Growing carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus · also called GajarA cool season root crop sown straight into deep, loose soil. Red Asiatic types suit the plains and warm winters; orange European types suit the hills.
North-west plains: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh
At a glance
Carrot in the North-west plains
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Sow now
The window here is October to November (European types).
- Sow
- Harvest
- Today
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See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-west plains | August to September (desi types)October to November (European types) | |||
| Temperate Himalaya | March to JulyJuly to SeptemberApril to August | |||
| Cold desert | Late April to early June | August to early October | ||
| Sub-tropical foothills | September to October (Pusa Kesar)November to December (Nantes, Pusa Yamdagini)August to September (Pusa Kesar)October to November (Nantes, Pusa Yamdagini)August to September | |||
| Gangetic plains | September to November | December to February | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | Early October to November | |||
| Arid west | September to early November | December to February | ||
| Central plateau | Late September to November | December to February | ||
| Deccan plateau | October to early December | January to March | ||
| South interior | All year (with assured water)July to FebruaryAugust | |||
| West coast | August to October | November to January | ||
| East coast | AugustOctober to early December |
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure
15 tonnes per acre
Apply at sowing. Use only well rotted manure.
Day 0
Sow
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure3
15 tonnes per acre · Apply at sowing. Use only well rotted manure. · Before sowing
Day 0
Sow
Day 7 to 21
Seeds come up1,2,3,4,5Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 90 to 100
First picking3
Day 90 to 100
Last picking3
Water straight after sowing; the crop needs 3 to 4 waterings in all. Too much water gives misshapen, hairy roots with poor colour.3
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,3,4,5
6 to 7
Deep, loose, well drained loam or sandy loam. Heavy soil, clods, stones and trash hold the root back and make it fork.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun in an open bed. Roots stay thin and pale in shade.
Temperature1,3,4Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Grows best at 18.3 to 23.9 °C
Takes light frost.
Monthly temperatures for the North-west plains aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering3
Water straight after sowing; the crop needs 3 to 4 waterings in all. Too much water gives misshapen, hairy roots with poor colour.
Weeding3
Carrot grows slowly at first and cannot compete with weeds. Hoe 2 or 3 times, and weed once and earth up about 4 to 5 weeks after sowing. Thin seedlings to 7.5 cm when the true leaves form.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before sowing | Well rotted farmyard manure | 15 tonnes per acre | Apply at sowing. Use only well rotted manure. |
Varieties and yield
200 to 250 quintals an acre
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
PC-161
Tropical type, deep red, about 90 days
Punjab Carrot Red
Tropical type, dark red, 85 to 90 days
Punjab Black Beauty
Tropical type, purple black, used for kanji
PC-34
Red, about 90 days
Good neighboursNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Pests and diseasesNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Organic and cultural controls only.
Aphids
Signs
Colonies of small soft insects on the young leaves and flower heads; leaves curl and turn yellow.
What to do
- Spray a strong jet of water or neem seed kernel extract 5% on the colonies.
- Conserve ladybird beetles and hover flies.
Prevention
- Sow at the usual time; late sown crops suffer more.
Cutworms
Signs
Seedlings cut off at soil level overnight.
What to do
- Search the soil around cut plants in the morning and destroy the grubs.
Prevention
- Plough deep in summer and keep the field free of weeds.
Root knot nematode
Signs
Plants stay stunted and roots are forked, hairy and covered in small galls.
What to do
- Dig in neem cake or plenty of well rotted manure before sowing.
Prevention
- Rotate with cereals or marigold; avoid fields with a history of galls.
Alternaria leaf blight
Signs
Brown spots on older leaves that later show dark rings; worse in seed crops.
What to do
- Collect seed only from a healthy crop.
- Remove and burn badly spotted leaves.
Prevention
- Rotate crops and clear old carrot debris.
Cercospora leaf spot
Signs
Small pale spots with a dark edge on leaves and leaf stalks.
What to do
- Remove affected leaves early.
Prevention
- Avoid overhead watering late in the day; give rows enough air.
Powdery mildew
Signs
White powdery growth on the leaves in dry weather.
What to do
- Remove the worst affected leaves.
Prevention
- Keep plants well watered without wetting the leaves in the evening.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Asiatic types set seed in the plains and low hills; European types such as Nantes need a cold spell and set seed only in the temperate hills. Lift the roots, keep true to type, healthy roots and replant them at about 60 x 40 to 60 x 60 cm after cutting back two thirds of the tops and half the root. Keep the seed crop 800 to 1,000 m from other carrot varieties and carrot family crops, and pull out early bolters and off types.
When the seed is ready
Seed ripens unevenly, in April and May in Jammu. Cut the heads when the second umbels are fully ripe and the third umbels begin to turn brown, in two or three rounds.
Cleaning the seed
Dry the cut heads, then thresh and clean the seed.
Dry the cleaned seed well in shade and keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Lift all roots before the weather warms and they turn woody or bolt. Compost the tops and follow with a legume.
Compost the tops and any split or forked roots that are left.
Rotation
Do not follow carrot with carrot or with coriander or other carrot family crops for two to three years. Peas or beans make a good next crop.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2020 (Carrot; root crop pests and diseases)Directorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
- Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2016 (Carrot; carrot seed production)Directorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
- Package of Practices for Cultivation of Vegetables 2021 (Carrot)Punjab Agricultural University, LudhianaRead the source
- Production Technology of Vegetables and Flowers, VSF-231, Part I: Vegetable production (Carrot)Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, PalampurRead the source
- TNAU Agritech Portal: Horticulture, CarrotTamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
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