The progenitor of modern carrots was precisely purple. And it remained so until the 16th century. Growing this unusual carrot is no different from cultivating the usual orange. In addition, modern varieties and hybrids are highly resistant to various diseases.
General characteristics of purple carrots
Purple carrots belong to the Umbrella family, a subspecies of Daucus carota ubsp. sativus. This is a biennial herb. In the first year there is an increase in green mass.
The vegetable is characterized by low productivity, good germination, resistance to diseases and pests. Since the century before last, purple carrots have been considered an excellent cure for a number of diseases.
Appearance of the bush and fruits
In appearance, the plants do not differ from the classic orange carrots. The plant has a similar appearance with other members of the Umbrella family.
The purple vegetable has a strong root vegetable and feathery leaves. The color of the fruit is of a different violet hue depending on the species. Their length is 20-30 cm.
Short fruits ripen faster than long ones. Also, the development of root crops is affected by the depth of the soil.
Composition
The composition of the vegetable is rich in minerals. 100 g contains:
- magnesium - 38 mg;
- chlorine - 63 mg;
- calcium - 27 mg;
- sodium - 21 mg;
- sulfur - 6 mg;
- potassium - 200 mg;
- phosphorus - 55 mg;
- vanadium - 99 mcg;
- molybdenum - 20 mcg;
- nickel - 6 mcg;
- copper - 80 mcg;
- fluorine - 55 mcg;
- lithium - 6 mcg.
Properties
Recent studies have shown that the chemical composition of an unusual vegetable is much richer than that of ordinary carrots, as it has an ideal balance of vitamins and minerals. Due to this, purple carrots, with its constant use, strengthens the immune system, as well as the cardiovascular system. In addition, it is beneficial for the eyes due to the high concentration of anthocyanins.
The root crop contains in an easily assimilated form calcium and other substances useful for hair, nails and skin, therefore it is best to combine the use of purple carrots for food and use in home cosmetic procedures.
Pros and cons
Advantages purple carrots:
- Easy to grow.
- Long shelf life.
- The demand and use of the vegetable.
Disadvantages:
- When it is cleaned, it stains in purple tones everything with which it comes in contact - hands, clothes, dishes, other vegetables.
- When cooking, gives color to water, becomes brown and unattractive. Therefore, it is consumed mainly in raw form for food.
Popular varieties of purple carrots
There are several popular varieties of carrots:
How to grow purple carrots?
To get a good harvest, it is important to pay attention to the planting, care and processing of carrots from diseases and pests.
Preparation for landing
To seed sprouted faster, you can resort to the following methods:
- Soak. Take fabric bags, pour seeds into them and put them in warm water for a day, which needs to be changed regularly. It is also possible to soak in water mixed with wood ash. Sometimes, in parallel with soaking, the incandescent method is used.
- Heat treatment. Take the bags, sprinkle the seeds and lower them alternately in hot water for 20 minutes, then in cold water for 2 minutes.
- Bubbling. The essence of the method is that the seeds must be soaked in water saturated with oxygen or air. This should be done in a container that is made of non-oxidizing material.
- Instillation of seeds. Dig the seeds in the bags to a shallow depth for 10-12 days. This method provides seed germination already 4-5 days after sowing.
Also, the seeds can be mixed with wet peat and hidden in a warm place for 7 days - there they begin to germinate, after which they can be used for sowing. Sow seeds in the open ground in early spring, immediately after the snow melts.
Landing Features
If the land on the site is light, then the seeds must be buried in it by 20-30 mm, if the soil is heavy, the depth of incorporation should be reduced to 15-20 mm. The row spacing is about 20 centimeters. Between the seeds in a row, a distance of 30 to 40 mm should be observed.
So that the crops are not dense, gardeners often resort to the following trick: toilet paper needs to be cut into thin strips, apply droplets of paste (from flour or starch) to them at intervals of 30-40 mm, and then spread the seeds into them. After the paste has dried, the paper needs to be folded in half over the entire length and wound into a roll.
During sowing, paper with seeds unfolds and fits into grooves, which must first be well moistened. When the seeds are planted in the soil, the surface of the bed should be covered with a three-centimeter layer of mulch. This will prevent the appearance of a crust on it, which makes it difficult for seedlings to germinate.
There is another method of sowing this crop. To do this, toilet paper or a paper towel is cut into small squares, while a drop of paste is needed on each. They lay 1 or 2 seeds and 1 granule of complex mineral fertilizers. Squares must be collapsed to make balls. When they dry, they are stored for storage before sowing. During sowing, these balls are placed in the groove with a distance of 30-40 mm.
Care Rules
The essence of caring for purple carrots is in loosening the soil, applying fertilizers, thinning seedlings.
The first thinning is carried out when 1-2 leaves appear on the bush. Large plants are left at a distance of 2 cm from each other. When two pairs of leaves appear, the procedure is repeated, doubling the distance between adjacent plants.
In summer, seedlings are watered, loosen the crust, thin out thickly growing specimens. If necessary, make mineral fertilizers. In order for carrots to grow sweet and beautiful, regular soil cultivation should be carried out. The first weeding may be required before the seed germinates.
The proximity of weeds has a detrimental effect on the development of carrots, so they must be eliminated immediately after emergence.
Within 3-4 months after planting, the culture is watered 3-4 times a week (4 liters of water per square meter). Then a single volume of liquid is increased, and the number of irrigation is reduced. Now it is enough to carry out the procedure once in 7 days.
Gardeners recommend not to abuse fertilizers. It is enough to carry out only 2 top dressings (Kristalon, Rastvorin, Ammofos showed themselves well in practice). Monthly, you can make liquid fertilizers from nettles, manure or compost.
