Carrots

Carrots:

• Why you should grow it
  • Carrots are high in vitamin A that promotes good eye health
  • Can be planted close to taller plants like tomatoes, broccoli, kale etc as they shade the soil preventing water loss and keeps it cool
  • They also take up different space as carrots grow below ground
  • They’re a surprise every time you pull them up
  • They come in many different colours; white, purple, orange, yellow & red

• How to start seeds
  • Plant carrots in moist, not wet seed starting soil
  • The soil must be loose, not compacted – carrots will not grow long if the soil is compacted
  • Plant in early spring until August
  • Plant shallowly
  • Keep the top layer of soil moist until you see seedlings
  • Water deeply first until seedlings, then water regularly
  • Lightweight row cover or wood to cover the soil helps keep the soil moist and cool when planting in the summer
  • They can take 3 weeks to germinate so be patient!
  • It is not recommended to start indoors, direct sow only. As you are eating the root, you don’t want to break it in transplanting

• Tips for growth
  • Sow every 3 weeks to have new crops coming up
  • Thin seedlings to be about 1″ apart – you don’t want the carrots to be crowded in the ground, they’ll not grow very large
  • They prefer good sun, but cool soil
  • Plant near taller plants that will shade the soil
  • Add a little mulch around the seedlings to help prevent evaporation and cool the soil

• Harvesting
  • Loosen the soil around the carrot
  • Pull up on the top green part near the base
  • Pickle if you can’t eat them in time
  • Harvest slowly through the season, they can be left in the ground for a while into the fall

• Saving Seeds
  • You’ll have to wait until the following year to save the seeds, they are biennial
  • Leave the carrots in the ground adding a floating row cover, mulch and anything else to insulate the carrots
  • You can carefully dig them out and store in sand in a cool, dark place – a root cellar is ideal, hence the name!
  • Replant carrots or remove insulation in the spring
  • Carrots will flower and seeds will be ready to harvest in late spring