Features of growing and caring for root parsley in open ground

Root parsley is a constant inhabitant of vegetable gardens. This culture is cold-resistant and unpretentious. With a little care, a summer resident can provide himself with aromatic root vegetables for the winter.

The root spice improves the taste of soups and salads. Independent dishes are prepared from it. Seasonings for first courses based on root parsley are popular among gardeners.It is impossible to imagine a kitchen without the use of this aromatic plant.

The advantages of the root spice are long and varied storage. It can be frozen, salted, or stored in the basement. The spicy root will retain its taste and consumer properties.

Features of growing root parsley

Growing leaf parsley gardeners can also cope with the root. But it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of culture:

• The root crop prefers loose, breathable soils;
• to obtain even underground fruits, agricultural techniques should be followed (watering, fertilizing, loosening);
• the root seasoning is cultivated in a garden bed, in a greenhouse, or on a windowsill (for forcing greens in winter).

Seed producers offer enough planting material. The following varieties of aromatic root vegetables are popular among gardeners:

• Productive (root length up to 20 cm, demonstrates resistance to diseases and pests);
• Alba (grows up to 290 g, has no fine hairs on the main root, is perfectly stored);
• Final (the root (underground) part grows up to 200 g, the fruits are leveled, the delicate taste is revealed in preservation);
• Sugar (valued for the early ripening of the root part, grows up to 60 g, grayish-white color, sweet taste).
• Eagle (Dutch variety, root crops are aligned, grows up to 140 g, valued for high yield and universal use of roots).

When purchasing seeds, gardeners evaluate ripening time, root yield, taste and use options.

Landing dates

Root parsley is a cold-resistant plant. It is permissible to plant in open ground as soon as the soil warms up to 4 degrees Celsius. This usually happens immediately after the soil thaws. It's important not to miss planting time: parsley requires a lot of moisture for germination.Seeds will not germinate in dry soil.

There is a lot of work in the garden in spring. You can sow a cold-resistant crop before winter. The seeds of the root spice will sprout well once the weather is suitable.

For planting, you should choose the time 2-2.5 weeks before the onset of persistent cold weather. The seeds need time to swell. But they should not have time to germinate. Sowing is carried out only with dry seeds. With this method of planting material, it is recommended to take 30% more.

Choosing a landing site

To obtain the desired harvest of roots, you need to choose the right place for the ridge:

1. Root parsley prefers loose (moisture-permeable and breathable) soils. Sandy loam, sod-podzolic and light loamy soils are ideal.
2. The place should be well lit by the sun. In shaded areas, the roots grow small.
3. The ridge should not be flooded: parsley rots easily.
4. Plantings must be protected from cold northern winds and drafts. It is a good idea to plant root crops on the south side of buildings.
5. Pay special attention to predecessors. The root crop gives an excellent harvest after zucchini, pumpkin, and cucumbers. It is not advisable to plant after umbelliferous plants (carrots, parsley, celery).

Please remember: the seat needs to be prepared in advance. When planting a root crop in spring-autumn, when sowing before winter - a month in advance.

Sugar root parsley: growing in open ground

Sugar is the most popular variety of root spice among gardeners. It is loved for its early ripening, productivity and special (sweet taste). When growing in open ground, the following conditions must be observed:

1. Before planting, it is forbidden to add compost or humus: the roots will become coarse and lose marketability.
2. The soil should be filled with a mineral complex according to the manufacturer's instructions.
3. Fertilizers should be applied when digging (on the bayonet of a shovel). At the same time, clear the ridge of weeds: they inhibit the root spice.
4. Mark the rows at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Make grooves 2 cm deep.
5. When planting in spring, it is recommended to water them with a warm solution of potassium humate.
6. Plant the seeds at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Place 3 seeds per hole (to avoid empty spaces).
7. Sprinkle with soil and tamp down.
8. To preserve moisture (during spring planting), cover the ridge with lutrasil.
9. Parsley takes a long time to germinate. Plantings should be regularly moistened using non-woven material.

