How to Grow Carrots

Carrots, scientific name Daucus carota are biennial plants belonging to the family Umbelliferae. They are mainly grown for their dark-colored root vegetable produced in the first growing season. In the second growing season, they bloom with a spreading, umbrella-like inflorescence, which is a characteristic feature of the family. Carrots are a rich source of carotene, sugar, calcium and fiber. They can be consumed in both raw and cooked form, since raw carrots are more preferable. Commercially, many species of carrots varying in shape and color are grown all over the world. Some of the commonly planted carrot varieties are chantenay, baby, small and round, danvers, imperator and nantes.

How to Grow Carrots

Though carrots can tolerate warm summer climates, they are best grown in cooler conditions. Depending upon the climatic conditions of your area, you can opt for a hardy variety of carrots. Majority of them are resistant to slight frost, hence serving as an ideal crop plant to start in early spring. Carrots can be grown in the gardens as well as in the containers. For both the plantation types, correct soil preparation is necessary, as soil condition affects the shape and flavor of carrots.

Soil Preparation
If you are planning to grow carrots in the garden, you can prepare the soil bed during early spring, as soon as heavy frost is over. While selecting the site for carrot plantation, choose an area that receives the maximum sunlight. Once you decide the plantation site, plough the soil to at least 12 inch depth. Check the acidity of the soil to ensure that it is not highly acidic. The soil below 5.8 pH may affect the root formation.

Another important factor for growing carrots is the nitrogen content of the soil. If possible, measure the nitrogen level by using a soil tester. A regular monitoring of nitrogen is advisable, as high nitrogen level often induces the formation of multiple roots. For harvesting better shaped carrots, you can remove stones and chunks from the soil. Farmyard compost can be used in the soil for enriching the plant nutrients.

Carrot Plantation and After Care
After the soil is loosened and supplemented with compost, sow carrot seeds of your desired variety at the depth of ¼ inch, leaving a space of about 14-18 inch in between two rows. For the rapid germination, you can soak the carrot seeds for about six hours before sowing. Depending upon the growing conditions, carrot seeds may germinate within 10-14 days.

When the seedlings are about an inch height, you can thin them by creating a space of 3-4 inch between the two consecutive seedlings. While removing the crowded seedlings, make sure that you gently pull off the roots, so that the neighboring plants are not disturbed. Water the young plants by sprinkling, so as to avoid waterlogging. At this stage, you can lightly supplement the soil with the organic fertilizers. If the temperature is very high, the young seedlings should be protected by providing partial shade conditions. Within the first few weeks, it is necessary to control weeds by cultivating with a garden knife. An effective method of controlling weeds is to mulch the soil.

Harvesting
Based on the carrot variety, the roots become fleshy and mature with 2-3 months. An easy indicator of mature roots is their diameter and deep orange color. You can harvest the carrots when the diameter reaches about ½ an inch or depending upon the expected size of the variety. Carefully dig the soil around the fleshy roots to remove them without causing the damage. After harvesting, you can cut off the top vegetation and store the carrots in the refrigerator. Under the optimum storage conditions, carrots can be preserved for about 5-6 months.