How to Grow Carrots In Central Texas

Plant your carrot seed at the right time. Carrots are best planted in Central Texas from January 1 through March 1 for a spring crop; July 1 through November 1 for a fall crop. Plant carrot seed every week or two during the planting season to ensure a continuous crop of full-size carrots. The best soil temperature for carrot production is 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Select a well-drained area. Prepare the soil by pulverizing the soil with a shovel and hoe to a depth of at least 12 inches, and removing all rocks and debris. Carrots will try to grow around obstacles such as the limestone common in Central Texas, making the roots stunted or malformed. Prepare enough ground to plant a 10-foot row of carrots for each person in the household. If your soil is very poorly drained, such as a heavy clay, amend it with compost to improve the drainage potential. Humus or peat will hold water and cause carrots to rot. If the soil cannot be amended to improve drainage sufficiently, consider building the soil into mounds or hills to facilitate drainage around the roots.

Take a soil test to measure the soil's pH and determine what amendments are needed for best carrot production. The best soil pH for growing carrots is between 5.5 and 7.5. Add garden sulfur or agricultural lime as needed to bring the pH into the correct range. Check the nutrient levels of the soil to find how much nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous are available to the plants, and amend as needed. You can choose an appropriate chemical fertilizer based on the tests, or use blood meal as an organic means of adding nitrogen, green sand for potassium and rock phosphate for phosphorous. Work the chosen amendments into the top 4 inches of the soil.

Check a reliable source for area carrot variety recommendations. For example, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension's Vegetable Variety Selector recommends Danver Half Long, Imperator 58 or Nantes Half Long varieties for Central Texas. Choosing the right variety greatly increases yield and success rate. Local extension service offices may recommend specific varieties known to tolerate local weather and soil conditions and to resist diseases that are common in the area.

Use a pointed stick or garden tool to make planting trenches 1/2 inch deep and at least 1 foot apart.

Drop 20 seeds per foot into the trenches and carefully cover the seed with loose soil. Moisten the soil with a gentle spray of water. Keep the area moist until the seeds sprout. Continue to water the carrots sufficiently to keep the soil around the root system slightly moist, but not wet.

Thin your carrot seedlings to 4 inches apart when they are 4 inches tall. Be careful not to disturb the remaining seedlings. Thinning is a key to a successful carrot crop. Crowding produces stunted carrots, invites disease and gives pests places to hide.

Avoid pest problems with correct spacing, crop rotation and removing weeds and old plants from the garden. Because carrots are grown in Central Texas during the cooler months, they are not bothered by many pests. The most likely pest is the wire worm, and it is easily controlled by planting carrots in a different location each year.

Harvest your carrots when the visible top of the root below the green top growth is an inch in diameter -- usually 70 to 80 days after planting. If you prefer smaller carrots and more frequent harvests, you can harvest as soon as the carrot becomes visible at the soil surface. To harvest, pull carrots directly from the ground. Loosen the soil with a shovel if necessary to avoid damaging the carrot. Cut off the top green growth after harvest to increase the shelf life of the fresh carrots. Do not leave carrots in the ground past their recommended harvest date. Carrots left in the ground too long taste bitter and woody.