Growing Carrots

Carrots are generally bright orange-red in color, and there are a number of different types and shapes. New varieties have been introduced over recent years to remove the woody yellow cores from carrot roots and this explains the terms ‘red cored’ and ‘red cored improved’ attached to some varietal names.

About this Plant…
Family: -Umbelliferae
Genus, species:  -Daucus carota var. sativus

Suitable Climate

• Zone 3 and warmer
• In colder areas, plant quick maturing carrots.
• Plant in Full sun.

Varieties

Amsterdam, Autumn King, Autumn King Vita Longa, Belgium white, Berlicum, Berlicum-Berio, Blanche, Campestra, Cardinal, Cello-bunch, Centennial, Chantenay, Cluseed New Model, Comet, Condor, Corpak, Early French Frame, Early Scarlet Horn, Giganta, Imperator, Jaune Obtuse, Juwarot Double Vitamin A, Kintoki, LateHalfLong, Long Orange, Muscade, Nairobi, Nandor, Nandrin, Nantes, Napoli, Nelson, Nevada, Parano, Presto, Primo, Redca, Roud, Stump-rooted, Suko, Supreme, Sytan

Soil Conditions

All garden soils will yield reasonable crops although ideally, the soil should be of a lighter, sandy nature for the straightest, well-shaped roots.

Planting Time

Spring and Fall

Sowing Instructions

Vegetable Problems — data is unavailable

Twisted roots are due to improper thinning. Forked or deformed roots means the soil was too hard and stones or clay balls were present. Hairy roots mean it has a beard.

Harvesting

In June, pull up the small carrots as required. Use a fork if the soil is hard. In the fall, lift the main crop of carrots for storage. Use a garden fork to lift the roots and then remove the dirt. If you damaged the roots use them in the kitchen or place in the compost pile

USDA Nutrient — data is unavailable

Pressure Canning

Carrots “can” be better than when they freeze, and they are very useful as a vegetable to be served alone or to use in soups, stews and or vegetable dishes. Raw Pack: Pack raw prep carrots into a clean jar tightly, leaving an inch of headroom. Add salt if desired, 1 tsp per quart or 0.5 tsp per pint. Cover with boiling water, leaving 0.5 headroom. Process in a pressure canner at 10 lbs pressure (240 F). Pints – 25 min Quarts – 30 min Complete seals if necessary, as soon as jars are removed from the canner. Canning time can vary due to altitudes.

Freezing

Remove tops, wash and peel or scrub hard with a vegetable brush. Blanch whole carrots in boiling water for five minutes. Reduce the time to two minutes for diced, slices or strips. Cool immediately in ice-cold water. Drain the water and pack into freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headroom: seal and freeze.

Storage

Cut off the leaves a 1/2 in above the crown and store the carrots in layers of sand or dry peat in a strong box. Do not let the carrots touch. Store the carrots in a dry shed and inspect for rot and dispose of them before they infect the other carrots. Keep them in a cool place. This process is good until March.