict severe frosts, then what to expect? And you also need to think about the timing of the variety’s ripening (as we have already written about).

Carrot

A signal to dig up carrots can be yellowing of the lower and middle leaves. There is no need to waste time; you can simply remove the root crop from the ground and examine it more closely. If it has the thinnest snow-white threads-roots, then the root crop is completely ready for harvesting. If cracks are noticed on the root crop, then you need to dig up the entire batch as quickly as possible - the carrots are already starting to outgrow. As for the timing of harvesting, the optimal time is the second half of September, closer to October.

Having decided on the timing, you can start digging up carrots. To do this, it is better to choose a fine sunny day; of course, do not water it for a couple of days; on the day of digging, the soil should also be dry. It's easy to dig up carrots with a pitchfork: it's not only easier, but carrots can also be damaged minimum quantity injuries You can dig with two people: one uses a pitchfork and slightly pulls the carrots to the surface, and the other finally pulls them out of the ground by the ends. Next, with your hands, and not with a knife or anything else, you can try to clean the dirt from the carrots and place root crops of equal length on the soil or put aside those that will be used for seed production next year for storage for consumption. After digging, carefully inspect the root crops: those that show signs of damage should be immediately processed or eaten fresh, and intact and fully developed ones should be sent for storage or in a separate box for planting (as seeds).

As for the advice to leave the carrots in the garden to dry right with the tops, I would argue. In my opinion, you need to immediately cut off most of the tops, leaving growths a couple of centimeters long at most, or it is better to remove them completely, leaving the root crops to dry for a couple of hours (otherwise the tops will draw moisture from the root crop). Next, we send the carrots to a dark place for five or six hours, there they will cool and finally prepare for storage.

After digging, we proceed to describe the procedure for storing carrots. There are actually a lot of options here. Naturally, the most optimal room for storing carrots is a cellar or basement, where the temperature is about +4 degrees and the humidity is 80%. Carrots cannot be stored on the balcony, say, in bags, for a long period; they will simply begin to rot there. And if the balcony is not glazed and not heated, then it will simply freeze and die.

An excellent option is a cellar, shelves are built in it, processed with 2% copper sulfate, boxes are installed on them and carrots are laid, sprinkled with dry and clean sawdust. Instead of sawdust, you can use dry and also clean river sand, quite suitable option(only the gaps in the drawers should then be minimal so that the sand does not spill out).

In some cases, carrot roots are still stored on glazed balconies, but without heating. First, they are dipped in a clay mixture, allowed to dry, and such carrots can easily lie there all winter if it is not critically cold.

In rooms with little humidity, in other words, dry rooms, carrots can be stored in ordinary bags, but ventilated, with holes made in advance, sprinkled with sawdust over the root crops.

Carrots are stored in basements in an area allocated for them, usually fenced with fresh, clean boards. You also need to lay dry and fresh boards on the floor, and place, for example, wormwood on them in a layer of 3-4 cm. Wormwood is a great repellent for mice, and they do not touch it all winter.

If there is no bin, then carrots can also be stored in the basement, but in fresh wooden boxes, sprinkled with sawdust and covered plastic film, so that it does not evaporate excess moisture, because the basement is usually warmer.

Digging carrots. © Steve L. Wood

Beet

It is advisable to dig it before the temperature drops to negative values and before the season of heavy rainfall. As for the calendar period, it usually falls in mid-September and lasts until mid-October. You need to dig up table beets on a fine sunny day, when the soil is dry and devoid of excess moisture.

Under no circumstances dig up beets before the specified time. The thing is that from about the end of August to the beginning of September, beet pulp accumulates maximum quantity sugar and other essential beneficial elements.

The signal to dig up beets is usually small tubercles; if you look closely, they are clearly visible. The tubercles are located on the very surface of the root crops (this is a sign that it’s time to dig).

In addition, of course, you need to monitor the weather forecast, pay attention to the leaf blades: on them, like on root vegetables, growths also appear - this a clear sign that the beets are ripe. You should also dig up one vegetable and examine it from all sides, so it’s also easy to understand whether the beets are ripe or not.

The optimal period (we briefly mentioned this above) is an autumn day with above-zero temperatures and dry soil - this is the weather intended specifically for digging up beets.

In my opinion, it is more convenient to dig up table beets with a pitchfork: this way there is less damage to the root crops. Immediately after digging, remove the tops from the root crop so that it does not dry out, leaving only a centimeter-long stump (do not tear off the tops with your hands, as you can damage the root crop itself), then spread the root crops in the sun to dry for several hours.

Digging up beets. © fionagrowsfood

Important! Beetroots that are to be stored should never be washed. Instead, inspect each one carefully, as you did with carrots, and store only those root vegetables that are not damaged and at least look completely healthy.

So, place the table beets, which you have sorted and cleaned from the soil carefully, with a glove and not a scraper, in any dry room where there is good ventilation and no direct sun rays, which would fall on the beets. In such a room, the beets should lie for 6-7 days, so the root vegetables will completely dry out and be ready for storage. After this, the root crops can be safely transferred to any storage facility for the winter.

