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Quick Facts:
- Carrots grow best in sandy loam soil.
- Always plant seeds directly into your garden. Never start them in pots.
- The seeds can take up to 3 weeks to germinate.
- Thin out seedlings to allow room for the roots to develop.
- Carrots may be bitter, tough, misshapen and undersized if they don’t get enough water.
- You can harvest carrots any time they reach a usable size.
Grow carrots: are root vegetables that are staples in many home gardens. Gardeners choose carrot varieties based on their different characteristics. There are carrots that are best for long storage, carrots with great fresh crunch, and carrots that are better for cooking. Some are long and thin and some are short and squat.
Seeds:
- Carrots grow from small, narrow seed that can be difficult to handle. Some seed sellers sell pelleted carrot seed, meaning inert material coats the seed. This inert material is usually clay-based, and increases the size of the individual seed. They are easier to plant sparingly and precisely.
- Carrot seed is also available as “seed tape,” a paper ribbon containing evenly spaced seeds.
- Although the price of pelleted seed or seed tape is higher than the modified seed, many gardeners get better results with less effort when they use these prepared seeds. If you can place the carrot seed evenly every 2 to 4 inches using prepared seed, you will save yourself the task of thinning after the plants come up.
- If using unmodified seed, try to seed lightly and evenly down the row, although it may be difficult to see the seeds against the soil surface.
Starting seeds: Always direct seed root crops into your garden. Never start them in pots. Their long taproots begin developing early. Transplanting damages and misdirects their root growth.Start planting carrots beginning April 15, for a continuous supply of young carrots, make 2 or 3 plantings spaced 3 weeks apart. The seeds may take as long as 3 weeks to germinate.
Seedling:
- Newly emerged carrot plants are very small, with 2 thin grass-like leaves. The next leaves to emerge will appear frilly or fern-like.
- Carrot roots can reach their full length within 3 weeks of seedling emergence.
- The tiny plants may have trouble emerging if there is a crusted soil surface, as may happen after a heavy rain or excess watering. Moistening the surface of the soil with a light spray of water may make it easier for the seedlings to come up.
Thinning:
- You must thin out carrots to allow room for the roots to develop properly.
- When the largest seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, thin by pulling up extra seedlings so that the remaining plants are about 2 to 4 inches apart.
- While thinning, be sure to eliminate any weed seedlings as well.
- Leave wider spacing for varieties that will be larger at maturity.
Watering:
- For best quality and size, carrots require good soil moisture.
- If they do not receive an inch of rain each week, use irrigation.
- Roots may be bitter, tough, fibrous, misshapen and undersized it they don’t get enough water.
- Water deeply once a week on heavier soils, twice a week on sandier soils. An inch of water will wet a heavy clay soil to six inches, and sandy soil to a depth of ten inches.
- Use a trowel to see how far down the soil is wet. If it is only an inch or two, keep the water running.
Weeds:
- Frequent, shallow cultivation with a hoe will kill weeds before they become a problem.
- Cultivate just deeply enough to cut the weeds off below the surface of the soil. Be careful not to damage the plants when cultivating.
- Mulching with herbicide-free grass clippings, weed-free straw, or other organic material to a depth of 3 to 4 inches can help prevent weed growth, decreasing the need for frequent cultivation.
Harvest:
- You can harvest carrots anytime they reach a usable size.
- Irrigate the day before harvest or dig them after rain, to ensure root hydration.
- Push a garden fork into the soil near the plant, pushing the root to the side to loosen the soil, and pull it out of the ground. Simply pulling without freeing the carrot from the soil first can result in a broken root.
Storage:
- Remove the greens and clean the roots before consumption or storage.
- Store harvested carrots in the refrigerator for immediate use.
- Carrots held above freezing will begin to sprout.
- For longer-term storage, a root cellar can be ideal, though few gardeners have one.
- You must process canned carrots using a pressure canner.
- You may also pickle, process in a boiling water bath, blanch, or freeze carrots.
Source: https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-carrots-and-parsnips-home-gardens#harvest-and-storage-191815
