Growing Carrots

Seed

Long Germination

Notes
Growing Carrots is easy and great source of Vitamin A.

Carrots are a hardy, cool season crop that can be planted in your organic garden as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Carrots require hefty amounts of moisture and are not tolerant of drought. Prolonged hot weather may not only retard growth, but result in an undesirable strong flavor and coarse roots.

The method I use for growing Carrots is as follows:

1. Pour your carrot seeds into a 5 gallon bucket along with Radish seeds (optional) for the area you're going to plant.
2. Mix in sifted compost, soil or sand. Make sure you mix well.
3. Broadcast over the area you're planting.
4. Water well and never let the area dry out.

This is intercropping and works every time for Growing Carrots.

Within a week your Radishes will germinate first and by the time your carrots begin to germinate and grow you will be harvesting your Radishes making room for your Carrots.                       

Planting

Harvest

Cultural

Varieties

Small, Round Carrots

'Orbit' - good color, few off-types, and best harvested at the size of a 50 cent piece)

'Thumbelina' - round roots; good for planting in containers and in heavy, shallow, or rocky soil)

Baby Carrots

'Baby Spike' - 3 to 4 inch roots, 1/2 inch thick; excellent internal color; tender; holds small size well)

'Little Finger' - tiny tender roots; 5 inch roots, 1/2 inch thick; golden orange, sweet, and crisp)

'Minicor' - slender fingerling carrots; colors early; uniform, cylindrical, blunt tip; good flavor)

'Short ‘n Sweet' - rich, sweet flavor; 4 inch roots, broad at shoulder, tapered to a point; good for heavy or poor soil)

Chantenay Carrots

'Red-Cored Chantenay' - heavy yield; good flavor; short, thick roots, broad at the shoulder, tapered to blunt tip)

'Royal Chantenay' - broad-shouldered, tapered roots; bright orange; good for heavy or shallow soils)

Danvers Carrots

'Danvers Half-Long' - uniform, 7 to 8 inch roots tapered to very blunt end; sweet, tender)

'Danvers 126' – has heavier yield than Danvers; smooth roots; tops withstand heat).

Nantes Carrots

'Nantes Coreless' - orange-red; small core, medium top)

'Scarlet Nantes' - bright orange, slightly tapered, 6 inch roots; crisp, tender and flavorful; standard for high quality carrots)

'Touchon' - interior, exterior bright orange; 7 inch roots, nearly coreless)

Imperator Carrots

'Gold Pak' - 8 inch roots, 1-1/2 inches thick; sweet, tender, as coreless as any; good for juice)

'Imperator 58' - smooth, fine-grained, long, tapered roots; standard long, thin type)

'Tendersweet' - long, tapered roots; rich orange color; sweet, coreless)

Novelty Carrots

'Belgium White' - mild flavor; long, tapered, white roots; productive, vigorous)