The only advice I've gotten is to plant into a bed that is weed free already. or the weeds are "in control".

Otherwise I wheel hoe as early as possible and keep wheel hoeing and hand weed in the rows.

I've heard good things about tine weeding with a tractor.

On germinating carrots I always look for weather patterns when its going to rain for 2-3 days in a row. And plant before it rains. Usually a fast storm front will crust the soil and make it hard to germ. When its not going to rain for a while, I plant carrots and place the drip tape dirctly ontop of the rows

hope this helps
Kristi

I've heard that you could cover the row of planted carrot seeds with boards and then check then frequently after about 14 days, as soon as you see sprouts, take the boards off. I've also heard about 'burning' off the planted carrot row at the 14 day mark to kill all weeds coming up at that time. They recommended a propane flamer. My ground doesn't seem to grow carrots, so I haven't tried either of these methods.

Thanks for the replies. I have rototilled the bed that the carrots will be planted in a week ago and I'm going to let the weed seeds germinate and then do a light tilling to kill those. I like the idea of putting the drip tape dirctly on the rows, i think I'll try that.

I do the board thing, and it works quite well. It often takes carrots a good three weeks to germinate. If I don't do boards, I mix radish seeds in with the carrots. The radishes mark the rows and thins the carrots nicely when you harvest them.

Brook

You can use Roundup pre-emergent and Sencor over the top when they have 5 or 6 true leaves. You can also use Roundup in the pathways with a shield.

Jack

Till thoroughly before planting . Carrot seed will germinate faster when the ground is warmer . I am still planting in mid July for late carrots. Sow thicker , but not too thick. A teaspoon of seed in a 2 pound margarine container mixed with loose sand will sow about 50 feet evenly.

When germination starts and all seedlings are visible , rake lightly over the row and right through the seedlings to eliminate small weedlingsand break up the soil.. Every few days rake or hoe lightly along the sides of the row , hilling the carrots slightly. DO this on a regular basis and there will be no serious weeds At one or two points get down and finger weed any small weeds within the row , before they become big weeds. The best raking is done when there is a dry crust on the soil . At some point the carrots will be big enough that a few small weeds won't hurt them .

I use a tiller to go up and down the rows , keeping the soil soft and loose. A mulch of fresh cut grass laid in the row will suppress weeds when the carrots are big.

Here is what we do to get carrots started.

Starting Carrots in the heat

I'll second the pelleted seed for no thinning. Works great. We cover with row cover no matter what time of year. Keeps the moisture level constant for more even germination. Been doing this since Jay shared it 3 years ago.

Edit to add: Thank you Jay!

Nice tip about using row cover for moisture, will try this next time.