Carrots

Carrots are one of the best vegetables for the home gardener. The flavor is so much better than store bought and they can be grown in both spring and fall without a greenhouse or special protection.

I have found the most difficult part of growing carrots is getting the seeds to sprout. The seeds require constant moisture and cannot be allowed to dry out. If they dry out, they will not germinate. The accomplish this I plant the seeds in a shallow bed. Then, I top the seeds with a little peat moss and tap down the peat moss with the head of a rake to make sure the seeds are in contact with the soil. I water the seeds in immediately. The peat moss will help the soil to retain moisture so the seeds don't dry out. Even so, on warm and sunny days you may have to water twice.

Carrot seeds can take up to three weeks (!) to sprout. You have to be patient and remember to check the soil everyday so that the seeds don't dry out.

One problem with growing carrots is that they can fork. This usually is a result of clay or rocky soil. The root hits a rock or clay spot and splits off in two directions. We don't have much clay soil at One Love Farm, but almost all of New England is very rocky. We get around this issue by planting in raised beds with lots of compost and raking out rocks every spring.

Carrots don't like a lot of fertilizer, especially fertilizer with nitrogen, so go easy. Once the seedlings have established themselves, you need to thin them out. A lot of people I know are reluctant to thin out their crops. But, with root vegetables like carrots, beets and radishes, it is very important. Without thinning, the vegetable will be small and thin. The root needs space to develop and thinning is the only way to accomplish this. One friend of mine will thin out her root crops and plant the thinnings in another bed. If you are so motivated, feel free. But, I suggest that you take the thinnings and put them to good use on your plate. Radish thinnings, when small, make great micro greens. Beet thinnings are awesome sauteed in olive oil with garlic. And carrot thinnings are good raw and in salads.

Carrots, like all root crops, don't like to compete with weeds, so keep your planting bed weed free. Carrots are ready to pick in a couple of months. You will see the tops start to crown above the soil. Feel below the soil to see if your carrot is big enough and then pull it up by the greens. Carrots can be stored for a few months, but they require cool temperatures and high humidity. A root cellar is perfect, but since almost no one has a root cellar anymore, you can store in your basement. One good way to store carrots is to take a crate and fill it with a couple inches of sand. Add a layer of carrots (greens removed) and then another layer of sand. That will help your carrots keep until you have time to build a root cellar!