Most varieties of purple carrots need frequent loosening of the soil, starting with the appearance of the first sprouts. It is better to do this immediately after the rain and with great care. This event can be combined with regular weeding necessary for this vegetable (especially in the first months). Weeding is carried out manually so as not to accidentally damage cultivated plants.
When carrots grow by 10-15 cm, you can begin to mulch. It is more convenient to do this after weeding and thinning, using finely chopped grass as mulch. After 2-3 weeks, repeat the mulching.
Mulching is not necessary, but it can significantly reduce problems with weeds and improve the quality of root crops.
Ripe carrots should be removed as quickly as possible. This will have a beneficial effect on the development of root crops remaining in the garden.
Diseases and Pests
For this culture, the most dangerous are the following diseases:
- Bacteriosis. Its distribution occurs along with plant debris and seed.
- Fomoz damages the stems of the testes, as well as their inflorescences. Brown spots appear at the top of the root crop, and over time, the entire root crop is affected. Before sowing, seed should be treated with Tigam solution.
- Septoria Small chlorotic spots appear on the foliage of a diseased bush. As the disease develops, they turn brown. In order to prevent seeds, the seed is heated in hot water, and then immediately cooled.
- Black rot. Rotten areas of coal-black color appear on the affected area of the root crop. Treated with Tigam solution.
- Red rot. First, purple or brown spots appear on the roots, and then they disappear, and black sclerotia forms in their place. The reason for the development of this disease is the introduction of manure into the soil.
- Gray rot. Its symptoms are manifested in almost all vegetable crops. This happens during storage of vegetables.
Also harm purple carrots can:
- Slug. They can be collected manually, but pest control is better with traps.
- Winter scoops injure the aerial parts of the bush. and also damage shoots and roots, gnawing them.
- Carrot flies. Active at night. As soon as a few young leaves appear in carrots, they immediately lay their eggs.
- Wireworms - larvae of the dark nutcracker. These are beetles that lay eggs on a crop.
Possible errors and difficulties
Errors and problems when growing:
- poorly aligned and cleaned landing surface;
- inaccurate watering leads to rot and fungal diseases;
- lack of space for food (too dense landing);
- lack of regular hilling - as a result, carrots become bitter, quickly fade in the sun and acquire a green tint;
- fertilizing before planting leads to the appearance of curved root crops of a small size (it is better to plant carrots in place of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, which were well fertilized last year);
- abuse of nitrogen fertilizers.
The difficulty lies in the fact that the seeds of purple carrots in stores and in the market can not be bought - they can be found and ordered only on the Internet. In addition, purple carrots love comfort and proper care for it, the exact observance of the rules of collection and storage.
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting purple carrots consists of several stages. In July, early ripening varieties of this plant are harvested. Root crops of medium-term varieties are dug up in August. And harvesting of late-ripening varieties, which can be stored for a long time, is carried out in the second half of September.
Harvesting is done on a sunny, dry and warm day. The fruits are dug up, dried, cleaned of lumps of earth.
Harvest can be removed in storage. To store such a vegetable, a cellar or basement is ideal. Carrots are placed in boxes made of plastic or wood, while it should be sprinkled with dry sand so that the root crops do not touch each other. Sand is replaced with moss if desired.
There is another method for storing carrots, which is to glaze carrots with clay. Clay is mixed with water to a creamy consistency, after which the root crops are immersed in this “talker” one by one and laid out on a wire rack to dry. Dry vegetables are laid for winter storage. Until the next season, purple carrots do not lose their unique properties.
Cooking Application
Purple carrots can be used in cooking, as well as its orange version, that is, the vegetable can be stewed, fried, cooked, as well as baked and steamed. They also make marinades.
Dishes from purple carrots are not only tasty and healthy, they are easily digested. Carrots go well with almost all products, especially cereals, other vegetables and meat. It is also useful to eat raw carrots, without heat treatment.
Due to the unusual color, this root crop is often used to decorate various dishes.
Purple carrots for weight loss
It contains few calories. You can eat it raw or steamed. Carrots are very satisfying and contain a lot of fiber. This vegetable helps digestion. It not only lowers blood sugar, but also helps the body absorb nutrients better.
The inclusion of the purple carrot in the diet reduces the amount of bad cholesterol and improves metabolic processes, which contributes to weight loss.
Reviews
Michael, 43 years old. I bought the seeds of the Purple Dragon. Germination is excellent. Carrots hardly watered, as my site is located near the reservoir. It grows well and without watering. All fruits are smooth, long, less than 25 cm there was not a single one. By the way, the purple Dragon is a variety, not a hybrid, so I collected the seeds and already checked for germination. Of the 50 grains, 42 hatch even without a stimulant. I will sow again.
Danila, 36 years old. We brought a purple carrot from Turkey. Very sweet, juicy. Sprouted in the cellar, in a box of sand. I will collect seeds this year and try. It seems like Purple. She's all purple, and the flesh inside too.
Alina, 42 years old. I bought the seeds of an unusual carrot. First I was upset, which is not enough, but to my surprise, they rose almost 100%. I looked after a purple vegetable in the same way as any other carrot. Productivity pleased me. Next year I plan to plant this carrot again.
Anatoly, Voronezh
I bought dark purple in Okey, 99r per kg. There are sprouts, I will plant the tops on the seeds. there is absolutely no variety in food. You need to plant both purple and orange and yellow, everywhere your pigments are great for nutrition.
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Purple carrots are a vegetable rich in vitamins and minerals. Its use has a positive effect on the human body. So purple carrots are not genetically modified products at all, but real natural ones, which have many useful and necessary qualities for humans.