You can store beets, just like carrots, in a basement or cellar; ideally, the temperature there should be from 0 to +2 degrees Celsius and the humidity at 90%. If it is warmer, the root crops may begin to fade quite quickly, rot and other diseases will develop, in general, the harvest may be lost. Beetroot is especially sensitive to high temperature at the very beginning of storage, then even at +4 degrees of heat it will begin to grow tops and for about a month it should be kept at a temperature of about one degree above zero and no more.

Be sure to pay attention to air circulation in the storage, this applies to both carrot storage and beet storage. Ideally, ventilation should be natural, and the bins where beets are stored should be raised above the floor by at least 5-10 cm so that air can pass there too. This simple technique will allow you to constantly cool root crops, prevent them from sweating and will not contribute to the formation of rot and other troubles.

Carrots: terms and rules for harvesting

Harvesting and storing carrots

Carrots are healthier the longer they remain in the garden, because... It is on autumn days that it intensively accumulates nutrients and vitamins. And at the same time, of all the root crops, perhaps carrots, more than other vegetables, depend on the correct choice of harvesting time, both the size and quality of the harvest, and the safety of the root crops in winter.

To solve this issue - it’s time to remove the carrots or leave them in the ground for another 10-15 days, you need to dig the root crop out of the ground. If the carrot is overgrown with small roots, then it’s time, otherwise the rodents will get to it before us.

Early ripening carrots are usually harvested selectively as needed. In this case, larger root crops are pulled out first to improve growing conditions for neighboring plants. In this case, it is necessary to immediately fill with soil all the voids formed after the plant was pulled out in order to protect the “neighbors” in the garden from the carrot fly.

But many gardeners remove early-ripening carrots completely at once to make room for re-sowing other vegetables. After early carrots, bush beans, head lettuce, cauliflower, kohlrabi and broccoli.

Popular wisdom says: “On Cornelius (September 24), the root in the ground does not grow, but freezes.” One must act in accordance with this sign, i.e. Harvest the main crop of carrots of mid- and late-ripening varieties at the end of September, focusing on weather conditions.

You already know that carrots are a cold-resistant crop and that it gives the most intensive increase in yield (up to 40-45%) at the end of August and September during the period of gradual decrease in average daily temperature. This is facilitated by the rapid outflow of nutrients from the leaves into the roots at a temperature of 7-8°C.

Biological ripeness of root crops occurs after the end of intensive growth when the shape and color typical of of this variety. But when unfavorable conditions, at very high or low temperatures during the formation of root crops, biological ripeness of carrots may not occur, and then the root crops have to be harvested at the stage of technical ripeness.

By various reasons sometimes you even have to harvest carrots on your site in the first half of September. But, as you already understand, this leads to a large crop shortage and the production of small, not fully ripened root crops, which quickly wither and are poorly stored.

The most favorable time for harvesting carrots on our plots should be considered the end of September. When harvesting at this time, you will get the maximum harvest of carrots, which will be stored well in winter.

Further prolonged delay in harvesting does not have a positive effect, because if the daytime air temperature does not rise above 4-5°C, then the outflow of nutrients from the leaves to the roots practically stops and the carrots stop growing. Carrot roots in the soil tolerate a short-term decrease in temperature to -3...-5°C. But if you dig them out of the ground, they cannot tolerate even the mildest frosts.

Harvesting carrots should only be done in good weather. Varieties with short and semi-long root crops are easily pulled out of the ground by hand, but when harvesting long root crops, you cannot do without a fork or shovel.

At the same time, we must not forget that carrots are very sensitive to mechanical damage. Therefore, when harvesting carrots, transporting and storing them, it is necessary to carefully follow the generally accepted rules: avoid blows, breaks, scratches and other mechanical damage to carrots, because Root crops do not heal well such damage, through which rot pathogens penetrate into the root crops.

It is forbidden long time leave the tops uncut, because the leaves, quickly evaporating moisture, will cause the root crops to wither, which will sharply reduce their resistance to diseases during storage. There is no need to completely clear the root crops from the soil. You should also not wash them, as this can accelerate the development of diseases. It is also impossible to keep collected carrots in heaps in the garden for a long time, because... root crops quickly wither and become unsuitable for winter storage.

How to remove tops? Do not tear it off by twisting it with your hands. Just cut with a knife. If you leave small petioles, then closer to spring tops will begin to grow on the root crops, which will not only reduce the weight of the carrots, but will also sharply worsen its nutritional value. Therefore, cut the root vegetables with a knife along the line of the dormant eyes, i.e. cut off the top by 1-2 mm. In this case, the tops will not germinate during storage.

Immediately after cutting the tops, the root crops must be removed under a canopy and lightly ventilated before placing them in boxes. Then the root crops are sorted, removing diseased, damaged and soft ones. They are used immediately for food or for processing, without leaving them for winter storage. Then the carrots selected for winter storage must be kept in a dark and cool room for 5-6 days so that they are well cooled, and only then the already cooled carrots can be stored in the basement.

Harvesting carrot root crops must be completed before the onset of cold weather, since root crops damaged by frost lose resistance to pathogens. During temporary storage, root crops are covered with a layer of soil of 15-20 cm. They cannot be covered with straw or tops, since after harvesting they release a lot of moisture. Therefore, when straw and tops are moistened, conditions are created for the development of diseases.

