Carrots

[seedcorn]

For the first time last year, had excellent carrots. Weren't sweet enough for family, so they were not used as well as they should have.

Here's the question? What is a sweet carrot.

I've got sand.

 

[PhilaGardener]

Well, I've heard that Mokum and Sugarsnax are excellent hybrids that are sweet (and improved after a light frost).
I tend to stick with heirlooms (and have heavy clay soil , so Danvers Half Long is my usual choice). I'll be interesting to hear other suggestions from folks. Among my own first garden memories are pulling a carrot in my grandfather's garden, washing it in a watering can and enjoying it on the spot. Good luck!

 

[Hal]

I was taught that some potassium, easily available from a nursery or garden products vendor as sulphate of potash on your carrot growing beds will help sweeten them up.
I won't lie I don't know how it works exactly but it does the trick. I had a new bed that gave awful bitter, hot carrots and a little bit of potassium and they were sweet and tasty.
Carrots also don't like rich soils or heavy soils, a lot of people over feed carrots in my line of work which can also lead to bad flavor and forked roots.

Now for choice of variety if you want sweeter carrots go for orange or yellow, open pollinated cultivars are fine. Red/Purple/Pinks tend to have stronger spicy flavors.
What have you grown so far? What do you want, baby carrots, the cylindrical nantes type or big fat stump rooted ones like Chantenay Red Cored?

 

[PhilaGardener]

Nifty idea - I'll have to try that too and see what it does for my Danvers! Thanks for sharing that, Hal!

 

[Hal]

Well, I've heard that Mokum and Sugarsnax are excellent hybrids that are sweet (and improved after a light frost).
I tend to stick with heirlooms (and have heavy clay soil , so Danvers Half Long is my usual choice). I'll be interesting to hear other suggestions from folks. Among my own first garden memories are pulling a carrot in my grandfather's garden, washing it in a watering can and enjoying it on the spot. Good luck!

You have heavy soil like myself.
Association Kokopelli have some very good carrots suitable for heavy soils it is worth checking out the English and French pages as they sometimes have different cultivars but both can be ordered though. They are based in France and the seeds have been top notch in my experience, I used them for carrots and melons.
A little bit of trivia is that here in Australia heavy soils are a big problem for the majority of home gardeners growing carrots yet none of the seed companies based in Australia really bother to sell carrot seed for heavy soils they just keep selling ones for deep loose soils. We have Chantenay Red Cored and a generic round carrot, Chantenay is short but still not the best for heavy soil.

 

[PhilaGardener]

Thanks, Hal! I have looked at their listings but getting things shipped internationally can be a problem. (I've looked at Diggers longingly too!) This year I am going to trial a French heirloom called "Tonda di Parigi" (Round of Paris, in Italian no less). It is a small round root reported to do well in clay soils. We'll see what develops!

After your post, I found an interesting site in the UK (the Carrot Museum, no less!) that also recommends potassium and suggests that a light application of wood ash might do it! That's pretty easy and straightforward for me (and perhaps seedcorn) to try.

 

[digitS']

Soil has to be critical to carrots. I'm thinking, potassium - oh, wood ashes. Can't do that on my high pH soil. Might explore alternatives.

Mokum is supposed to be a Nantes type. Sugarsnax is a Nantes/Imperator. I've grown both and have Sugarsnax every year.

Other Nantes work well for me, really, the quicker (& smaller) the better. DW likes those longer Sugarsnax, however.

Steve

 

[Hal]

Thanks, Hal! I have looked at their listings but getting things shipped internationally can be a problem. (I've looked at Diggers longingly too!) This year I am going to trial a French heirloom called "Tonda di Parigi" (Round of Paris, in Italian no less). It is a small round root reported to do well in clay soils. We'll see what develops!

After your post, I found an interesting site in the UK (the Carrot Museum, no less!) that also recommends potassium and suggests that a light application of wood ash might do it! That's pretty easy and straightforward for me (and perhaps seedcorn) to try.

Understood about getting seeds shipped internationally, figured it was good to put it out there anyhow.
Are you talking about The Diggers Club?
Be careful with wood ash, I use clean ash and very very sparingly, surprisingly easy to over do it. I at least know of a good handful of situations myself where people over did it or used treated timber ash and poisoned their soil. I'm sure you know what your doing though.

That Round of Paris can even be grown in pots, the ultimate carrot for heavy soil or lack of space but you just have to grow a lot to get a decent yield.

 

[PhilaGardener]

Yes, I was referring to The Diggers Club, since you mentioned you were in Australia. I found their web site pretty interesting. There seems to be a lot of interest in heirlooms down under!

pH is a concern, and yes, folks should know their soil pH and use wood ash carefully. I should have added that in my earlier post - thanks for bringing it up so no one overdoes it. I have a fireplace that is used occasionally so I know where my ash comes from.

I'd really be concerned if anyone is burning treated timber - for the fumes as well as the ash contamination.

I am looking forward to trying Round of Paris. I am also going to grow under row covers this year because of increasing problems with carrot fly. I might try companion planting with marigolds too - some folks say that can help deter the pest.

 

[seedcorn]

Interesting to know of potassium, although not my problem. Comfortable, for me, it's a variety thing. And moisture.

I learned this years, onions need water and lots of it.