Carrots are a nutritious food, especially rich in vitamins. They are often present in daily meals and can be flexibly processed into many different attractive dishes. To ensure this food source is always clean, you can completely grow it yourself following the instructions on how to grow carrots below.
1. Preparation steps in growing carrots
To get fresh, nutritious carrots for your meals, in addition to applying the right way to grow carrots and the right techniques, you must prepare each step carefully.
1.1. The right time to plant carrots
Carrots are a plant that grows well in cool climates. Therefore, the North, Central and Da Lat are the most ideal places to grow carrots in our country. Accordingly:
Carrot planting season in the North and Central regions:
- Early crop: sow seeds in June and July and harvest in September and October (according to the lunar calendar)
- Main season: sow seeds in August and September and harvest from November to January of the following year (according to the lunar calendar)
- Late crop: sow seeds in November and harvest in March or April of the following year (according to the lunar calendar).
Carrot growing season in Da Lat: usually there is only one crop with sowing time at the end of the rainy season, i.e. September and October, and harvesting in November and December.
1.2. Prepare the soil
Carrots prefer soils with good aeration, looseness and light mechanical composition. Normally, carrots will be grown on arable land such as field land, light loam soil, sandy soil or riverside alluvial soil.
The soil treatment process before sowing seeds follows these steps:
- Plow and harrow thoroughly to loosen the soil, helping the plant absorb nutrients more easily. Note to till the soil about 1-5cm above the bed surface. Do not make the bed too small to avoid yellowing after watering, and do not make the bed too large to avoid affecting root growth.
- About 2-3 days before sowing, treat the soil by sprinkling Diazan 10H or Regent insecticide to eliminate pathogens in the soil, ensuring a growth environment for the plants.
- Spray the pesticides Tilt super, Validacin or Anvil,… to kill insects that destroy roots and stems such as white grubs, gray caterpillars, cavities and fungi that can rot roots and tubers.
- Clear the field of weeds and trash, then make planting beds according to the following rules: beds 1.0 – 1.2m wide, 30 – 40cm high, trenches 20 – 30cm wide.
2. How to grow carrots with proper technique and high yield
Carrots are easy to grow and their growth ability is also very good. You can choose one of the following two ways to do it.
2.1. Plant carrots properly with seeds
Step 1: Choose seeds
This is an important step that determines the growth and development of the carrot plant later on. When buying seeds at a reputable store, you need to know how to choose large, even, firm seeds that are not flat or worm-infested.
Step 2: Seed treatment
Carrot seeds are characterized by their hard shells and hairs. This feature is a major factor that hinders the germination process of the seeds. Therefore, you need to know how to handle them most effectively.
First, because the seeds let the hard outer hairs fall off. Continue, mix seeds with humus in a 1:1 ratio. Then, water and keep moist for 2-3 days before sowing.
Step 3: Sow seeds
After the seeds have been kept moist and germinated evenly, you can sow 2-3 seeds in each hole. Note that the distance between the holes is 5 – 7cm which is best.
Once you have sown all the seeds, cover them with a thin layer of soil. Be careful not to cover them too thickly as this will cause the seeds to rot and fail to grow into plants. You can then cover them with a layer of chopped straw.
Always make sure the plants are watered every day in the early morning for rapid growth and bountiful harvests.
Step 4: Pruning
After 1 week, you will see the plant begin to grow out of the ground. Wait a few more days for the tree to grow evenly. Then, you choose to prune out the bad, crowded trees so that each hole has only one tree left.
During the pruning process, if the tree bends or breaks, add more soil to the base of the tree to keep it steady.
Step 5: Care while the plant is growing
After 2 months of growth, the plant begins to produce small tubers. At this time, you need to cover the tubers with soil, not leaving them exposed.
After 3 months, the plant has grown well enough and the tuber has grown larger. This is also the time when you prepare to enter the harvest season.
2.2. Planting carrots properly using the root tip
Growing carrots with roots is said to be much simpler than growing with seeds. Accordingly, the steps include:
Step 1: Soak the bulb head
Cut the ends from large, old, pest-free carrots. Note: Cut a piece about 4cm long. Then soak it in a tray of normal water.
Place the water tray in a place with lots of sunlight and pay attention to changing the water every day to limit moss and mold that will affect the plant’s future growth.
Step 2: Plant the tree
After about a week, when the bulbs have begun to take root, you can plant them in the field or garden. Note that only one tree is planted per root with a distance of 5 – 7cm between the roots.
After about 2 months, the plant will produce tubers and at this point you can wait for a sunny day to harvest.
3. Instructions for plant care and harvesting
3.1. Watering the carrot plants
You need to monitor the weather to adjust the amount of water accordingly. On hot, dry days, you can water once a day. If the weather is cool, you can water once every 2-3 days.
The most important thing is that you must always ensure the soil is moist. Especially during the tuber formation stage, at this time, in order to grow with high yield, the plant needs to be provided with enough water.
3.2. Fertilize the tree
Carrots do not require high nitrogen content to grow. Therefore, you only need to fertilize with vermicompost combined with NPK. However, if you plant in large quantities, you should apply the following fertilization formula for 360m2 of land (1 Northern sao):
3.3. Harvest carrots
After about 2.5 months – 3 months, you can harvest carrots. However, the harvest time will sometimes be affected by weather conditions, plant varieties and your care process.
Choose to harvest carrots on a sunny day. Note that when harvesting, only use your hands to pull the roots out of the ground. Then cut off the leaves and leave the stem about 5-10cm long, store the finished product in a cool place.