Hi I'm Tricia an organic gardener. I grow organically
for healthy and safe food supply, for clean and sustainable environment,
for an enjoyable and rewarding experience. What's up doc?
Growing carrot that's what. Carrots grow great in the spring and in the fall.
In the spring you want to plant them two to three weeks before the last frost and
in the fall
want to plant in 10 to 12 weeks before
the first frost. Carrots are a fairly easy vegetable to grow once you get the soil
right.
The best care growing soil is sandy, loose,
well-drained, rock free, and high in organic matter.
Raised beds are great place to grow carrots. If your soil is less than ideal
you may wanna try some varieties like the Little Finger
or the Parisienne, which are smaller carrots. I f you've got great carrot growing
soil,
you can grow the rainbow! Originally carrots were yellow or purple
but they've been bred to add red white and the familiar orange.
Each carrot color has different helpful nutrients
but taste the same so go ahead and grow all of them. To prepare your beds,
mix in some compost and a balanced fertilizer
like this one from EB Stone. Carrots will fork if they get too much nitrogen
and they're heavy potassium feeders, so look for fertilizer with a lower
nitrogen and a higher potassium.
Using a hoe, dig a trench to create two
4" - 6" inch tall mounds on either side. Make sure the soil has very fine texture
without clods
because that can inhibit carrot germination. Score a slight ridge in the top of your mound
and see the carrots.
The seeds are small so it can be helpful to use a seeder and mix in some sand or dry
used coffee grounds.
Now just cover them lightly with sand, soil, or potting mix.
Water gently.
I like to put a little piece of Agribon over the bed.
This helps prevent the soil from getting dried out and crusty.
If a crust forms, the seeds will likely not germinate.
You can plant some radishes along with the carrots to help keep a crust from
forming and mark the row.
Water evenly.
Carrots like to be kept moist but don't water aggressively or the seeds will
wash away!
My carrots have germinated!
Now it's time to thin them. Thin Carrots
two to four inches apart. Use snips instead of pulling them out so
you don't disturb the carrots you want to keep. Public enemy number one for
carrots
is weeds. Make sure you keep your bed weed free. Now that my carrots are established
I'm also going to add a mulch. This mulch will conserve moisture,
keep the routes cool and discourage weeds. Carrot roots develop the best
at temperatures between 65 and 75 during the day
and 55 at night.
Pests to worry about our carrot fly and leafhoppers and if you have those in your
area you may want to consider covering your bed with Agribon. The
Ag 19 is a great insect barrier.
it's time to harvest the carrots! You know they're ready when they're about one to
one-and-a-half
inches in diameter. Loosen the soil around the carrots with a digging fork
and carefully uproot them. Don't pull too hard on the top
because you might just break it off. You can leave them
in the ground and harvest as needed up to a point. The longer you leave them in
the ground the woodier they become and the stronger the flavor.
Snip the tops off as soon as you harvest to keep the root from wilting.
The greens can be eaten like parsley, composted or
fed to animals. Store them in the refrigerator with high humidity and they'll
last for several weeks.
So grow some organic carrots, and grow organic for life!