Harvesting and storing carrots

Carrots are a much more demanding crop than potatoes when harvesting, transporting and winter storage. It is very sensitive to mechanical damage and does not heal damage well, which is what causes various diseases to develop in the first place. Carrot roots that are frozen and withered in the sun are also poorly stored.

There is no need to try to thoroughly clean the root crops from the soil, as this will cause mechanical damage. You should also not wash them before storing them, as this accelerates the development of diseases.

The prepared carrots are placed in boxes and left to cool for 5-6 days. And only after this the well-chilled root vegetables are transferred to storage, because When cooled, carrots go into a dormant period more easily and consume less nutrients.

Many gardeners lightly spray the root crops with a water infusion before storing them. onions. To do this, 200 g of onions need to be poured into 10 liters hot water and leave for 24 hours. But after this treatment, the carrots must be thoroughly dried.

Only healthy, not wilted or frozen products can be stored in the basement. At the same time, it is advisable to store root crops of different ripening periods separately by variety.

Carrots are root vegetables that require demanding storage conditions. In addition, it is more likely than other crops to become infected with diseases through the air. Unlike other root vegetables, it is very sensitive to increases in temperature in the basement, especially in initial period storage

That is why many gardeners are well acquainted with the feeling of annoyance when they put away perfectly healthy carrots for storage in the fall, and in the winter most of the crop was “eaten” by rot.

Even with a very slight increase in the temperature in the storage to 4°C and a decrease in air humidity, the biological dormancy of the carrots is disturbed, and it begins to germinate and at the same time wither, which sharply reduces the shelf life of root crops. Therefore, both the storage and root crops must be cooled immediately after storing the products to the optimal temperature of 0...1°C, and when stored together with potatoes to 1...2°C. The preservation of carrots is also positively affected by the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the air (3-5%).

Carrots are also very sensitive to air humidity, which must be constantly high (90-95%), otherwise the root crops may wither and lose their resistance to disease. Typically, during storage, carrots begin to deteriorate from the bottom of the root crop.

There is no consensus on how best to store carrots in storage. Carrots are often stored in tight boxes, sprinkled with a small layer of wet sand on top. Filled with carrots, such boxes can be stacked up to 2 m high.

The humidity of the sand should be such that when squeezed in your hand, water does not ooze out of it, but the sand lump retains its shape. The sandy environment reduces the evaporation of moisture from root crops, ensures an even temperature, and the accumulation of carbon dioxide released by root crops, which has a beneficial effect on their preservation.- as if preserves them.

Sand also protects against diseases, including such dangerous ones as various rots. This is especially true for carrots. great value, since it is the most difficult to store of all root vegetables.

To prevent the development of diseases, it is advisable to add chalk or well-slaked lime to the sand in an amount of 1-2% of its volume. Poorly slaked lime mixed with wet sand can cause carrot burns, so you need to carefully monitor the quality of the lime. Next year, the sand must be replaced with fresh sand.

Carrots do not fade and are stored well in small stacks on the floor or shelves. Root crops are laid in rows in the form of a truncated pyramid, placing them with their heads outward so that they do not touch each other. In this case, each row is sprinkled with a layer of wet sand of 2-3 cm, on top and along the edges the thickness of this layer is adjusted to 5 cm.

As it dries top layer sand must be moistened. In order to maintain the strength of such a “pyramid,” it should not be laid in more than 7 layers. For 100 kg of carrots, an average of 3-4 buckets of sand are consumed.

But this method is very labor-intensive and requires a lot of space for sand. In addition, not all gardeners have sand. This sand must be changed or calcined every time in order to destroy the pathogens of Phoma and gray rot. Therefore, now many gardeners store carrots in plastic bags with a capacity of 40-50 kg (sugar bags), tied at the top with a rope. It is advisable to make 10-15 holes with a diameter of 1 cm in them to allow excess carbon dioxide to escape.

In such bags, almost optimal relative air humidity is created, as well as required quantity oxygen and carbon dioxide (up to 4%), which promotes long-term preservation of root crops, suppressing the development of phytopathogenic organisms.

Bags filled with carrots can be placed vertically with the top open without tying or poking holes. But if such a bag is accidentally closed, then excess fluid quickly accumulates in it. carbon dioxide, the oxygen content drops and after 2-3 weeks the carrots will begin to rot.

Coating or claying of carrots gives good results. To do this, root vegetables are placed in a creamy clay mash or lime milk, and then dried with increased ventilation. Having dried on root crops, clay or lime forms a thin crust, which protects carrots well from wilting and various diseases. These carrots are then placed in boxes.

Dry dusting of carrot roots with chalk is also widely used at the rate of 150 g of chalk per 10 kg of carrots. At the same time, the chalk layer formed on the surface of root crops creates a slightly alkaline environment, which prevents the development of diseases.

Carrot roots are well preserved if they are sprinkled with an aqueous infusion of onion peels before laying or sprinkled with such peels. They also stay juicy and healthy when thrown into the bin with the potatoes.

