How Can I Organically Grow Carrots? Do you enjoy carrots and want to grow them organically? In this article, we’ll show you how to grow, plant, sow, and harvest beautiful organic carrots in your garden, among other things. Carrots thrive in soil that is fine and uniform in texture, with no pebbles or hard lumps. They grow best in light, sandy soil. Before sowing, the soil must be thoroughly prepared. Dig the soil, scoop up all the pebbles, and remove any lingering weeds. Depending on the variety, carrots can develop long spindly roots, so the soil must allow the roots to grow straight down. If you don’t prepare it correctly, you’ll end up with branched or otherwise distorted carrots.
How Can I Organically Grow Carrots?
Organic carrot care and Planting:
Plant short or medium-length varieties in tall beds to avoid the problem. Chop the soil with the back of the rake and make long furrows 4 inches (10 cm) deep and 12 to 16 inches (30-40 cm) wide. Carrot seeds, preferably sawn, should be sown in the furrows because the seeds are very small. Drip irrigation is also recommended for effective watering because the furrow beds dry quickly.
Carrot Forms
Carrots with short, almost round roots for cultivation on the smallest particles of land are available, as are carrots with long, pointed roots. Short-root carrots are harvested in the early spring. They are gentler than the others but less productive. Medium-length “early” carrots are harvested in the summer or fall. Late medium-long and long carrots are harvested in the fall.
Weeding Techniques
Carrots take a long time to germinate, so weeds can quickly take over the flowerbed. Carrots are thus accompanied by the voice of a “messy” vegetable culture. Weeds are difficult to remove without damaging carrot roots. False sowing is the solution to this problem. Prepare the soil as if you were going to sow carrot seeds in it, but don’t. Wait for rain and weeds to appear. Rake the young weeds with rakes as soon as the soil is dry. Repeat the process a few days later, when the soil is dry, and then truly “sow” the carrot seeds.
Prior to Germination
Allow the carrot seeds to soak in warm water overnight. If you have a mung bean germ pot, germinate carrot seeds in it for 48 hours before sowing them. Do not allow them to dry. “You will have a rare harvest if you sow the seeds thickly.” This is especially true for carrots, whose tiny seeds are difficult to evenly sow in the furrow. The ideal seed spacing is 2 inches (5 cm), but you must sow more to compensate for those that do not germinate. Hold the seed packet high above a 3-inch (8 cm) wide furrow for rare sowing. Move slowly down the furrow and slam the seed packet with your fingers to release it.
In windy weather, avoid sowing because the seeds will scatter throughout the garden. To avoid overdoing it, combine the required amount of seed with dry-ground coffee. This larger and more visible mixture is easier to spread on the soil than fine seeds, and coffee is said to protect the crop from carrot flies and other insects. Alternatively, to ensure even sowing, mix the seed with sand. You must thin out the shoots to give the plants enough room.
An Unpleasant Odour:
Applying a strong odour to the ground, such as carbon black or seaweed powder, repels the carrot fly.
Combine carrot and radish seeds.
Combine the carrot seeds and radish. Because radishes sprout faster than carrots, they will mark the rows, making it easier to see where to dig. You’ll pick the radishes before the carrots take up all the room. Carrots pair well with aromatic herbs such as coriander, dill, and rosemary. These species will provide her with some protection against carrot flies.
Carrot Fly Defence
Carrot flies, whose larvae cause significant damage to carrot roots by drilling them, find their host plant while flying above the soil surface. Raise a fine mesh barrier or agro textile attached to the frame about two or three rows around the crop to protect it. The frame should be taller than the plants and should be held together with sticks. Remove and destroy infected plants as soon as possible. Carrot flies lay eggs in late May, so plant between mid-June and early July to avoid infection.
Exact Weed Removal:
Removing weeds from a row of carrots is a delicate task. Knitting needles are the best way to knit.
Twisted Roots
Carrots are capable of deception. They have big necks that promise a lot above ground, but when it comes time to get them out of the ground, you get an unpleasant surprise – the root has stopped growing after only a few inches and is replaced by new spindle roots – forked. The issue is in the soil. The forked crop is caused by a deeper, compact soil layer (as a result of yearly tillage to equal depth), poor structure soil with hard lumps, or the presence of insufficiently degraded fertiliser. Insects and other parasites that cause disease can also cause it. Dig the earth deeper and more thoroughly the following year.
Thinning carrots
Thin out the shoots after they have two or three straight leaves (except cotyledon). Every 2 inches, leave one plant (5 cm). Sow weeds while thinning carrots to save time and energy. Rabbits can be chased away by pointing down the matches near each carrot with its head down.
Harvesting Carrots
If you rip a carrot while holding it by the leaves, you’ll end up with leaves in your hand and roots in the soil.
Before carving, gently push the carrot into the soil to widen the hole, break the small roots that connect the main root to the soil, and easily tear the plant out.
The Significance of Drying
After you have plucked or removed the carrots, leave them on the ground for a day or two to ensure they are well-maintained. This process, known as “drying,” tightens the skin and is critical before storing carrots in the trap or cold cellar for the winter. After you’ve removed the carrots, cut the leaves just above the neck, where they connect to the root.
Carrots stored in the soil
The best way to store late carrots is to leave them in the soil over the winter. Frost can harm them if the temperature falls below 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 degrees Celsius). A 2-inch (5 cm) thick layer of wilted leaves or straw adhered to agro textiles will provide some protection.
Utilization of wooden crates
Using a coarse cloth, cover a wooden fruit crate. Remove the soil from the carrots while being careful not to damage the roots, but do not wash them. Stack the carrots in a box on top of a thick layer of insulating material, such as compost, sand, sawdust, or leaf humus. Finally, wrap them in an insulating material. Keep the crate somewhere where the temperature stays between 32°F (0o) and 39°F (4oC).
