Carrot is a winter season crop and if grown at 15°C to 20°C will develop a very good colour. Carrot crop needs deep loose loamy soil and pH should be ranging from 6.0 to 7.0 for higher production. You can easily grow this healthy vegetable in your kitchen garden, all you need is a little guidance as to when and how to grow it.
Carrot Cultivation
Growing Season
Hills: In hilly areas at elevation above 1500 metres, under assured irrigation carrot can be grown throughout the year but at elevations between 1000 – 1500 metres, Carrot can be grown between July – February.
Plains: In plains carrot is grown in the month of August.
Seed rate
Seed rate is : 4 kg/ha
Spacing
Rows are marked with spacing of 25 – 30 cm apart. Sow the seeds mixed with sand and it should be one part of seed with 4 parts of sand.
Thinning
Hills: Between plants it should be 10cm
Plains: Between plants it should be 5cm
Preparation of field
Hills: The field should be prepared to a fine tilth and form raised beds of 15 cm height, one metre breadth and convenient length.
Plains: Two ploughings are given and ridges and furrows are made at 30 cm spacing.
Carrot Seed treatment
Seed treatment with cow pat, pit at rate of 3 g in 1 litre of water for 24 hours.
Seed treatment with 5% Trichoderma viride.
Before transplanting, seedling root dip with 5% Pseudomonas fluorescens.
Irrigation
Once in five days, irrigation should be given. During drought period, to prevent excessive water loss during sunny days and to improve germination of the seeds. It should be kept in mind that after giving irrigation in the evening, beds should be covered with wet gunny bags.
Application of fertilizers
- Green manuring with lupin, 60 days before planting.
- Sprinkling horn manure to the soil at the time of land preparation at 75g/ha by dissolving it in 40 litres of water.
- Application of well decomposed farm yard manure at 50 t/ha at the time of land preparation.
- Application of biodynamic compost at 5 t/ha at the time of land preparation.
- Application of vermicompost at 5 t/ha at the time of land preparation.
- Application of neem cake at 1250 kg/ha at the time of land preparation.
- Application of biofertilizers, Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria at 25 kg each/ha at the time of land preparation.
- Spraying cow pat pit at 5 kg/ha in 100 litres of water on 45th, 60th and 75th day after planting.
Weeding
First weeding should be done on 15th day. Thinning and earthing up is to be given on 30th day.
Growth regulators
- Foliar spraying of panchagavya at 3 per cent at 10 days interval from 1st month after sowing.
- Spraying 10% vermiwash 5 times at 15 days interval from one month after sowing.
- Foliar spray of horn silica at 2.5 g/ha in 50 litres of water on 65th day after sowing to increase the yield and quality of the carrot roots.
Carrot Plant protection
Pests control: Carrot is not much affected by pests.
Root knot nematode
- Application of neem cake at 1 ton/ha at the time of sowing to control root knot nematode, Meloidogyne spp.
- Growing carrot once in 3 years by following crop rotation.
- Growing marigold once in 2 years.
- Aplication of Paecilomyces lilacinus at 10 kg/ha before sowing seeds.
Diseases
- Foliar spray of 5% Manchurian tea filtrates 3 times at one-month interval from one month after sowing/planting.
- Foliar spray of 3% Dasagavya at 10 days interval from 1st month after planting.
Carrot Yield
Its yield is about 25 – 30 t/ha in 100 to 120 days.