You can store carrots in the basement and in ordinary plastic bags with a capacity of 2-3 kg. To do this, they are filled with chilled carrots and immediately transferred to storage. The carrots are covered with wet sand on top. Opened bags are placed in 3-4 rows.

In winter, if diseased root crops are found, they are removed, and hands must be washed with a solution of potassium permanganate or soap before touching healthy root crops. If white rot develops significantly when storing carrots in the basement, it is advisable to temporarily reduce the air humidity by using fluff lime.

Recently, some gardeners have begun to use sphagnum moss, which is harvested in August, to store carrots. It is dried to a moisture content of approximately 7% (such moss is almost dry to the touch) and the potatoes are layered. When stored in this way, root crops do not get sick, do not wither, are not damaged by mice, and the air in the basement is free of the smell of dampness and rot.

When storing carrots in piles or trenches, the root crops are layered with light loamy soil and covered with a layer of straw up to 60 cm thick. Then the soil is first covered with a layer up to 20 cm thick, and before the onset of frost, the thickness of the soil layer is brought to 35-40 cm.

When harvesting carrots in the fall, some gardeners leave a few plants to overwinter in the bed for spring use, sprinkling the top of the bed with peat or dry leaves. But this can only be done in areas where the soil is not infested with wireworms or mole crickets. This- very good the old way preserving carrots until spring.

Carrots dug from the soil in the spring are as fresh and juicy as those dug in the fall. However, such storage of carrots is only possible if they are not damaged by pests and diseases and are well protected from rodents, for whom fresh carrots are a real delicacy.

But carrots must be well prepared for wintering in the garden. Before the onset of real frosts, it must be covered with dry leaves or peat chips and laid on top with spruce branches. Then you need to cover it with snow, compacting it slightly. And at the end of winter, you need to make sure that the snow stays on the garden bed until spring.

Well, if you don’t have a basement, then a small amount of carrots (8-10 kg) can be stored in cardboard box. To do this, carrots are placed in rows as tightly as possible and for every 15-20 carrots, one medium horseradish rhizome is placed, which prevents diseases and promotes long-term storage of carrots. The same result is achieved by using large perforated plastic bags. A box or bag of carrots should be placed in the coldest place in the room and checked occasionally to remove root crops with signs of rot.

V. Shafransky

(Gardener No. 50, December 24, 2009)

Carrots: terms and rules for harvesting

With carrots, everything is complicated and simple at the same time; for some vegetable growers it’s simple, for others, probably more responsible ones, it’s difficult. The first are simply confident that carrots can be harvested literally at any time, stretching this period right up to mid-October, because carrots are not afraid of frost! Others are confident, and not without reason, that when harvesting carrots, you must be guided by certain deadlines, otherwise the carrots in storage will begin to rot or will acquire a completely non-carrot taste and will become hard like wood.

Let's figure out who is right. Timely harvesting of carrot roots will have a positive effect on the shelf life of the fruit and their nutritional properties, but early or prolonged harvesting can ruin both.

So, what factors influence the timing of carrot harvesting? This, of course, is the type of variety - early-ripening, mid-ripening or late-ripening carrots, as well as the purposes for which the root crops are actually grown, appearance and the condition of the plants, and, of course, the weather outside the window.

Previously, it was believed that the best time to harvest carrots was before mid-September. Supposedly, after mid-September, the beds should already be free of carrots, and the soil should rest. This makes sense, for example, when the average daily temperature drops to four degrees Celsius, the growth of root crops completely stops, and if the mercury in the thermometer drops below zero degrees, then there is a high probability that the root crops will slowly begin to rot. It is clear that such root crops will either last for a very short time or not at all. Taking this into account, it is advisable to remove root crops from the site before the onset of autumn frosts, which means that the limit is not mid-September, but its end. If you rush and dig the root crops out of the soil too early, they may begin to wither primarily due to the temperature difference - from warm soil to a cold cellar. Of course, now we are talking about late varieties, but if we are talking about mid-season cultivars, then calculate optimal time Digging can be done based on the ripening period indicated on each packet of seeds, that is, on average from 80 to 100 days. Of course, there are additional signs indicating the ripening of root crops - these are yellowed lower leaves. If you notice this phenomenon in a mid-season variety of carrots and the deadlines have already approached, so to speak, then it is completely pointless to keep it in the soil longer, this will not lead to an increase in yield, but it may spoil the taste of the fruit.

As for carrots that are distinguished by early ripening periods, or those that were sown before winter, they are harvested at the height of summer, and they are not stored, but are added to marinades and various summer salads to improve their taste and increase their vitamin content. Such carrots are harvested as soon as their diameter reaches one centimeter, tied into bunches and stored for a short time in a regular household refrigerator. It is impossible to keep early carrots in the soil, they will lose their taste and their appearance will deteriorate, and they may become completely covered with cracks, that is, they will become completely unusable.

So, we have more or less figured out the timing, let's now decide how best to harvest the carrots. This vegetable is not difficult to harvest; if you have varieties growing on your site that form medium and short root crops, then you can easily get by with your own with my own hands, you can simply pull the root crops out of the soil by holding them by the tops. Long carrots will definitely have to be dug up; removing them completely from the ground is difficult. For digging, use either a pitchfork or bayonet shovel, the main thing is to choose the right distance to the root crop and try not to damage it. Usually it is enough to just slightly raise the soil, and the root crops will easily come out of it, as soon as you pull them by the tops.

