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Carrots

Daucus carota

INTRODUCTION

Without a doubt, homegrown Carrots have a far superior taste to anything bought in a supermarket. There is a huge range of varieties in all shapes, sizes and a rainbow of colours.

We all know and appreciate the orange Carrot but traditionally Carrots were either purple, white or yellow. This vegetable has been cultivated since Roman times but the more usual orange colouration only materialised during the 18th century. With careful cultivation and an eye to detail, Carrots are straightforward to produce and every home gardener should include them in their crop plan.

Soil Preparation

Carrots are a relatively straightforward crop to grow but good soil preparation is essential for the best results.

The growing site should be in a sunny position with organic material added well in advance of sowing, like most root crops, Carrots dislike freshly manured soil.

The ground should be light, fertile, free-draining and stone free. Heavy clay soils are not ideal.

Sowing & Planting

Sowing can begin during February (under glass) for early varieties and continue until August for late and overwintered crops.

Prepare the seedbed by removing any weed from the soil and rake level to a fine tilth.

Carefully take out a drill (shallow groove) and sow seed thinly. Cover seed to a depth of 1cm, Carrot seed will not germinate if sown too deeply. Leave 30cm (12inches) between rows.

Water in well with a watering can with rose, try not to disturb the newly sown seed. Keep moist until seed has germinated which will take about 14 days.

Do not sow in cold weather, soil temperatures need to be around 10c as a minimum for best results. Cover with cloches for early sowings or as an alternative, sow in containers in the greenhouse.

Growing & General Cultivation

When the Carrot seedlings are large enough to handle, thin out to about 5cm (2 inches) to enable roots to reach their full potential. Closer thinning will result in smaller roots. Thinning can be carried out in two stages several weeks apart.

Keep the growing area weed-free and don't allow the top of the Carrot root to be too exposed to the air as it will cause it to go green.

Keep watering to a minimum as Carrots do not like to be overly wet and are actually quite drought resistant. Feeding should not be necessary.

Pests & Diseases

Slugs and Snails can be a problem for young plants - for remedies - see product directory.

The biggest threat to your Carrot crop is Carrot root fly.

Carrot root fly lays its eggs on the plants and the larvae burrow into the roots. In severe cases, it can destroy entire crops.

There is no chemical control available to the home gardener but several precautions can be taken:

Practise crop rotation, don't grow Carrots where they were grown last year.

Thin plants in the evening or during wet weather when the carrot root fly is less active. If you have managed to sow thinly enough, don't thin.

Sow during the summer when most egg-laying activity is over.

Sow a resistant variety such as Flyaway, Resistafly or Maestro.

Cover growing crops with fine mesh or fleece.

Interplant with alliums to disguise the smell of the Carrots (to which the flies are attracted to).

Forked carrots can be a problem if grown on heavy or stony soils. This causes what looks like several carrots to become morphed into one. They are difficult to peel and prepare in the kitchen but are entirely suitable for eating.

Avoid growing in stony soil or on freshly manured sites. This problem can also be caused by nematode attack.

Harvesting

Carrots are always at their best when consumed fresh, straight from the plot.

The very earliest sowings make excellent crops of young Carrots that can be simply pulled from the soil as required.

For maincrop and more established crops, easing from the ground with a fork is more advisable.

Late/overwintered crops of Carrots can be left in the ground until required. The soil should never become waterlogged and if severe frost or snow is forecast, cover the soil with a layer of straw.

As an alternative, lift Carrots and store them in dry sand in a shed or garage.