After germination, one strong plant should be left. The rest need to be weeded out.

Growing root parsley at home

Some gardeners use root parsley to force greens at home in winter. In this case it is necessary to observe:

1. Temperature conditions. Before emergence, 4-10 degrees Celsius, then 15-20.
2. Humidity. The soil must be moistened regularly. But it is not recommended to overwater the plant: the root seasoning easily rots.
3. Illumination. In indoor conditions, root parsley needs to be illuminated for up to 16-18 hours.
4. Feeding. Fertilizers are applied during planting. If the plants are depressed, they are fed with a mineral complex after cutting.

When forcing greenery from the roots, there is a possibility of a flower arrow appearing.

Sugar root parsley: growing in a greenhouse

Many gardeners try grow parsley in a greenhouse or greenhouse. This requires free space. The advantage of Sugar is its early ripening. When sowing in winter, the crop is harvested before the main greenhouse crops are placed.

Usually Sugar is planted in an unheated greenhouse when radiation increases: at the end of January. When a sudden cold snap occurs, it is recommended to cover the plantings with thick lutrasil (60 g/square meter).

Features of care

Parsley is an unpretentious plant. But the gardener will have to provide simple care for the root spice.

Watering rules

The aromatic root tolerates short-term drought. But the taste of the root crop deteriorates. The ridge should be moistened after the top layer has dried.

It is recommended to use warm water for irrigation. To do this, it is poured into containers in advance. Parsley should be watered in the morning or evening. During long periods of rainy weather, the ridges should be covered with film.

Top dressing

Before planting root spice seeds, a complex of mineral fertilizers is added to the soil. After the emergence of seedlings, it is recommended to feed them once with nitrogen fertilizer. To do this, prepare an infusion of fermented herbs:

• fill the container with weeds without roots;
• to fill with water;
• close the lid and place in the sun;
• after the start of fermentation, dilute the infusion with water in a ratio of 1:8 and use it to feed parsley.

After the tops grow 10-15 cm, mineral fertilizers should be applied. It is more convenient to use soluble ones. Further feeding does not make sense: parsley will look for nutrients in the upper layers of the soil. Does not form beautiful, even roots.

Possible diseases and pests of root parsley

Parsley is susceptible to some diseases:

• peronosporosis (leaves are affected by spots, then the tops dry out);
• white rot (roots become sick, they soften and disappear);
• white spotting (spots form on the ground parts, then the tissues soften and rot);
• rust (the tops turn red and dry out).

Diseases arise due to violations of the rules of care. If agricultural practices are followed, gardeners receive a harvest of healthy, tasty roots.

Pests

Causes the greatest damage to plantings carrot psyllid. She lays eggs at the base of the root. The hatched larvae damage the plant.

For protection, it is recommended to dust the plantings with a mixture of ash and tobacco dust. It is useful to cover the beds with lutrasil with a density of 17 g/square meter during insect summer.

The second pest is aphids. It is being planted by ants. To combat, you should destroy anthills (in April) and wash off the aphids with a solution of green or tar soap.

To prevent carrot flies, plantings are sprayed with water with the addition of kerosene (a tablespoon per 1 liter). But with this method, the roots have an unpleasant smell and taste. Experienced gardeners get rid of the pest by planting onions and garlic next to parsley.

Harvest and storage

The time to dig up parsley roots comes in early autumn. They are carefully lifted with a pitchfork. This tool causes the least damage to root crops.

The dug up plants are shaken off the ground and dried in the sun for 2 hours. This procedure destroys harmful bacteria.

Then the tops are cut off. If you plan to force greens from the root part in winter, leave a stump of 1-2 cm. When storing, cut off the growing point along with part of the root crop. This will keep the parsley juicy.

In the refrigerator, the roots are stored in a perforated plastic bag. Some gardeners cover the root crop with wet sand and lower it into the cellar.

Harvest parsley retains its taste and nutrients when frozen. The roots should be washed, chopped and placed in a container or bag.The root herb tastes great in the freezer, making the roots ready to use throughout the year.