When to plant carrots in spring?

Carrots are vegetables with strong cold resistance. Compared with radishes, they are more adaptable to temperature and are both heat-resistant and cold-resistant. Carrot seeds can start to germinate in an environment of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius, and can emerge at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. The optimal temperature range for germination is 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. Carrots in the seedling stage can withstand short-term low temperatures of -3 to 5 degrees Celsius, and can also withstand high temperatures above 27 degrees Celsius. The optimum temperature for leaf growth is 23 to 25 degrees Celsius, while the ideal temperature for fleshy root expansion is 13 to 20 degrees Celsius. Therefore, taking advantage of the mild climate in spring, planting carrots is a very suitable choice. So when to plant carrots in spring?

When to plant carrots in spring?

The suitable time to plant carrots in spring is when the ground temperature reaches 8-10℃. For the Huanghuai region, it is usually from late February to early March. If planted in protected areas, the sowing time can be earlier, around early February. It is recommended not to delay sowing to avoid the fleshy roots from swelling during the hot season, which will affect the quality and yield of carrots.

How to Plant Carrots in Spring

1. Choose the right seeds

The growing period of carrots planted in spring is slightly shorter than that in autumn, taking about 80 to 85 days. Therefore, early-maturing varieties with a shorter growing period should be selected. At the same time, we must also consider whether the yield and quality of the selected varieties are high, as well as their market acceptance, and give priority to those varieties that are both high-quality and high-yield. At present, commonly used varieties include Hongxin No. 4 and No. 5, Chunhong No. 1 and No. 2, as well as some local traditional varieties.

2. Soil preparation

Carrots prefer deep, loose, fertile, sandy soil. Other types of soil can also produce high-yield, high-quality carrots by improving them. Regardless of the type of soil, winter plowing and spring tillage should be carried out to promote soil maturation. The depth of winter plowing should be 5 to 7 cm deeper than the plow bottom layer to avoid plowing too deep at one time. Apply soil and miscellaneous fertilizers when tilling the land before the New Year, about 5 cubic meters per mu. After the New Year, combine shallow tillage with 1 kg of biological potash fertilizer, 40 kg of cake fertilizer and 45 kg of compound fertilizer . After shallow tillage and fertilization, the soil needs to be raked to retain moisture, ensuring that the upper layer of the soil is loose and the lower layer is compact, creating good conditions for seed germination.

3. Precision sowing

Carrot seeds need moist soil to germinate. In dry years, if the soil moisture is insufficient, irrigation should be carried out 5 to 7 days before sowing to ensure that the soil has enough moisture for the seeds to germinate.

Before sowing, soak the seeds in a 50 mg/L choline chloride aqueous solution for 4 to 6 hours, then dry them and mix them with fine soil before sowing.

Sowing methods include broadcasting and row sowing. When sowing, in order to ensure uniform sowing, sow in two batches. The first time sow two-thirds of the total seeds, and the second time sow the remaining seeds. Then harrow 1 to 2 times until the seeds are no longer visible. The sowing amount per mu is 1.5 to 2 kilograms, which is suitable for small-area planting. Row sowing uses a seeder , which ensures uniform sowing, facilitates subsequent seedling transplanting and management, and is suitable for large-scale planting. If conditions permit, rope seeding technology can be used for row planting, but corresponding mechanical equipment is required.

4. Scientific field management

(1) Thinning and weeding

After all the seedlings have emerged, thinning should be carried out in time to remove overcrowded, inferior and mixed seedlings. Thinning is carried out in three times. The first time is when the seedlings have 1 to 2 true leaves and are 3 cm tall, and the plant spacing is kept at about 3 cm. The second time is when the seedlings are 6 to 10 cm tall, and the plant spacing is kept at about 6 cm. The third time is when the seedlings are 12 to 15 cm tall, and the plant spacing for broadcast sowing is 10 to 12 cm square, for large varieties it is 12 to 15 cm square, and for row sowing it is 12 to 15 cm.

(2) Top dressing and watering

Top dressing can be done twice during the carrot growing period. The first time is after transplanting and watering, apply 10 kg of compound fertilizer per mu; the second time is in the early stage of fleshy root expansion, apply 15 kg per mu. The soil should be kept moist from seedling emergence to the period of fleshy root expansion, and water should be added in time during drought. During the period of vigorous leaf growth, water can be properly controlled to prevent excessive growth that affects the quality of the fleshy roots. However, after the fleshy roots swell, the soil water holding capacity should be maintained at 60-80%.

(3) Preventing fleshy root deformities

In order to prevent carrot roots from cracking and branching, in addition to improving the quality of land preparation and avoiding the application of uncomposted soil and fertilizer, it is important to maintain soil moisture and water evenly to avoid too much or too little water. In addition, in the early stage of fleshy root expansion, use 10 ml of 60% choline chloride plus 30 grams of potassium dihydrogen phosphate, dilute with 30 kg of water and spray on the leaves. Spray twice in a row with an interval of 7 to 10 days.

5. Harvest at the right time

Spring-sown carrots are different from autumn-sown carrots. As the temperature gradually rises, especially in June, harvesting should be completed before mid-June to prevent the quality of the fleshy roots from deteriorating.

In short, when planting carrots in spring, you can sow them in time according to the regional climatic conditions. In addition, field management is also very important.