Carrots - A Favorite To Most Home Gardeners
by John Yazo
Carrots are one of the most popular root crops grown and consumed throughout world. Carrots are hardy and do best under cool conditions. They will survive a light frost, making them a great early season crop. There are also varieties that will grow well in the fall and into the winter.
Carrots origin is the Mediterranean region, now people consume and grow them throughout the world. They are biennial plants that are treated like an annual when grown in the garden.
Long and orange is what comes to mind when most think of a carrot, but there are actually a number of different varieties that come in different colors and shapes. Allot gardeners enjoy growing carrots that have these unique shapes and colors, like colors that are purple, white or yellow and shapes that are long, short or stubby or even round. No matter which type of carrot you grow, you will enjoy their fresh delicious taste and health benefits including high quantities of vitamin A.
Having a successful carrot crop depends allot on the soil conditions. It needs to be loose, have depth and rock-free.To achieve this the best method is to double-dig the area that you are going to plant and add plenty of organic matter to the soil to loosen it up. Stay away from manure, it will make for poor tasting carrots because of the high nitrogen content in it.
Once you have your area prepared you can sow your seeds directly into the garden as much as three weeks before the last expected frost. Plant your seeds and cover with about 3/8 of an inch of soil, spacing your rows about 18 apart.
Carrots are not usually grown as transplants because when you place them in the garden, the roots have a tendency to fork.
Cover the seedlings with a thin layer of organic mulch such as straw or compost. This will keep your soil moist while the seedlings are developing. Once the seedlings have emerged, you can add more mulch around the plants, a 3-4 inch layer of mulch is best after the seedlings have emerge.
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