Carrot
Carrot
Carrots grow best in full sun but tolerates partial shade. The best soil types are deep, well-drained, sandy loams or muck. Carrots are injured by excessive soil moisture. Prepare the soil deeply and remove any debris that causes deformed roots. Plant seed 1/2 inch deep in early April in rows 18 inches apart. When seedlings are 2 inches high, thin them to 2 inch spacings. A month later thin to 3 inch spacings. Carrot seed takes a long time to germinate. To mark the row, and help break up soil crusts, a few radish seeds can be planted in the carrot row. Sprinkle the row frequently to prevent crusting. Later germinating seed produce small roots. The row can be covered with grass clippings to help prevent soil crusting. If the garden was not fertilized use 3 cups of 5-10-10 per 50 feet of row. Don't give carrots nitrogen late in the season. Rapid growth is essential for good quality roots. After thinning mulch with 4 inches of any suitable mulching material. Young plants burn off on dark soils when the temperature and barometric pressure are high. This can be avoided by frequent light sprinklings. Prolonged hot weather occurring late in root development causes strong flavor and coarseness.
Harvest carrots when they are of sufficient size. To get the longest storage handle them carefully to prevent injury.
