Tips For Successfully Growing Carrots

Growing carrots:

Carrots are available in hundreds of varieties but there are four groups that are typically the ones used for planting. They are Nantes, Chantenay, Imperator and Danvers.

This is a vegetable that requires more moisture than other vegetables you might plant. When you set out to grow carrots,keep in mind drought is not one of the things they will tolerate. Hot weather for a prolonged period of time will make the carrots have a strong flavor.

How to grow carrot

When you grow carrots they can be directly seeded into the soil in the early part of spring. They should be planted about ¼ inch into the soil and spaced about 18 inches apart at the minimum.

Cover the seeds with compost and keep moist until they start to sprout. Once they sprout you can thin them so the carrots are about 4 inches apart.

Once the carrot plants are well established in the soil, mulches can help to keep the moisture around them and you will not need to weed as often.

They need a consistent amount of water while they are growing. However, as the end of the growing season approaches too much water will damage the roots.

How long does it take for carrots to grow?

Carrots are grown from seeds, which can take up to three weeks to germinate. Once the seedling emerges you are looking at 12 weeks depending on variety and growing conditions.

To get your carrots growing quickly use a loose soil that will drain well. It should be rich and you should check the pH level as this is very important. A level of 5.5 to 7.5 is the best level for growing carrots.

Carrots thrive when they receive a lot of potassium. One of the best ways of providing this is to enrich the soil with wood ashes before planting.

Fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen will cause the plants to grow at the top and the roots will not develop as they should. Using manure and this type of fertilizer is not recommended.

Harvesting Carrots

The best way to begin harvesting the root vegetable is to start picking them once they are about the size of baby carrots. The rows can be thinned as you go.

After this you can pick them as you want. They may even be left in the soil after the top has died. They may be left for a few weeks but this will affect the taste of the carrots.

Carrot Insects and Pests

Carrots have one type of pest that is more common than others. The carrot fly starts as a maggot and they will eat the outside of the carrot. There are others as well such as moles and mice that will eat the roots of the carrot.

And of course, everyone knows rabbits love carrots. Many people use a pest netting to keep rabbits, deer and other wild animals away from the carrots.

Disease is not common to Carrots unless they are being grown in a poor soil or one that does not drain well. If the weather is especially wet this can affect the growth as well.

Other than these instances, growing carrots are hardy and will grow well as long as the soil is kept moist but not saturated.

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