What to feed beets and carrots with to make them sweet: the secret of gardeners

Garden root vegetables can sometimes disappoint with an unpleasant bitter taste. This indicates mistakes in growing carrots, beets, and other similar crops. However, if you know a few life hacks, you can fix them.

OBOZREVATEL has collected the main tips for growing root crops. Using them, you will get a healthy and extremely tasty harvest.

Avoid manure

When growing root crops, you should avoid organic fertilizers, in particular, manure. It contains a large amount of nitrogen, which can have a bad effect on the taste of carrots or beets. Excessive nitrogen can also deform the fruit and change its color. 

Choose the right site for the garden

Root vegetables like soil with a neutral reaction and plenty of sun. Therefore, acidic soil should be neutralized with lime, and an unshaded part of the garden should be allocated for such crops. Ideally, the soil should not be depleted, so if the garden bed rests for 3-4 years before planting, this will be the best choice. You can also give the place where early crops were grown last year for root crops. Then you can add all the necessary substances to the soil in advance and plant the desired root crops in the spring.

How to fertilize

The best choice for these crops is nitroammophoska. Fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus, and other essential trace elements are also suitable. The substances should be applied during the period when the fruit is growing and gaining shape and weight, usually in July-August. To prepare a solution of the correct concentration, take 30-40 grams of nitroammophoska per 10 liters of water. Pour it over the plants at the root.

How to harvest

It is important not to let root vegetables stay in the ground for too long. If you do, the vegetables will get old, overripe, and their taste will deteriorate. So keep an eye on the condition of the plants and harvest them on time. In this case, they will also be stored better.

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