Sweet carrots are not the result of luck, but of precise calculation.
Farmers who supply vegetables to Michelin restaurants have revealed the main secret: sugar content depends on the soil temperature at the time of planting.
The magazine "Ogorodnik" conducted an experiment: carrots sown at +5...+8°C contained 30% more fructose than those grown in warm soil.
The whole point is that in the cold, the root crop accumulates starch more slowly, but synthesizes sugars more actively.
This is an evolutionary mechanism for protection against frost.
But how to catch the perfect moment? In the middle zone, this is the end of April – beginning of May, when night frosts are still possible.
Sergey Morozov , owner of an eco-farm in the Moscow region, admitted: "I sow carrots as soon as the snow melts. The harvest is sweet as honey, even the rabbits come running."
For southern regions, the deadline is shifted to February-March.
The key rule: the soil should be moist, but not waterlogged. Over-dried soil causes bitterness due to excess terpenes.
After sowing, cover the bed with spunbond with a density of 30 g/m² - it will retain moisture and protect against temperature changes.
Add sand to the furrows (1 bucket per 3 m²) – this will improve aeration and prevent deformation of root crops.
Summer resident Lyudmila from Rostov-on-Don shared: "Carrots used to be bland. I planted them in March on your advice - now the children eat them instead of candy!"
The main thing is to avoid nitrogen fertilizers after June – they convert sugars into nitrates.
