Growing Carrots

Growing carrots can be a fun hobby. And, of course, our all time favorite rabbit used to eat lots of them. Who are we talking about? Bugs Bunny, of course.

These tasty veggies are a cold weather plant and root crop. Carrots cannot be started indoors. They have to be planted directly into the ground in your vegetable garden. Otherwise they will have knobby roots.

They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are sweet and others hardly have any sweetness at all. They are all crunchy and fun to chomp on raw, which is my favorite way to eat them. Pick a variety that best suits your needs.

Again, they are a cold weather plant and will even do well in the warm weather. They are very versatile.

But growing carrots can be hard to germinate. Since the seeds are so small, plant them sparsely in your garden and then thin the plants later. You will probably make several thinnings.

Sometimes a metal gravel rake can be used to make the first thinning.

CULTURE: Any good garden or field soil will is good for growing carrots. Deep, loose, and fertile sandy loams and peat soils with good moisture-holding capacity grow the straightest and smoothest roots.

PLANTING: For growing carrots sow from early spring to mid-July, 3/4-1" apart (about 30 seeds/ft.), 1/4- 1/2" deep, in 2" wide rows, 16-24" apart. For a minimum of soil compaction, use raised bed culture with 2 or 3 rows 16-24" apart, beds 5-6' center to center. Sprinkle the soil surface to keep moist and don't allow soil to crust before the emergence of seedlings occurring in 1-3 weeks depending on temperature and moisture.

If necessary thin young growing carrots to 3/4-2" apart, depending on root size desired, and keep weed-free by tine weeding and shallow hoeing. During the growing period, hoe soil over any exposed root crowns to prevent greening.

DISEASES: Blights can reduce yield and quality. Alternaria blight shows as brown-black lesions edged with yellow on leaf margins beginning on oldest leaves. Leaflets may shrivel and die. Cercospora blight first appears as small dark spots with yellow margins on the younger leaves and stems. To prevent blights, practice 3-year crop rotation. Copper fungicides (see Index) can be employed as a preventive measure or control.

INSECT PESTS: Carrot rust fly and wireworms. Provide fertile growing conditions and avoid sod ground if possible. Exclude adult insects with fabric row covers (see Index.)

HARVEST: Carrots may be dug any time after they reach a good orange color (bright, not pale), at which stage flavor develops.

Generally the best harvest period lasts about 3 weeks (longer in cool, fall weather), after which time the roots may crack or the taste and appearance may decline.

Make a few sowings at 3 week intervals for a continuous supply of tender carrots at their prime.

STORAGE: Plant carrots intended for winter storage about 100 days before expected fall frost. Dig roots after frost but before the ground freezes, remove tops, and store washed or unwashed in near-freezing (not below), humid conditions.

They also keep well in perforated plastic bags or storage bins in the cold store. Washed roots store as well and avoid the staining that can affect unwashed carrots in storage.

For seeds, OG means "organically grown" and signifies seeds harvested from plants grown organically, without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and according to National Organic Program standards.

For supplies, OG signifies products that are approved for use in growing certified organic crops; supplies are listed by OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) when noted in the product description.

The video below is about planting carrot seeds.

Growing carrots can be harvested at most any stage. You can even harvest them when they are young and only inches long to be eaten or used as a decoration for a special meal you have planned.

One thing to keep in mind when growing carrots is that they will easily cross pollinate with each other. So you may only want to plant one type at a time.

As the plants grow, cover any exposed portions as they push through the soil. Not doing so will cause them to be hard and taste bitter.

Someone asked, "Why are my carrots so small."

The first thing that comes to mind when growing carrots is variety. Some will grow to 3" to 4" long.

Probably the most important thing is to make sure that the soil is loose down to 10". I have lived under the misconception that as the roots grew they would push their way into the compacted soil.

This was wrong on my part. They cannot push through compacted soil so they stop growing and turn to a main root with a lot of little roots coming off of it.

So make sure the soil is loose for at least 10" down. For my Fall Garden, I have 12" of loose soil.

02-04-2010

Below is a pictuer of my Fall carrots for 2009. They have not grown like I thought they would. I guess it is due to all the rain, cold and cloudy days we have had this Fall. We have seen some of the coldest temps in 25 years this winter.

Or you can throw them on the lawn and run over them with a mulching mower.

And you can use them as a garnish for your favorite dish.

Carrots like a soil with a pH about 6.5. From our testing, we know ours is about 7 so we should be OK.

I did notice that the dirt was hard. I am a little surprised at this since we have a lot of organic material in there. It may be they cannot poke through this. We will give it a few more days before we redo them. The video below is about growing carrot seeds a different way. What I have done is taken a pot of dirt and mixed the seeds in with the dirt.

Once I have this mixed up, I will spread this mixture in the garden, water it down and cover lightly with mulch. I think this will work better than the other way.

For more information on carrots visit How to Grow Carrots and Growing Organic Carrots.

Check out our Fall Vegetable Garden page.

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