carrots

• • notes

Uses:

  • culinary
  • the purple varieties have less sugar and more starch and higher anti-oxidant levels.
  • orange varieties were originally mainly developed by the Dutch.
  • whites are least nutritious and tasty but look good when mixed with others in food.

Propagation & cultivation

  • Biennial which means that you collect seed from them in the SECOND year of growth. They will usually not flower the first year.
  • seed – only reliable method – plant in sandy mix and allow lots of direct heat and sunlight and water
  • collect viable seed from FIRST main umbel of flowers as they tend to be bigger and stronger
  • store seed in paper bag and leave to dry out – or hang them upside down to dry in fine mesh bag.
  • plant on surface maybe with radish to have intermediate crop while developing
  • don’t crowd too much
  • don’t mulch too much
  • don’t surface fertilise too much
  • loves water – but not variations between dry and wet as they will split
  • loves friable soil that is open build
  • grows green and tall as young plant with heat and then burns back with cold weather
  • few pests

Species and varities I’m growing:

carrot – Daucus carota

The main varieties I have been growing are ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Purple Dragon’. Both are purple with orangey/red interior and best eaten small.

  • Purple Haze
  • Purple Dragon
  • Lunar White
  • Atomic Red

Seed heads – 5 December 2011

Lunar White

 

Purple Dragon