So, we have extracted the carrots, then the opinions of gardeners again differ. Some argue that after digging up carrots, they can be left together with the tops directly on the site for two or three days so that the nutrients from the tops pass into the root crops, while others advise tearing off the tops immediately. In fact, the latter are right; nutrients are more likely to move from the root crop to the tops, but not vice versa. In addition, the tops will also draw out some of the moisture from the root crop, wilting it.

Taking this into account, immediately after digging up all the carrots from the plot, you need to wait several hours until the soil on the surface of the root crops dries, after which the tops can be cut or torn off by hand, leaving a small part, about one and a half centimeters long.

Such a simple process sometimes significantly increases the shelf life of root crops, because the tops do not tend to germinate, thereby leading to the loss of some nutrients and moisture by the root crops.

Do not forget that root crops of late varieties of carrots will be stored well and for a long time, free from damage and signs of rot, so you need to handle them as carefully as possible. If there is a lot of soil on the root crop, then you cannot shake it off by tapping the root crops against each other or cleaning them with something hard; the carrots should be wiped with your hand or a soft, dry cloth. Never wash root vegetables before storing them; it’s better to let them be dirty than wet.

N. V. Khromov , Candidate of Biological Sciences

Digging carrots and beets in correct timing allows you to get with square meter maximum yield. Root crops harvested in time have time to gain flavor and contain a large amount of vitamins and useful substances, are stored longer in cellars and vegetable stores. Root crops harvested at the wrong time lose quality. Carrots and beets dug up at the wrong time may turn out to be too small or too large, tasteless and quickly spoil.

You can leave carrots in the beds until the first frost: this vegetable will only become sweeter with a little cooling. Beets are afraid of cold weather and can rot if left in the ground for a long time.

Factors influencing root crop harvesting

The time for digging carrots and beets depends on several circumstances:

weather;
varieties;
agricultural technology.

Vegetables are classified into early, middle and late varieties. Each one is cleaned at a certain time. The package with seeds indicates how many days should pass from germination to harvesting.

Digging of root crops should be done in dry weather. In rainy and cold autumn, carrots and beets are dug up earlier, in warm and dry autumn - later. With good agricultural technology, root crops ripen faster. Lack of plant care leads to the fact that even early varieties ripen late.

One of the signs that root crops are ready for harvesting is the wilting of the lower part of the tops. Drying of the leaves indicates that the maturation of the underground part is complete. In such cases, you should not rush to dig. If autumn is dry and warm, you can postpone harvesting, since root crops are better stored in the ground than in the cellar.

The most important rule when harvesting root crops: carrots are harvested after the first frost, and beets - without waiting for cold weather.

Harvesting carrots

Carrots tolerate cold and even light freezing of the soil well. Many gardeners have noticed that after a short frost, carrots only become sweeter. On vegetable farms, a situation often arises when carrots are dug after the first snow has fallen on the soil. Late harvesting does not affect the quality of carrot roots. Having cooled in the ground, the orange vegetable subsequently lies well in the cellars, since it had time to prepare for storage while still in the ground.

Signs that it's time to dig carrots:

It freezes at night, to the point where the soil becomes frozen at night, but in the sun it thaws.
The first snow is falling, but average daily temperatures are still positive.
Carrots have yellower tops (especially the lower leaves).
Lateral roots begin to form (this means that the root crop is fully formed and is preparing to produce seeds).

If you are late in harvesting carrots, you can use this technique: the still green tops are rolled or bent to the ground. Leaves protect the soil from freezing, protecting it from cold air. In this case, the root vegetables will not freeze. It is necessary to stop watering vegetables one to two weeks before the planned digging.

After harvesting, the carrots are not dried, but only the tops are cut off, leaving petioles 1 cm long, and then placed in boxes and baskets and lowered into the cellar. Carrot roots contain a lot of moisture, but if there is sufficient ventilation in the cellar, they will not rot.

Digging up beets

Beets are more heat-loving than carrots. At temperatures below zero, it freezes and begins to rot right in the soil. The part of the root crop protruding to the surface may freeze, and then the crop will rot. The combination is especially dangerous low temperatures air and high soil moisture.

Of all root crops, beets are dug up first - earlier than potatoes and, especially, carrots. In the Moscow region and middle lane In Russia, root crops are dug up from mid-September to early October. In Siberia, beets are harvested much earlier - in early September.

Protruding parts of root crops are vulnerable to frost

Beets are dug up at an average daily temperature of at least +5 degrees. It is not worth collecting it earlier - you need to give it the opportunity to fill with juice. At the end of August, sugar begins to accumulate in root vegetables. Sucrose, on which the sweetness of beets depends, begins to be deposited in root vegetables 5-7 days before they are fully ripe. The dug up beets are dried a little and put into bags and boxes, then put away in the cellar for the winter.

The biological signs that determine whether beets are ready for digging are as follows:

tubercles appear on the head of the upper part of the root crop;
the lower leaves wilt.

