
Carrot
- Botanical Name
- Daucus carota var. sativus
- Hardiness
- Annual
- Fruit
- Variety of sizes, colors and shapes
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Moist, loose, well-drained; free from clumps and clods - raised beds are an ideal location
- Planting & Care
- Cultivate the soil, removing clods and clumps where you plan to grow carrots. This allows the roots to penetrate the soil and develop uniformly.
- Carrots germinate in temperatures between 50°F and 85°F in evenly moist soil
- Direct sow in early spring 2 to 3 weeks before last frost at a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, 1/2 inch apart, in rows spaced 12 to 24 inches apart.
- For more even spacing, use pelleted seeds or seed tape. Or mix these fine seeds with sand or fine vermiculite when sowing.
- Thin to 1 to 4 inches apart by snipping seedlings when they are about 1.5 inches tall. Sow seeds for a fall harvest about 10 to 12 weeks before the first frost.
- Mulch or mound soil around the crowns of plants to prevent green and bitter shoulders
- Problems
- Leafhoppers, wireworms, carrot rust worm, aster yellows, leaf spot, soft rot, carrot weevil, slugs
- Varieties
- Purple Haze - 10-12 inches, purple with orange core, All-America Selections winner
- Little Finger - 3-5 inches long, golden orange, very sweet
- Gold Pak - 8 inches, good for juicing
- Orlando Gold - rich in carotene
- Thumbelina - golf ball sized roots, great for containers or indoor gardening, AAS winner
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