Crop guide

Carrot

1. Land Preparation Deep ploughing to 12 inches and a fine, stone-free bed. Any clod or hard layer makes the root fork, and forked carrots are unsellable. Do not apply fresh farmyard manure — it also causes forking. 2.

Rabi Sowing Aug–Oct Harvest Feb–Mar 150–250 maund per acre

Land Preparation

Deep ploughing to 12 inches and a fine, stone-free bed. Any clod or hard layer makes the root fork, and forked carrots are unsellable. Do not apply fresh farmyard manure — it also causes forking.

Sowing Time & Method

August to October on ridges. Desi red types are sown earlier than the imported orange types. Sow shallow and keep the surface moist until emergence, which takes 12–18 days.

Seed Rate & Treatment

2–3 kg per acre. Mix with sand for even distribution.

Fertilizer

One bag urea, one bag DAP, one bag SOP. Excess nitrogen gives leafy tops and thin roots — potash is what fills the carrot.

Irrigation

Every 8–10 days, steady. Irregular watering after a dry spell splits the roots.

Weed Control

Weed Damage Control Product
Purple Nutsedge (Deela) Crowds the bed all season and takes the water and nitrogen the root needs to swell, so the carrots stay thin. Lift the tubers out while preparing the bed — later hoeing takes only the top
Bathu (Lambsquarters) Overtops the slow carrot seedlings and shades them right out of the bed. Hand weeding early, while the carrot is still small
Krund (Nettle-leaf Goosefoot) Spreads flat over the bed and smothers the thin seedlings, and hides them so well that weeding pulls the crop out along with it. Weed early after a light irrigation, while the soil is moist — press the soil down around the carrot with the other hand as you pull krund out with its root, and where it is rooted right against a seedling nip it off at ground level instead of pulling
Horse Purslane (Itsit) In an early-sown crop it carpets the ridge after the first irrigation and smothers the tiny seedlings. Hand weeding after the first irrigation, before it covers the ridge
Piazi (Wild Onion Weed) Comes up early and thick in the seed bed and takes the moisture while the carrot is still germinating and slow. Pull it out with its fleshy roots before it sets seed — it comes back from seed alone, so a clean year pays the next one

Weed by hand early — carrot seedlings are tiny and slow, and weeds will take the bed.