If you want to grow carrots in your own garden, you should ideally plan this the previous autumn. This way you can carry out optimal fertilization, which will then allow the carrots to grow strongly in spring and summer.
How and when should you properly fertilize carrots?
In order to fertilize carrots optimally, green manure, e.g. with lupins or clover, should be used in the previous year, as well as decomposed farmyard manure in the fall. Pay attention to crop rotation and avoid fresh manure to keep the carrot fly away.
Autumn fertilization in the previous year
Carrots belong to the medium-feeding category, which means they need continuous nutrients for their growth. At the same time, too intensive fertilization would lead to strong leaf growth, which in turn would result in weak development of the roots.
Provide biological energy with green manure
Carrots can be fertilized very gently if green manure is incorporated into the soil before winter, which then supplies nitrogen and many nutrients for the following year and the plants that follow. To do this, sow appropriate plants such as lupins or clover in late summer and work them into the soil with a hoe in autumn.
Stable manure for carrots only in the previous year
Fresh manure should under no circumstances be used if carrots are to be sown directly on it. If, on the other hand, the manure is applied to the raised bed or vegetable patch in the fall, it will have decomposed sufficiently by spring.
Beware of pests
Fresh manure should not be incorporated into a bed with carrots for another reason: it promotes the development of the notorious carrot fly. So if you fertilize your carrots with fresh manure, you increase the chance of the carrot roots being infested with carrot fly larvae.
Pay attention to crop rotation
Carrots belong to the umbelliferous family (along with dill, parsnips, celery) and should not be grown in the same bed every year. Alternate between different types of vegetables to avoid disadvantages in growth and pest infestation. If you don't have any alternative space for growing vegetables, you can at least keep the carrot fly at bay by inter-sowing onions.
Tips & Tricks
Carrots generally do not require any intermediate fertilization during their growth phase on humus-rich soil. However, make sure there is sufficient water supply and pile up some soil in case the heads of the carrot roots stick out of the soil when they are growing strongly. This is how you avoid unwanted discoloration at the top of the carrots.