Carrots

I've tried carrot seeds in the past and they do not produce. I don't remember which kind, but my girls planted some heirloom carrot seeds from Baker Creek last year and had no luck. I'm sure tons of you product lots of carrots each year, but can someone suggest a type and some directions for my girls to try this year? I don't want them to give up, so NO advice is too "newbie", please just share what works for you. We're in z5!! TY!!

Plant them very early so they germinate before the ground dries out. I use an Earthway seeder to get them in the ground right. I set it to plant a half inch deep. Have your ground in good shape before you seed.
I use Bolero & Sugarsnax both from Johnny's. Bolero gets about 8" long & is blunt ended. Probably best for clay type soils.
Sugarsnax are loved by everybody. They can be a foot long or more. Very sweet!
Bernie

I've always had good luck with carrots. Don't plant them too deep and try to plant them in loose soil. I barely cover mine with soil. They do take a long time to germinate; it's a good idea to alternate carrot seeds and radish seeds. The radishes will mature first so the girls can see something happening fast. As they are pulled, the carrots then have more growing room and water going towards their roots from the spaces in between.

I grow Scarlet Nantes, Royal Chantenay and Danvers, all Heirlooms, plus a hybrid called Aarowhead that does well in heavier soils. All are fairly early days to maturity. Also remember that carrots are a cool season crop. Your first sowing should be 2-4 weeks before your average last frost. Successive plantings can be sown every 3-4 weeks until 60 days before the first fall frost. In warm climates (like mine) with lows above 25 degrees, they can be grown all winter.

I have heard it recommended to soak seeds in water for 12 hours before sowing, but I don't because they are tiny and tend to clump together...

Good luck!

Kelly

Mine usually pop up within a week. Got to beat the weeds!

I garden in raised beds so not too many problems with weeds;o)

Wish I had your wide open spaces Bernie rather than a city lot - lol.

Thank you Bernie and Kelly. We will try it your way and keep you posted, the kids just learned how to use their digital camera so we'll post some pictures. The great think about that is we can post and ask more questions if we have them !!! TY again all.

Have fun with it! It's nice you're teaching your kiddos. My boys love helping in the garden and eating the veggies before I can pick them! Carrots are definitely the favorite, followed by broccoli and peas;o)

Because they're planted so shallowly, be sure to keep them well watered; and when they come up, be sure to thin them out so they can grow, it's hard to spread those little seeds out when you're planting!

Sandy

Good advice, Sandy...

Here's what can happen when you don't thin properly... Somehow I missed one - lol...

I have clay soil, and my carrots failed the first year, in spite of rototilling and amending the soil like crazy.
The next year I tried growing short, fat carrots (Oxheart carrots) in a short raised bed (6" high) and I had more carrots than I knew what to do with!
Mmm, carrot cake (what else do you do with an excess of carrots?)...

Good luck!

I had good luck with a hybrid called Aarowhead planted in heavy soil.

Carrot cake is yum! I like to shred them and add to stir fry and egg rolls and on top of salads! I also freeze them.

http://www.pickyourown.org/carrotsfreezing.htm

I'm growing carrots for the first time this year. Wish me luck!

I grow several different carrot varieties each year, but the two main crops are Rainbow and St. Valery. I rake my raised beds as fine as I can, then broadcast the carrot seed. Then I mix peatmoss with screened compost and barely cover the seed. I keep the beds constantly moist, even after the seeds have germinated. Biting into that first garden carrot in late Spring is a ritual I look forward to all year!

Scarlet nantes aka coreless nantes has always been foolproof for me. They are super sweet and mature fairly fast. Sometimes you have to give carrots time. Harvesting to soon is a common mistake. They need at least 3 months to develop. Some of the larger carrots have taken up to 6 months for me. You can look at the tops of the carrots to see if they are ready to pull. If it is more than 1", then it is ready to be harvested. Also, remember to thin, but not too liberally. Carrots can handle some crowding. You don't have to do it all at one. Just start thinning when the distance between the carrots is less than twice the diameter of the carrot. When you thin do it until the distance between the carrots are about 2-3 times that of there current diameter. So if they are a 1/4 in wide at top, thin them to 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch apart.

I use seed tapes for carrots to help start the spacing out right.

I can't find the thread I was looking for, but there was a thread about making seed tapes out of cheap toilet paper. I found a number of directions on a google search, though.

Thanks everyone. Dbailey, that is very helpful and I love the seed tape idea, thanks for sharing everyone!!

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Here's the info on making your own seed tape.

