Guide to Planting Carrots
On this week’s episode, Travis is explaining how to grow maximum yields of carrots in the vegetable garden. For about three years, Travis has tried a particular technique when growing carrots that has done extremely well. The guide to planting carrots is finding the perfect time to plant them in the garden. When it comes to germinating carrots they prefer soil temperatures to be around 75 to 80 degrees which means carrots cannot be grown during the hotter months. Travis suggests planting carrots in the fall towards the end of October when temperatures are cooler which lets us overwinter and harvest them in the spring. Also, we can succession plant carrots in the spring around February to harvest before the warm weather comes towards May. Unlike other crops, carrots take a long time to germinate, so if you experience heavy weed pressures that can be a major problem when growing carrots. When it comes to heavy weeds in the garden this creates major issues because weeds will compete with carrots for nutrients in the soil. To help prepare the garden for planting, Travis likes to take his Single Wheel Hoe to cultivate the area about twice a week for a month to ensure he maintains a stale weed seed bed. Another way to reduce heavy weed pressures is by using a Silage Tarp to kill off weeds before planting carrots in the soil. This year, Travis’s area for planting carrots is 15 foot wide by 40 foot long and he plans on planting in double rows to ensure he gets maximum yield. When adding double rows he spaces them three foot apart and places stakes to mark off each row in the garden so he can create straight rows using the wheel hoe. The first guide to planting carrots is using the Double Wheel Hoe with the plow set attachment to help create furrows along the row where the drip tape will be laid in the area. Travis recommends using drip tape to ensure the carrots get an adequate amount of irrigation and fertilizer directly to the plant roots where they need it most. Before adding drip tape, Travis likes to add a good quality compost down to help supply nutrients in the soil before planting. To incorporate the drip he runs the drip tape layer attachment along the furrows so he can bury the drip tape and cover it in one pass through. When using a mechanical garden seeder you must use pelleted carrot seeds so it will feed through the seeder properly. However, you can also use raw carrot seeds for planting by hand as well. Once the carrot seeds are planted, Travis is going to take a rake and lightly cover them along the row in the garden.
The three varieties of carrots Travis is planting this year is the Bolero, Yellowstone, and Purple Haze. The Bolero Carrot variety is an exceptional hybrid that is not only disease-resistant but has a great flavor profile. While the Yellowstone is an open-pollinated variety that produces large yellow carrots with vigorous tops. The last variety he is going to plant this year is the Purple Haze which is visually appealing with a dark purple exterior and orange interior in the vegetable garden.