The table below shows the approximate harvesting dates for carrots and beets by region:

Region	Beet	Carrot
Kirov region	Early October	Late October - early November
Bashkiria	First half of September	Second half of September
Udmurtia

Reading time ≈ 8 minutes

September is the month of ripening of root crops, which is why many vegetable growers and gardeners are wondering about the timing of harvesting carrots and beets in the Moscow region. An incorrectly chosen harvesting period can negatively affect the taste and quantity of nutrients. And infection with rot can significantly shorten the shelf life of vegetables. How not to miss the best period for harvesting, what to pay attention to, and how to store the harvest - we will consider these and other pressing issues below.

The process of harvesting carrots.

Calculation of cleaning time

It is important to understand that it is impossible to name exact dates that are relevant for the Moscow (or any other) region, because collection dates fluctuate depending on many factors:

weather in summer. Dry and hot or cold and rainy weather in the summer can advance or delay the harvesting date by several days/weeks;
ripening time of a particular variety;
weather conditions for the near future;
cultivation technique;
size of vegetables (large ones can be dug up earlier, small ones - later).

When harvesting, it is important not to miscalculate the dates - both late and early digging will have negative consequences.

Why premature harvesting is dangerous: the accumulation of useful substances occurs precisely at the last stage of growth. By harvesting in advance, you can lose many useful elements. In addition, at this time, active compaction of the peel occurs, which is necessary for good shelf life of the crop.

For beets

The ripening of beets lasts on average 110-120 days; if planting took place in the first ten days or the first half of May, the corresponding calculations can be made. Mid-season varieties in the Moscow region are usually ready for harvest by the end of August. Late varieties can be harvested in the first half of September. For this event you need to choose a good, sunny day with a temperature not lower than +5...+6 °C.

Basic rule: beets must be harvested before frost sets in.

External signs of beet ripeness that will help determine the correct harvest time:

yellowing and drying lower leaves(sometimes this happens prematurely if the weather is dry, hot);
formation of growths on leaves;
large size of the root crop (check the specified standards for your variety);

Important! Study the maturity characteristics of the varieties planted on the site. To do this, return to the variety description on the seed label.

If you are late in digging up the beets, they may go into secondary growth (the formation of roots on the tuber). If harvesting is delayed significantly, the above-ground part of the vegetable may be caught by frost, as a result of which the crop will quickly deteriorate during storage. Therefore, be sure to monitor the weather forecasts, and if rain/frost is expected, start cleaning.

Video: when to dig up carrots and beets?

For carrots

Unlike beets, harvesting carrots after frost is not only possible, but also necessary - this way they become even more filled with useful substances, sweet, large and hardened for long-term storage. Thus, it is during the period of decreasing temperatures in August-September that root crops gain up to 50% of their weight. Vegetables should be collected on a clear, calm or windy day. There should be no frost, but the temperature should be quite low: 0...+2 °C. Some vegetable growers practice digging up crops directly from under the snow.

The duration of carrot ripening varies significantly depending on the variety (from 70 to 120 days), so first study the information on the bag of seeds. But if we consider the late varieties, which are best suited for storage, their ripening time becomes 4-5 months from the moment of planting. In general, late and mid-late varieties are ready for harvesting at the end of September or beginning of October, if the autumn was very warm. If you doubt the readiness of a vegetable, evaluate it for the following signs.

Signs of vegetable ripeness:

yellowing of the lower carrot leaves (not due to drought!). You should not wait for the bulk of the tops to turn yellow;
correct appearance of carrots (dig up a couple of specimens to try). The size corresponding to the variety and the presence of thin white thread-like roots indicate the need for harvesting.

An example of ripened beets.

Harvesting rules

Having figured out the timing of harvesting beets and carrots in the Moscow region, it is equally important to understand how to do it correctly. The harvesting method will depend on the type of soil. For example, in a plot with black soil, you can pull out root crops by hand by the tops, although this type of soil is dense and not loose. Exactly manual method is preferred. But on denser soils (compacted after rain or clay), it is allowed to dig the beds with a pitchfork or shovel, but it is extremely important not to touch or injure the vegetables.

Important: damaged vegetables are not suitable for long-term storage, so it is advisable to use them for food immediately.

Digging carrots with a garden tool.

After digging beets and carrots, you need to remove the tops no later than three hours later. It is recommended to do this with scissors, cutting off the green part at a distance of 1.5-2 cm from the head. Thanks to this simple procedure, vegetables will be better stored; the tops will not take away nutrients from the root crop and will not dry it out. With such a cutting length, the green part will also not start to grow. The so-called “beard” should not be cut off, so as not to provoke rotting of the vegetables.

Tip: don’t rush to throw away beet and carrot tops! They contain many times more useful substances than the heads themselves. You can use the tops to make green smoothies, pancakes and pancakes, and add them to salads and first courses. It is best to freeze the tops for storage.

If there are patches of soil stuck to the root crops, they should be carefully wiped off with your hands after drying. Under no circumstances should you wash it with water, scrape it with a knife, or remove it with any other means. mechanical methods. Any damage, scratches and cracks on the peel lead to damage to the vegetable and rapid spoilage.

Video: benefits and preparations from beet tops.

