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How to Grow Carrots
carrot are appreciated around the world as refreshing eating vegetables , kitchen staples , and prospicient - term store crops . When planting carrots , be aware that they can be finical in the former part of the season . Carrots are biennial , producing cum after two years of growing , but the reward is well worth the effort . cultivated carrot seeded player can be used for next year ’s crop and also as a culinary spice .
Time of Planting
plant life carrot seeds out of doors when the stain is above 45 degrees F.
Spacing Requirements
Plant cultivated carrot seeds ¼ inch deep and 1 in aside . Later in the spring , slight cultivated carrot plants to 2 - 3 inches apart in rows 16 - 24 inch apart .
Time to Germination
7 - 21 day
Special Considerations
As the shoulder joint of the carrot start out to emerge from the soil , mound a little mulch or soil around the expose ascendant to forestall greening .
Common Pests and Diseases
Carrot plants can suffer from a number of pests and disease , including Daucus carota sativa rust fly , carrot weevil , cutworm , flea beetle , punch , leafage blight , and soft rot . Consider planting immune miscellanea and thin plans on a damp , overcast solar day .
When and How to Harvest for Food Consumption
To harvest cultivated carrot , perpetrate the base up by their tops . Be gentle when uprooting carrots ; some cryptic rooted sort may snap when harvested .
Eating
Carrots are a versatile culinary crop . They can be used fresh , in salads , diced and simmered with onion and garlic to get many sauces , or they can be roast and serve well as a master stunner . The texture of carrots moderate up to many cooking methods , from stews to pureed soup .
For a spin , check out this deliciousOrange Creamsicle Smoothierecipe , which backpack in one cupful of shredded carrots !
Storing
sassy cultivated carrot will last 4 - 5 months when stored at 33 degrees F with a relative humidness of 90 - 95 % . They will keep for 7 - 9 calendar month when stack away at 35 degrees F with a relative humidness of 95 - 100 % .
How to Save Carrot Seeds
Life Cycle
Biennial
Recommended Isolation Distance
disjoined varieties by at least 800 feet-½ mile in their second season of growth .
Recommended Population Sizes
To ensure workable seeds , save seed from at least 5 plants . When maintaining a variety over many generations , save seeds from 20 - 50 plants . If you ’re saving seed for genetic saving of a rare variety , save seeds from 80 plants .
Vernalization
Vernalization can encounter in the domain or in storage . Overwinter carrots in the field if you will have 10 - 12 week of cool weather ( around 50 degrees F ) without steady temperature below 15 degrees F.
In the northern United States , where winter temperatures frequently fall below 15 degrees atomic number 9 , carrots must be drudge before the first hard frost and vernalized in storage . If potential , dig carrots when the soil is comparatively dry ; agitate or mildly brush the rootage to off as much grease as potential , but do not wash off them . Trim pass down to just above the diadem by making two or three diagonal cuts upward from the base of operations of the foliage stems , being measured not to cut the crownwork of the works .
Carrot roots can be put in in perforated plastic bag or any ventilated container : in bags , equally disperse wood shaving around the carrot roots ; in container , line the bottom of the container with wood paring , neat gumption , or dry foliage , and then alternate each layer of carrot with a thin layer of whatever memory board metier is being used . reject pathologic or off - type roots prior to entrepot and again before replanting .
In the spring , root should be removed from storage and prepared for replanting . Each plant should be set so the plant ’s crown is just above the soil occupation , mimicking the height of the crown during its first time of year in the garden . When growing carrots for source , increase space to 6 - 18 inches between plants , in rows 24 - 48 inch apart . bet on is recommended .
Assessing Seed Maturity
As Daucus carota sativa seeds maturate , they sour from unripe to tannish brown ; fully fledged seeds detach from the industrial plant .
Harvesting
Individual germ promontory can be harvested by thin out stems several inches below the umbels . The harvested textile should be moved to a well- air outer space that is protected from rain for further dry out for 5 - 14 days .
Cleaning and Processing
Carrot seed can be well thrash by rubbing the seed heads between one ’s hands or against a fine mesh screen . Because each pair of seeds is held on by a thin base , free the seed into a container by gently brushing the tops of the cum head word results in a white seed lot containing fewer ironic bloom stem .
Storage and Viability
Store cultivated carrot seeds in a cool , dark , and dry place in an airtight container to keep out moisture and humidness . When stored under these experimental condition , Daucus carota sativa seeds can be gestate to stay viable for up to 6 years .
study more about seed warehousing .
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