Carrots are easy to grow and produce a healthy yield. They are also resistant to a number of pests and diseases.
Plant carrots in loose, sandy soil that is well-drained and free of rocks or clumps. It should have a pH range of between 6.0 and 6.8.
Soil Preparation
Carrots require good soil that is rock-free and well-aerated. In clay-like soils, mix in a heavy addition of organic material (manure, compost, rotted leaves) to make it looser.
The right pH is important for carrots to thrive, and it is recommended that you do a soil test prior to planting to ensure the soil is at a healthy pH level of around 6.4. If the soil is too acid, add a small amount of lime to adjust it to the proper pH level.
Ideally, you should amend your soil with a combination of manure and other organic matter before planting your carrots in the spring. This will provide the necessary nutrients, improve soil drainage and help to aerate the soil.
Water your carrots regularly, ensuring that the soil is consistently damp throughout the growing season. This will prevent moisture fluctuations from triggering forking and cracking of roots, which can negatively affect plant growth.
Seed Sowing
Carrots grow well in a variety of soils, but they like loose, sandy soil that isn’t rocky or heavy. It’s a good idea to amend your garden soil with compost or worm castings before planting carrot seeds.
Seeds should be sown at the correct depth. Too deep and the seed won’t germinate. Also, they should not be sown at the top of the soil where wind and animals can blow them away.
A nifty trick to help with this is using seed tapes. These are like long lengths of toilet paper, but they hold the seeds in place while you plant them.
Sow seeds in trays, modules or small pots filled with peat-free seed compost or sieved multi-purpose compost. Fill the trays or modules just below the rim, and press down gently to firm. For smaller seeds, scatter them thinly on the surface of the compost. For larger seeds, press them into the potting mix at the spacing recommended on your seed packet.
Seedling Care
Seedling care is crucial to ensure you get a healthy, strong crop. Seedlings require a consistently moist soil to germinate and grow. Water the bed deeply before sowing and water with a fine mist twice a day after planting to keep the soil evenly moist.
Carrots need a loose, well-drained soil that contains plenty of organic matter and is rich in a complete fertilizer. Incorporate plenty of worm castings, compost, or manure into the soil before planting.
Once seeds sprout, they need to be kept consistently moist until they establish several true leaves. When the carrots are established, you can reduce watering to about an inch a week to avoid stressing the taproots.
Seedling care is also important to prevent common problems with seedlings, including damping off. This is caused by moisture being held in too small a space, which can make it difficult for new seeds to penetrate the soil surface and sprout.
Harvesting
Carrots require consistent moisture and a well-cultivated soil to produce the best-tasting carrots. They can be watered by hand with a hose or by drip irrigation, but a mulch layer will also help to conserve water and prevent evaporation.
Plant seeds in a well-prepared garden bed as soon as the ground can be worked. Loosen the soil with a digging fork, enrich it with mature compost, and add a balanced organic slow-release fertilizer before sowing.
Keep the bed free of weeds and rake out rocks or clumps to encourage straight, uniform carrots. Use a row cover to prevent flea beetles from infesting your crop.
When the seedlings are about an inch tall, thin them out by snipping with scissors. This will keep the growing carrots from crowding out the neighboring roots. If your crop gets crowded, the carrots will likely become forked or malformed.