How About Carrots

[setter4]

Hey setter4

You want the Troy Bilt?

That's fine - get in line.

That's the story of my life! Guess I'll have to break down and go buy one of those little Mantis tillers for myself. I usually just have the neighbor come do it but if I keep expanding the garden he may actually have to charge me. lol
To get back on the subject, I have a rainbow assorment and little Fingers carrots to plant for the GD this year. Haven't planted carrots for several years because I wasn't tilled deep enough and they didn't do well. I think I have a good 10-12 inches of tilled ground now so hopefully we'll do better.

 

[vfem]

I'm glad this is here... I haven't had any response from my carrots at all!!!!

:/

I planted them when I planted my spinach and lettuce... Those I see... but no sprouts from my carrots.

They are in a 12" deep raised bed with fresh soil compost mix in the beds. Completely new soil... I know its been cool, but I thought Carrots were a cool weather plant? Should I just seed them speratically a second time? Right now I planted 1 seed every 6" or so. What is their germination rate and time? Should I be looking for a certain kind with a better germination percent?!

 

[me&thegals]

In my experience, carrots take forever to sprout, or at least to break the soil. Just when I've almost given up and thought about planting something else there instead, they will pop out. Hang in there

 

[setter4]

I'm glad this is here... I haven't had any response from my carrots at all!!!!

:/

I planted them when I planted my spinach and lettuce... Those I see... but no sprouts from my carrots.

They are in a 12" deep raised bed with fresh soil compost mix in the beds. Completely new soil... I know its been cool, but I thought Carrots were a cool weather plant? Should I just seed them speratically a second time? Right now I planted 1 seed every 6" or so. What is their germination rate and time? Should I be looking for a certain kind with a better germination percent?!

I think they take about 2 weeks to sprout. Has it been that long?
I'd probably go ahed and sow some more seeds. You can always thin them later and have tiny carrots for salad...YUMMY! lol.

 

[Tallman]

Setter4, how do you prepare little carrots for salads? If a carrot isn't big enough to peel, I don't mess with it.

 

[me&thegals]

That's one of the cool things about growing your own veggies--no need to peel, assuming you are not spraying chemicals or irradiating your food

 

[setter4]

That's one of the cool things about growing your own veggies--no need to peel, assuming you are not spraying chemicals or irradiating your food

They are so tender they don't need peeled.and you are right about knowing what's on them! Just wash the dirt off and in they go!

 

[Tallman]

That's one of the cool things about growing your own veggies--no need to peel, assuming you are not spraying chemicals or irradiating your food

They are so tender they don't need peeled.and you are right about knowing what's on them! Just wash the dirt off and in they go!

I'll try it.

Setter4, you are back in the will!

 

[VT Chicklit]

I plant either Nantes, Danvers, or Chantenay depending what seeds I can get at the co-op. I plant them in a raised bed that I have where I plant other root veggies. The soil in this bed is a looser, more sandy soil than I have in my bigger garden. We have good luck with our carrots. We use a natural, corn based weed block to keep down the weeds until the plants are large enough to crowd out additional weeds. We also thin them so that there is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches between each plant. We get about 50 pounds of carrots from a 4 X 6 foot area of the raised bed. We try to keep them in the ground until the soil is about to freeze. This year we dug them in the end of November. I wash them to remove most of the soil and then dip them in a basin of 1/4 cup bleach to 2 gallons water. I let them air dry before putting them in large plastic bags which I leave open at the top. I then place them in my cellar hatch way which I use as a cold cellar. The temp in there stays around 35 degrees all winter. We are still eating off the 50 pounds we picked in November and will still be at Easter.

 

[Tallman]

Thanks VT. Looks like a very good system. A couple of questions.

What is a corn based weed block?


Why the dip in bleach water?