Carrots are loved by all ages.
Carrots started out centuries ago as a bitter, pithy root and have been bred and selected to grow orange and sweet, popular all around the globe. Carrots date back at least 5,000 years. Pollen from carrots dating back even further has been found at neolithic sites. The Latin name for carrots is Daucus Carota, a member of the Umbelliferae family. The word “Carota” appears in writings dating back to 200 AD.
Carrots started out as red, purple or yellow in color. The Dutch, in an effort to pay homage to their royal family, The House of Orange, bred orange carrots. These Dutch-bred orange carrots are the ancestors of our modern carrots.
Carrots will grow in soil that is left unimproved after harvesting another crop for which the soil was improved. They like a sandy, well drained soil free from rocks. If you have clay soils you’ll have better luck with round or “half-long” type carrots. Carrots even grow well in containers, as long as the container is twice as deep as the length of the carrots at maturity.
Sow seeds two weeks before your last frost. The seeds will germinate faster and at a higher rate the warmer the soil is when they are planted. Make successive plantings every two weeks until mid-summer. Sow rather thickly and thin successively to a final spacing of 2 to 3 inches apart. The later, larger “thinings” can be eaten as baby carrots.
Feed carrots plenty of potassium, (the third number on the fertilizer label), and go easy on the nitrogen (first number on the fertilizer label). Too much nitrogen can cause the carrots to branch and fork and makes the roots hairy and fibrous.
Carrots are a good companion plant for tomatoes. Both vegetables will benefit, growing lush green foliage and producing succulent tomatoes and carrots.
Home grown carrots are remarkably better tasting than grocery store varieties. Children often dig them up, brush the dirt off, and eat the carrot with the greens hanging down, like a certain cartoon bunny. I know I did.
Entries (RSS)