The Carrot

The carrot (Daucus carota) belongs to the umbel family which includes the parsnip and the parsleys. Here’s a definitive guide to growing your own...

Abiennial vegetable, the carrot, if left in the earth over winter, will flower the following summer producing delightfully complex white flower heads. Its taproot (a main root descending downward from the radicle and giving off small lateral roots) is one of our body’s principal sources of carotene, which is a precursor
of vitamins A and D, eye pigments and many biochemical reactions in the body. It’s also rich in nutritious sugars, dietary fibre, antioxidants and minerals.

History
The European wild carrot, also known as Queen Anne’s Lace, has been eaten since prehistoric times and is one of the few truly local vegetables on our plates. When cooked, the white taproot turns to a tasteless, stringy, grey-coloured mess, although, when raw, it has an unmistakably carroty smell.

However, the Asian wild carrot is purple in colour and has been selectively bred for over a 1000 years in Afghanistan. When these varieties appeared in the Netherlands from the 15th century onwards, they were crossbred with local varieties to produce our modern carrot-toned cultivars. The Dutch royal family adopted the carrot as its family colour, hence their House of Orange. In the past, the foliage was also used in salads, stocks and stews.

Cultivation
Carrots like a rich loam soil (a relatively equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller proportion of clay) with few stones. When grown in stony soil the taproot is likely to branch, often producing interesting shapes that can be exhibited at horticultural shows. However, if you do live on stony land, don’t give up as they taste just as good.

• Prepare the soil by thoroughly weeding and digging in a bit of compost. Not too much though, unless you want to grow giants, they’re not greedy. Rake the soil to get a fine tilth – the best is neither too moist nor too dry, so pick the right day to sow. There are two different methods of sowing carrots: (a) plant the seed in neat rows and (b) broadcasting.

(a) To make a straight row, a garden line is essential and all that is necessary to do is to trace a v-shaped trench along the string to a depth of about 1.5cm. You then proceed to sow the seed at a regular rate along the length with, ideally, about 5cm between the seeds. Nothing is critical and, if you over sow, plants can be thinned out later when they get to an edible size. This method is best for main crop, summer planted varieties and needs regular weeding.

(b) Broadcasting can be described as the ‘biblical method’ of sowing. The technique involves producing a smooth, fine tilth and simply scattering the seed evenly over the surface, around 10 to 15 per 100cm2, even denser with more
compost. Then gently rake into the soil. This is best for spring-sown, early salad carrots. Once the seedlings have sprouted, it’s nigh on impossible to weed. The density of the foliage will suppress most small weeds.

• Carrots can be harvested as soon as they are big enough to eat, little finger-size is ideal for salad carrots. They have more taste the younger you pulled and are best eaten the day of harvest; they quickly turn rubbery. Main crop carrots can be left in the soil in winter until needed although, if a cold spell is forecast, it’s wise to lift them and store in a cool, dry place indoors. Once the soil has frozen, they are unharvestable. The longer carrots stay in the soil the ‘woodier’ they become. Freezing them is not great. You can sterilise them in jars but the best preservation method is juicing, if you have the gadgets.

• If you were pleased with your carrots, try to leave a dozen over winter to flower (anything up to a meter in height and very pretty) and then collect the seeds.

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you can't find what your looking for, just Ask Finbow. Please see the full list of vegetables we have covered below.

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