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-643,00.html

We grow Bolero, Sugarsnax, Mokum, Yaya and Nelson. All are sweet and pretty easy to grow. My seeds usually germinate in 7-10 days. I water the seedbeds often so the seeds don't dry out and continue with a little extra water for the first couple of weeks after germination.
Too much nitrogen is bad for carrots, so don't overfertilize. They will be covered with little hairy roots and taste like kerosene.

I like carrots but would prefer something on the small side. Any suggestions? Thanks D

Try the "Little Finger" variety. Small and very tasty carrot!

Maybe the little round ones - Paris Market? I've also heard them called Parisian Market.

Description from Seed Savers Exchange -

Highly sought after by gourmet restaurants. A great seller at markets. Early red-orange carrots, 1-2” in diameter, uniform, and very sweet. Does well in shallow or stony soil. Can also be grown in containers. 50-68 days.

Yes, the little round ones are especially good steamed or roasted. They also go by the names, "Parmex" and "Thumbelina."

I have clay soil, too so I sow "Short 'n Sweet" carrots. I'm wondering if perhaps the birds ate your seeds, lafko6. I cover my seeds with floating row covers, and hubby waters them three times a day when it doesn't rain to keep the soil damp - they sprout in a week.

I read somewhere that a good way to plant carrots is to dip a cotton thread, not a thin one but a farly thick one in water and pass it along the seeds of carrots or even small lettuce seeds, the seeds should attach to the thread and stick to it and then you can place it in the ground. Not sure if this will work but I though it might be a good idea, almost like buying a seed tape but without the expensive cost.

I will be planting carrots for the first time this year, so we will see how they do.

Steph - I plant 16 carrots per square foot, but I have heard of people planting them as close as 2" apart...

I have a question, can you thin the carrots when they are in their baby stage instead of thinning them earlier when they don't even have a bulb?, I am wondering because I would imagine this way you could also eat the baby carrots, they are definetely a delicacy in high end restaurants and I was wondering if this would affect growth for the carrots you leave behind to get bigger in size if you just wait a little.

I think you could - just be careful not to disturb the one you are leaving in the ground. I think next time I will try planting them 2" apart and then pulling every other one when they are babies and leaving the rest to grow to full size.

I always thin as they grow. If you slightly distrub the roots, don't panic. Just gentle tap down the soil (don't firmly pat) and water well. I always thin my carrots to 2". They grow fine this close as long as the soil is well amended to keep it feritle and loose. Most plants can be grown closer together as long as the beds are well prepared and maintained.

Thanks for the info. I think I'm going to make seed tape and plant them that way since we're dealing with such small seeds. Gonna plant them with my onions, peppers, and cukes.

Stephanie don't ask, lol. My ex thought it was really really funny to switch my drink for a similar can with kerosene in it. I took a big drink and guess what? not soda! He said "I figured you would smell it." I told him I don't normally smell my drinks before I take a sip and I certainly don't breathe in while drinking!

I can see why he's your ex! That could've been very dangerous.

Stephanie I also reaad somewhere that you can mix teh seeds with sand as well and this way they are not planted as close together.
I decided yesterday to plant my carrots also mixed with raddish seeds, we will see how it goes. This year my beets have done poorly, after 4-5 months I did not get very big bulbs at all. I am wondering what can I feed my carrots so they get to a good size or bulb, I did place some homemade fertilizer before I planted them ( fish meal, bone meal, lime,kelp meal) mix that I found in the organic site here on daves.

Calalily, yes boy that is dangerous.

I'm interested to see no reference in this thread to the dreaded (in England) carrot fly Chamaepsila rosae. Do you not suffer from it in the States?

Most dogs love raw carrots. I was once very embarassed to find that mine had dug up a row of our neighbour's and was happily munching them.

patgeorge - is that the rust fly? I think we do have issues with it in the US, but here in the desert not so much.

My Yorkie loves carrots! If I'm in the garden pulling some he will cry at the gate until I wash one and give him some!

In the my garden, the only true insect problem is with aphids and whiteflies. They literally suck the life out of anything green. Of course, I also live in a semi-arid region. I believe that carrot rust flies are a big problem in the more humid regions of the US.
If you can have chickens, use them at the end and beginning of the gardening season to dig up and eat any type of insect larvae. This should keep a lot of problems under control.

My dog loves to dig up carrots, too. She also loves sweet potatoes.

I read to plant the carrots with radish seeds so you'll know where your row is. The radishes pop up faster than the carrots.

That's what I do Steph. The radishes are done in about a month and when you pull them it gives the carrots room to grow, plus helps direct water to the roots with all the spaces left behind...