Carrot

Common Name: Carrot

Botanical Name: Daucus carota

When to Sow: All year round except Winter in cool areas,

Planting Position: Prefers an open, airy location with light, fertile soil, not recently manured.

Days to Germinate: 14-21 days

Ready to Harvest:  15-18 weeks

Lifespan: Biennial best treated as an annual. Annual - Lasts one year

Fertilise:  When seedlings are about 10cm tall feed with a granular fertiliser low in nitrogen and higher in phosphate and potassium. Nitrogen encourages a plant to produce more foliage. Phosphate and potassium encourages more root development.

Did you know?

An old gardener's tip is to put a board on top of the row, this achieves 2 things. 1. helps to keep the top layer of the soil evenly moist. 2. Suppresses the quick-growing weed seeds. When the board is removed the slower germinating carrot seeds do not have to compete with the faster-germinating weeds.

Tip: Harvest over a long period. Repeat sow every 2-3 weeks for continuous crops.

About Carrots: Carrots can be sown almost all year round and every garden deserves to have a row or two. To grow nice straight carrots prepare a fine crumbly soil free of stones and weeds.

Tips for growing: Sow 5mm deep in rows, direct where they are to grow. Cover lightly with seed raising mix, firm down. The trick with carrot seeds is to sow them shallowly and then maintain moisture in that top layer of soil until they germinate. After germination, thin out to 3-5cm apart.

Companion Plants - plant Carrot with: beans, brassicas, chives, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, radish, rosemary, sage, and tomatoes. Avoid planting with dill, parsnips, and potatoes. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to keep some space between root crops so they don't compete for available phosphorus.