When should carrots be planted?

Carrots are a widely grown vegetable across the country, and although they can be grown in spring, summer, and fall, fall planting is more common. Carrots planted in autumn not only have higher yields but also better quality. Let’s learn below: When to start sowing carrots?

When should carrots be planted?

From late June to July, many places in the north have entered the carrot planting season. Specifically, the Northeast region generally starts planting carrots in late June to early July, the North China region mostly plants them in mid-to-late July, and the provinces south of the Yangtze River usually sow between August and September. In terms of planting time, the sowing period of carrots is roughly 10 to 15 days earlier than that of radish and cabbage .

How to grow carrots

1. Plot selection

When choosing a plot of land for growing carrots, in addition to ensuring that the environment is pollution-free, you should also choose sandy loam or loam that is fertile, loose, has convenient drainage and irrigation, and has a neutral or slightly acidic pH value. The field for growing carrots needs to be plowed to a depth of 30 cm and raked flat and fine. It is preferred to choose silt loam or sandy loam with high terrain, good drainage, deep soil layer, loose soil and rich organic matter content.

2. Tillage work

The tillage depth should be controlled at 25-30 cm, and it is best to use animal power for deep tillage before winter. Before sowing, till the soil again and apply base fertilizer. The base fertilizer application rate is 3,000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 40-50 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer , 50 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and 25 kg of potassium sulfate per mu, which should be evenly mixed into the soil layer below 6 cm. The bed width is kept at 110-130 cm and the bed height is 30 cm, forming a slight turtle back shape.

3. Weed control management

Thin out the carrots when they have 4-5 leaves, leaving 60 plants per square meter (15 cm row spacing and 11-12 cm plant spacing when sowing in rows). If there are many monocotyledonous weeds in the field, you can use 20 ml of 10.8% grass-capping agent mixed with 20 kg of water for spraying to achieve chemical weed control.

4. Fertilization and irrigation

Remove the covering after the carrots emerge. If there is hot and dry weather, they are prone to water shortage, which will affect the growth of seedlings. Water or irrigate in the early morning or evening to keep the soil moist and maintain 70% of the soil's field water holding capacity. About 20 days later, when the leaves are 7-8, apply 10 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer and 5 kg of potassium sulfate per mu in combination with irrigation.

5. Soil cultivation

In order to ensure that the skin color of exported carrots is uniform and to avoid the "green head" phenomenon, row sowing should be adopted so that the soil can be cultivated during the period when the fleshy roots expand.

6. Harvesting Methods

When the heart leaves of most plants turn yellow-green and the outer leaves turn yellow, it indicates that the carrots have reached physiological maturity and can be harvested manually or mechanically. After harvesting, cut off the green tops, gently scrape off the soil, select carrots that have no forks, cracked roots, no diseases or insect pests, and each carrot weighs more than 70 grams, and pack them in bags for sale.

7. Storage Tips

Carrots are perishable and seasonal, so effective storage methods are needed to maximize their value. Storage methods include ditch storage and cellar storage, and kiln storage is currently the most commonly used method in production. The depth of the cellar should exceed the permafrost layer, generally 2 meters deep and 3 meters wide, with no limit on length. The cellar roof is covered with straw or wood, and then covered with 40 cm thick soil. Pile the bagged carrots into a 1-meter-high pile, seal the cellar entrance, and leave ventilation holes. The temperature in the cellar is maintained at 1-3℃ and the humidity is maintained at 95%. Sales are carried out during the spring thaw.

The above is an introduction to the planting time and methods of carrots. You can choose the sowing time that suits you according to the actual situation. In addition, to ensure carrot yield, field management is also very important.