
Land preparation •Carrots can be planted in beds. •The beds should be prepared before planting. (a)digging: this is done using a hoe or a spade so as to loosen the soil. •During digging , remove roots and stems of weeds. (b) manuring: add 2kg of well rotten manure per square metre. •Work the manure deeply into the soil so that the roots of the carrots do not come into directly contact with manure. •Improperly incorporated manure causes development of carrots that have side roots. •this condition is called forking. Planting •Carrots are planted in beds where they will mature. •Water the bed a day before planting. •Mark the rows 30cm apart. •Carrots seeds are very small, therefore due to their size sow the seeds thinly along the rows. •Rub the seeds between your fingers as you sow. •Cover the seeds with fine sand. •The bed can be covered with grass so that the soil remain moist. •Water the bed soon after sowing using a watering can fitted with a fine rose. Caring for carrots (a) Thinning: is when you remove some of the baby plants in a row to free up space for the rest so that they can grow to full size. • Thinning in carrots is usually done two weeks after germination. • Thin out to leave a spacing of 4 -6 cm from each plant. (b) Watering: If carrots are not watered enough they will not grow fast. • Therefore carrots need a steady supply of water to keep the soil moist during the growing period. (c) Weeding: weeds are removed by hand, especially those in the rows. (d) Top dressing: carrots are usually not top dressed. •Fertilizer can only be applied after one has noticed leaves turning yellow. (e) Pest and disease control: aphids and nematodes attack carrots. •Dimethoate is used to control aphids. Harvesting carrots •Carrots are harvested 2 to 3 months after planting. •Bigger ones are harvested first inorder to leave more room for the young seedlings to develop. •Water the bed first the lift the carrots by hand. •A garden fork can also be used to loosen the soil, then pull up by hand. •The carrots can then be tied into bunches of 5 – 7 carrots
Quiz by Elvis Munetsi
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