A Simple Guide On Carrot Cultivation

Carrots, consumed fresh or processed, are mainly grown for the local market, but baby carrots are pre-packed and exported.

Carrots can do well in areas with the following environmental conditions:

Altitude: Greater than 500m above sea level is necessary for production of economic yields.

Soil: Carrots require deep, loose, loamy soils that are well-drained because poor drainage encourages bacterial diseases to attack crops.

Heavy clay soils are likely to produce twisted and malformed roots of low quality. Optimum pH is 6-6.5. No yields may be obtained at pH < 5.2.

Temperature: This is a cool season crop but can tolerate to a certain extent warmer conditions. High soil temperatures encourage production of short roots and may adversely affect germination. Germination best occurs at 25-300C, while vigorous growth and good colour development is best at 15-200C.

Temperatures greater than 250C results in pale yellow carrots that have strong flavour and are coarse textured. Too low temperatures induce bolting.

Weeding is advised to commence two weeks after planting the crop and this is the same period where a farmer is advised to thin the crops in order to provide enough space to grow well.  The second weeding is advised after about five weeks of planting although it may be initiated earlier depending on the emergence of weeds.  The crop do not need much space and therefore ideal for intercropping with a number of crops like lettuce, tomatoes, capsicums, leek among others. The best ideal intercropping symbiotic model is planting them together with leek. When they are intercropped, carrots can drive away worms from leeks while leeks help repel flies from the carrots.

They need frequent rains and in case the rains are unreliable constant irrigation is recommended with the rate of irrigation depending on the type of soil in question.

Rainfall: The crop tolerates a wide range of rainfall but excess may cause a reduction in root colour. Dry conditions cause cracking and branching of roots (as they search for water).

Diseases: Watch out for wireworms and flea beetles. Diseases to look out for include aster yellow, which discolours carrot tops and is spread by pests.

Harvesting: The crop matures after about three months. When ready, they will be about an inch in diameter. It is advisable to begin harvesting when the roots are soft and juicy and if a farmer takes long to harvest, the resultant crops are of less quality because they crack.  The crop is pulled from the soil manually with the hand or using a spade. Trim the tops completely to avoid storage rots and mature carrots that pests and disease free can be stored for 100-150 days when the leaves are completely removed.

Storage: To keep freshly harvested carrots, cut off the tops, wash to remove the dirt under running water, dry and seal in airtight plastic bags, and refrigerate.