Storage

Long-term winter storage of root crops is only suitable for mid-late and late varieties.

Preparing the crop for storage includes the following processes:

cutting tops;
manual cleansing of lumps of earth;
thorough drying in the open air (for this, the crop can be spread on oilcloth or fabric in one layer);
cooling (it is prohibited to store hot vegetables, for example, if autumn is very warm!)
removal of vegetables with defects and signs of fungal infection. From carrots, you need to select specimens with a green top - subsequently the bitterness from it will spread throughout the entire vegetable, so it is not advisable to store them;
sorting root vegetables (small vegetables quickly wither, and large ones become too tough, so medium-sized root vegetables withstand long-term storage best).

Storage conditions for various vegetables.

Optimal storage conditions:

Dark place.
Temperature range within 0-2 °C (it is important to avoid temperature changes).
High humidity (from 90%).
Moderate ventilation.

Obviously, either a basement meets these conditions.

Tip: to reliably preserve the crop, you can use a 1:1 mixture of sand and ash. Vegetables should be placed in a container without holes and sprinkled with the mixture so that the heads do not come into contact. Sand and ash can be replaced with peat, sawdust, and table salt.

Regarding the choice of storage containers: it all depends on the conditions in the room. When humidity is high, it is not recommended to use polyethylene, and sand is not suitable for extremely dry rooms. Experienced vegetable growers recommend another trick: storing beets on top of potatoes. It does not need a lot of moisture, so it gives the excess to the beets. This way the two root vegetables are perfectly preserved. It is very important to periodically sort through the crop and promptly remove rotten and damaged specimens. It is also recommended to arrange vegetables in containers according to size: the smallest at the bottom, the largest at the top.

Storing crops in sand.

In the absence of a cellar, a small amount of root vegetables can be stored in the apartment. But in this case, the duration will be no more than 3-4 months. Suitable for storage: refrigerator, pantry, any other dark place. Vegetables can be placed in wooden boxes or foam boxes, having previously made a backing from sawdust or sand. If you choose an unheated balcony for storage, you can cover the vegetables with a blanket before severe frosts. Wrapping each root vegetable in foil can slightly extend the shelf life of vegetables in the apartment.

It is prohibited to place root vegetables near any heating devices.

Thus, the timing of harvesting carrots and beets in the Moscow region is a fairly approximate time period that can change under the influence of many factors. In addition to meeting deadlines, it is important to properly harvest and store the crop.

Video: how to store carrots in sand in the cellar?

Harvesting beets and carrots should not be rushed. These vegetables must ripen in the ground in the fall: beets actively gain nutrients at temperatures from +1C to 15C, and carrots - from +7 to +8. If you remove them too early, you will not get 30-40% of the harvest. The collected root vegetables will be too small and tasteless, and such vegetables are poorly stored.

But also delay harvesting, otherwise the harvest will be destroyed by cold rains and frosts.

When to remove beets and carrots from the garden?

Even experienced vegetable growers will not give the exact harvest date - it depends on many factors. Let's list them.

Vegetable variety and agricultural technology

Varieties of carrots and beets are early, medium and late. The ripening dates for vegetables are written on the seed packaging. They are taken into account when planting and harvesting root crops.

Early varieties are good because they ripen very quickly. Already three months after planting they produce a harvest. But they are not suitable for winter storage.

Late varieties are stored well, but in central Russia they do not always have time to ripen before frost.

Well suited for the Russian climate mid-season varieties. They give good harvest, are distinguished by keeping quality and disease resistance.

The best beet varieties:

Early - Detroit, Red Ball, Barguzin, Bordeaux, Podzimnyaya;
Middle – Mulatto, Bohemia, Bona, Incomparable;
Late ones - Torpedo, Cylinder, Ataman.

The best varieties of carrots:

Early: Karotel Parisian, Amsterdam, Touchon, Fairy;
Medium: Nantes-4, Vitamin-6, Incomparable, Samson;
Late ripening: Vita Longa, MO, Queen of Autumn, Chantenay 2461.

The ripening time of vegetables depends on how well they have been cared for. If the care was incorrect or was not there at all, then the earliest varieties ripen late. The size of the vegetables also matters: larger root vegetables are harvested earlier.

Weather conditions

If autumn is rainy and cold, and meteorologists promise early frosts, then cleaning needs to start earlier and finish faster.

Excess moisture leads to the germination of new roots.
Root vegetables become watery and tasteless.
They often crack when cleaning.

If the autumn is warm, dry, and frosts are not expected, then the vegetables can be left in the ground longer.

Growing regions

Climate is the most important factor, affecting the timing of harvesting vegetables.

Siberia. It is difficult to grow beets here. They only have time to ripen before frost early ripening varieties. To get a good harvest, you need to choose beets with a growing season of up to one hundred days and apply the right agrotechnical methods. To increase the ripening period of root crops, use seedling method growing beets.

Special varieties of carrots have been bred for Siberia. They are disease resistant and ripen well in cold climates. This is Dayana, Altai shortened, Nastena-slastena.

In Siberia, beets and carrots are harvested from the garden in late August - early September. Moreover, if the cold starts earlier, then you need to clean up faster, since there are often severe frosts in September.

