by the NG staff
No matter where you live, you'll get the best carrot crop if you make staggered plantings of several different types. Choose varieties according to use and when you want to harvest. Carrots grow best in temperatures from 40 degrees to 85 degrees F, so you can plant anytime you have 65 days or so in this range. Later crops will mature more slowly, however, because the days are shorter and the light is less intense. Temperatures in the low 20s will kill the tops, but the roots keep in fine shape as long as the soil doesn't freeze. That means that in the southernmost regions, you can plant nearly year-round.
We consulted with university vegetable crop specialists and seed company experts to compile this list of high-quality carrots. Nantes and Amsterdam types, good for fresh eating and juicing, are cylindrical and blunt-ended. Chantenays are wide-shouldered, tapering to a point, so are recommended for heavy soils; the smaller, similarly shaped Danvers have more dry matter, so store wall.
All Season Long (quick growing; good for succession planting)
Baby Spike (50 days): matures at 3" to 4" and holds its size well past maturity; fresh eating
Baby Sweet Hybrid (49 days): 3" baby carrot with rich color inside and out and strong tops
Minicor (55-60 days): 3" to 4" "baby" carrot that stays tender in the ground; fresh eating and canning
Suko (55-60 days): 21/2"; good for window boxes and containers, heavy or shallow soils; fresh eating and freezing
Thumbelina (60-70 days): round, with very smooth skin; flavor is good at 1/2" and holds up to golf-ball-size, good for heavy or rocky soils and containers; very good for baking; All-America Selections winner for 1992
Early to Main Season (spring sowing for summer harvest; many are flavorful at different stages of maturity)
Armstrong (65 days): 7" to 8" Amsterdam that is similar to Mokum(see below), but open-pollinated; holds a month after maturing; fresh eating
Earlibird Nantes (50 days): extra-early Nantes type that reaches almost 8" in sandy soils (longer in loamy soils); bright orange with strong tops
King Midas (65 days): Imperator type; colors and sweetens up early, so can be harvested at the 3" to 4" stage or left to reach full size of 8" to 9"; high in vitamin A
Kinko (55 days): early 4" Chantenay type recommended for shallow or heavy soils; quality is best when harvested young; fresh eating
Kuroda (60 days): 6" to 8" Japanese Chantenay that often exceeds one pound but tends to crack and split when overgrown; high-yielding; stores well for fresh eating in winter and good for juice
Mokum (70 days): Amsterdam type that colors and sweetens early, but will mature in the ground to full size of 6" and full flavor; very rich in vitamin A; especially good raw and for juicing
Napoli (60-65 days): early 7" Nantes type; strong tops; some resistance to Alternaria blight
Narova (56 days): early 71/2" Nantes type that's high in vitamin A and is extra sweet; good for fresh eating or juicing
Nelson (56 days): early 6" Nantes type that matures with good flavor during early and midsummer heat; fresh eating
Touchon (75 days): French heirloom Nantes type; good tasting a tiny size but will reach 8"; fresh eating and very good for juicing. Touchon Deluxe (58 days) is a 7" strain selected for extreme earliness and exceptional color.
Main Season (spring to early summer sowing for late summer to fall harvest; develops best flavor at full maturity)
Bertan (70 days): 6" Nantes; holds its very sweet flavor exceptionally well; fresh eating, freezing and storing
Bolero (72 days): 6" to 7" hybrid Nantes with tolerance to Alternaria blight; stores well
Caro Pride (72 days): 6" to 7" Nantes; superb sweet flavor for fresh eating; resistance to Alternaria blight; widely adaptable
Express (70 days): 5" to 6" fast-maturing Nantes type; some cavity spot resistance
Fly Away (72 days): 6" to 7" hybrid Nantes that's resistant tothe carrot rust fly; good for fresh eating and freezing
Imperial Chantenay (75 days): 4" to 5", stocky, tapered; especially good for heavy or sticky soils
Ingot (70 days): 8" Nantes type with very high vitamin A
Juwarot (70 days): 5" to 8" Nantes; very high in vitamin A; fresh eating, freezing, stores well
Liberno (75 days): 7" Chantenay/Nantes hybrid; resistance to splitting and green shoulders; pulls easily; holds flavor well after cooking
Monique (68 days): a 7" Nantes hybrid with a rich flavor and high vitamin A
Nantes Tip Top (73 days): 7" Nantes type, with stronger tops than other Nantes varieties; adapted to a wide range of soils
Red-Cored 3-Supreme Chantenay (70 days): improved version of original: slightly larger (4") with smoother skin and better color; fresh eating, canning, freezing and storage
Short 'n' Sweet (68 days): 4" Chantenay bred for heavy or poor soils
Late Season (early to midsummer sowing for late fall to winter harvest or storage)
Artist (65 days): 7" to 8" Nantes type; flavor best when sown in early summer and harvested in fall; fresh eating and storage. Scored highly with NG testers in 1993.
