Vitamin D from sun to plate via well grown Carrots

Preparation for Growing Carrots

• Grow in an open sunny site.
• Remove large stones.
• Do not feed the soil as this may encourage carrots to split and fork.
• Rake the soil level and create a fine tilth.
• Wait until the soil has started to warm up.
• Select and buy your chosen seed variety.

Sowing and Care

• Always sow carrot seed thinly.
• Space 4cm apart to avoid thinning out seedlings later on.
• Cover seed lightly with about 2cm of soil.
• Space rows wide enough to access for mweeding.
• Water the newly sown seed to settle the soil. Repeat every few days if the conditions are dry.
• Seed should germinate in 15-20 days.
• Allow 2-3″ apart to get good sized roots.
• Weed when young and regularly as they develop to ensure the roots have enough moisture.

 

Photo cc by color line

Other Tips and Advice

Carrots (Daucus carota) are sweet, crisp, vitamin rich vegetables that you can easily grow from seed. I won’t guarantee you will see in the dark but home grown carrots will taste great.

Varieties to grow are listed in a link at the bottom but the short rooted varieties are a good place to start e.g. Amsterdam Forcing, Early Nates or Rondo. Intermediates ‘Royal Chantenay’ and Long Rooted varieties ‘St Valery’. There are 100+ varieties to select from.

Sowing Tips sow according to the instructions on the packet for main crop usually from mid April when the soil has warmed up. Fine soil without stones is the best for Carrots. Do not sow in seed trays or transplant Carrots as the roots will be damaged and the crop useless. Mix the seed with fine sand for even sowing.

Problems to Avoid. Carrot root fly lay eggs and the maggots then eat into your carrots unless you cover the sown seed with horticultural fleece or grow in a raised bed where the plants should grow above the fly ‘fly-zone’.
Fanging or Forking of the roots is caused by stones, too much manure or transplanting carrots. Some times aphids can also be a problem, try a cloche or insecticide.

Growing Tips Water well in dry weather. Start thinning when the leaves are large enough to handle. Carrots need to grow 1-2 inches apart. Eat thinnings from mid June. Mature carrots have a slightly darker foliage.

Harvesting the Crop Carrots can be lifted at anytime but are best eaten when young. They are also best eaten fresh, straight from the ground so only pick what you need.
Grow a mix of varieties to mature at different times. Lift before the frost.

Other Tips Grow golf-ball shaped or short varieties if the soil is stony or clay or you want to use a container. Carrots can be frozen. Larger crops can be stored in a straw clamp or cool damp sand.

Thompson Morgan Seeds to consider buying.