Ural. The climate in most of the Urals is sharply continental, with cold winters and short hot summers. Early and mid-early varieties of beets and carrots are grown here. Beets with a long growing season do not have time to ripen in cold climates. If beets and carrots were planted in open ground from mid-May, then harvesting can be done at the end of August. If the spring was cold and the root crops were planted in June, then the vegetables are harvested in September.

Moscow region and other regions of central Russia, Volga region. Early and mid-season varieties are suitable for cultivation. Here, the optimal time for harvesting beets and carrots is from late September to early October. First, beets are harvested, after a week - carrots.

Southern regions of Russia. Here, in a warm climate, the crop is harvested twice - in summer and autumn. The cold comes late, and any varieties of vegetables ripen well. Beetroot and carrots can be harvested until the end of October and later.

Preparing for cleaning

In order for beets and carrots to be stored for a long time and to be juicy and tasty, you need to prepare for harvesting in advance.

Root crops have not been fed since mid-summer nitrogen fertilizers, but only potassium and phosphorus.
If there was little rain in the summer, two weeks before harvesting you need to last time Water the beds heavily. After this, there is no need to water them, otherwise the vegetables will become watery and crack.

How to determine when it's time to harvest

The first sign of full ripening of beets and carrots is wilted tops. She says that the growth of vegetables has ended and they can be removed from the garden.

Ripened carrots and beets are favorite prey for rodents. Their increased activity also means that the vegetables are ripe and time to harvest. In the fall, mice stock up on food and begin to intensively gnaw on root vegetables. If you hesitate, you may lose your harvest.

Important rule. Beets are dug up before frost, and carrots after.

Harvesting carrots

When it is warm, carrots are not harvested - they will become tasteless and will not store well. Many vegetable growers believe that carrots acquire their real taste only after they have been touched by light frost. And if you bend the carrot tops to the ground and cover them with lutrasil or ordinary bags, then falling snow will not damage the carrots. Root crops removed from under the snow are stored much better.

Suitable time to harvest carrots:

The first frosts are coming;
At night the ground freezes and thaws during the day;
Snow falls, but the temperature is 0C and above.

Carrots collected from under the snow are not dried, but immediately placed in boxes. The moisture that remains on the vegetables will prevent them from drying out. Carrots have a fairly strong skin and will not rot if there is ventilation. If the carrots were harvested in wet weather or from under the snow, then holes need to be made in the bottoms of the storage boxes.

Beet harvesting

Beets tolerate cold much worse: the tops of the root crops are not covered with soil and suffer greatly from frost. Therefore, it is harvested before frost. However, there is also no need to rush into harvesting: at the end of the ripening period, sugar and other useful substances accumulate in the root crops.

A sign of beet ripening is that tubercles appear on its surface. If the autumn weather outside is warm and there is no rain, then you can wait with harvesting: beets will be preserved better in the ground than in the cellar.

In central Russia, beets are harvested from mid-September to mid-October. You need to be in time before frosts and heavy rains, since frozen and too wet root crops quickly rot. Frost-resistant varieties of beets have appeared on sale, but it is also better to harvest them before snow falls.

How to dig up root vegetables

Experts advise pulling vegetables out of the ground with your hands to avoid damaging them. Damaged root crops will rot and will not survive until winter.

Beet round shape, such as Larka and Bordeaux 237, is easily pulled out. Cylindrical beets and carrots with long fruits are pulled out worse. To remove such root vegetables from the ground, use a fork with flat teeth. It is not recommended to dig up carrots and beets with a shovel - the vegetables can be easily cut.

The tops are immediately removed from harvested beets and carrots. If left, it will pull nutrients from the root crops. The carrot tops are simply “unscrewed” by hand. Sometimes the heads of root vegetables are cut off by half a centimeter so that carrots do not germinate in the spring.

The beet tops are trimmed, leaving stumps one centimeter long. If you leave more, then in the spring the tops will begin to grow and dry out the root crop. To trim the tops, use scissors or pruners.

The harvested vegetables need to be dried a little in the sun. Carrots cannot be left in the sun for a long time, as they quickly begin to wither. You can keep the beets longer. It’s even better to spread the vegetables under a canopy for a day or two. The root vegetables will dry out and their wounds will heal.

Use your hands to shake off clods of earth from dried vegetables. Root vegetables should not be scraped with a knife, beaten against each other or against the ground - this can damage them.

Then the vegetables are sorted. Small and damaged fruits are processed. I place intact carrots and beets of varieties intended for winter storage in cellars and basements.

Methods for storing root vegetables

The harvested crop is stored in a basement or cellar - there optimal temperature and air humidity. Vegetables cannot be left on an unglazed balcony - they will freeze in winter.

If mice get into the cellar in winter, then beets and carrots should be stored on shelves raised above the ground. If there are no rodents in the basement, then vegetables can be left in boxes for the winter. Some vegetable growers sprinkle root vegetables with sand or coat them with clay, but if the temperature in the cellar does not rise above +3C, then this is not necessary.

If the air in the basement is too dry, then carrots and beets can be stored in plastic bags. To prevent vegetables from rotting, sawdust is poured into bags.