Camberley (74 days): 6" Danvers hybrid; good for heavy soils; holds well in the ground
Fakkel (90 days): 8" to 10" Danvers type; maintains eating quality in the ground and in storage into March and good for juicing
Merida (75 days): 6" to 8" Nantes type; excellent for fall planting and spring harvest in the Northwest. Scored highly with NG testers in 1992.
Rumba (72 days): 6" to 7" Nantes type that matures slowly and resists oversizing; recommended for fall harvest (tops hold up well in frosty fall weather) and storage; adapted to a wide range of soil types
Scarlet Keeper (85 days): 7" to 8" Danvers that's good for storage
Tamino (90 days): 10" Nantes type that requires deep humusy or loamy soil; holds all winter in the ground without losing quality
CARROT ESSENTIALS
Preparation
"One of the most common mistakes home gardeners make with carrots is that they don't prepare the soil thoroughly enough, "says John Gale of Stokes Seeds in Buffalo, New York. He recommends growing carrots in raised beds or containers with soil prepared to a depth of 12" to 14" and amended with at least 50% peat moss. In the garden, work the soil to the same depth, removing all rocks and stones. Good drainage is key, too. "Also, avoid the tendency to use too much fertilizer -- it won't give you better color. In fact, almost the opposite is true," Gale notes. "Just put a little in the bottom of the raised bed or the container," he suggests, "and the carrots will reach for it with a long, clean 'arm'." Spread one pound of 5-10-10 or its equivalent (use only well-rotted manure to avoid hairy roots) per 50 square feet of garden area. Compost will improve drainage, retain moisture and remedy boron or manganese deficiencies. A sprinkling of a potassium fertilizer will sweeten the carrots.
Planting
To get a good stand of well-spaced carrots, the small seed must be planted carefully and the ground must stay moist until the seedlings emerge.
Make furrows 3/4" deep and 4" apart.
Sow the seeds about 3 per inch. Cover with a 1/2" layer of peatmoss or compost.
Lightly mulch the seedbed to retain moisture and prevent soil crusting. Water daily until the seedlings are well established.
Succession-plant additional areas at three-week intervals.
Care
Thinning is crucial, or you'll get spindly under developed roots. Thin large varieties to 3 " apart and smaller ones 1" apart. Here are three methods:
Thin by hand to 1" apart when seedlings are 1" high (probably the easiest method for a few small rows). In a month, thin to final spacing. Space seed carefully and thin late when plants are about 1 2" tall. You can harvest many delectable finger-size carrots. Poor germination, however, may leave gaps. For the first thinning of a large carrot crop, drag a rake across the row or bed when seedlings are no more than 1/4" or 1/2" tall. The tines of the rake should penetrate the soil about 1/4".
Be vigilant with weeds, especially when plants are small.
Mulch about six weeks after sowing to prevent exposing the top of the roots to the sun, which gives the carrots a bitter taste.
When the carrot tops are 6" tall, side-dress or use a liquid fertilizer.
Harvesting and Storage
Begin harvesting as soon as carrots reach eating size. Many varieties keep their flavor and quality in the ground unless the weather is extremely hot; long-keepers will last for months if you keep the ground from freezing.
Grab the green tops and gently tug with a twisting motion, loosening soil first if necessary.
In the South, Southwest and Pacific Northwest, store carrots in take ground through the mild winter months. If rodents or insects such as wireworms and the carrot rust fly maggot are feeding on the crop, however, dig and store it.
In areas where the ground freezes, cover the carrot bed with afoot or more of dry hay late in the fall. Then spread a sheet of 4-to 6-mil clear plastic, weighting the edges with rocks or boards, to keep moisture out. Harvest periodically through the winter, being careful to re-cover the opening.
Harvest carrots for the root cellar after the first hard frosts but before the ground freezes. Brush off soil, cut the tops about/2", and double-bag them in large plastic bags punched with a few air holes. Store in a root cellar or any area where temperatures are around 32oF and humidity is high. Many carrot varieties also freeze well.
Copyright NGA
Reprinted with permission HouseNet, Inc.
A Calendar of Carrots
It's fall, and gardeners' thoughts turn to the wealth of colorful carrots maturing underground, in anticipation of the sweetflavor brought on by the warm days and cool nights. With planning, however, you can dig fresh carrots through much more of the gardening season -- year-round, in fact, in some areas of the country. From the new early full- size varieties that develop good flavor in midsummer's heat, to the large late types that keep their flavor and quality in the ground for months, to the smaller, fast-growing varieties that you can plug in for quick crops throughout the season, there's a carrot for every month.