Some seed needs a period of moist cold ‘to break dormancy’ and awaken them into germination and growth.
01.08.2023 - 14:52 / gardenerstips.co.uk / hortoris
Vitamin D from sun to plate via well grown Carrots
Photo cc by color line
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
Some seed needs a period of moist cold ‘to break dormancy’ and awaken them into germination and growth.
As a child I tried with seeds to grow stones – daft kid or what? Now I do not see the fun in growing Lithopes, due to the early aversion thereapy, but each to their own.
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