Friday Rookie Topic: Carrots

CARROTS

Family: Carrot

Height: up to 12 inches

Spacing: 16/sq. ft.

Growing season:

Spring - everyone

Summer - everyone

Fall - everyone

Winter - southern regions.

Earliest and Last outdoor planting:

3 weeks before last spring frost, or 10 weeks before first fall frost

Disease/Pests:

Carrot fly - Carrot flies do not fly above 24 inches, so carrots in a table top are immune from them.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_fly (Thank you Boffer for this info!)



Companion planting:

Onions, Leeks and herbs (Rosemary, Wormwood and Sage) act as a repellant to the carrot fly. Carrots help peas.

Lettuces do well with carrots

Parsley mixed with carrot seeds helps to repel carrot flies by its masking aroma.

Resource: Carrots Love Tomatoes - Louise Riotte, pages 33,96-97, 123 copyright 1975



Planting techniques: https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t7901-better-way-to-plant-carrot-seeds?highlight=carrot+fly

http://chiotsrun.com/2009/03/19/square-foot-gardening-templates/

http://www.green-cityzen.com/in-the-garden/square-foot-planting-templates/



Watering:

Carrots like it moist at all times. Keep them moist until they are almost mature, then you can back off the watering. I, personally, water with a watering can in the beginning since they are very shallow in the ground and my nozzle on the garden hose can't get to a gentle shower. I have disturbed them with watering with too much water pressure.



General info:

Carrot seeds are very small making them very tedious to plant, you can try the techniques listed above or hand plant. Plant at least 2 seeds per hole and thin when they are about 1 inch tall. Thinning is the "key" to get the best yield. They are slow to germinate (1-3 weeks) and love temps 60F-70F. They can tolerate some shade but not much. The varieties range from Giant to dwarf (golf ball size) with the Danvers being the most popular. They come in a variety of colors (white,purple,red) but the coloring does not affect the flavor. To ensure sweet/tender carrots, harvest them young before maturity. To see if your carrots are maturing, just take your finger and work the dirt away from the tops. Don't let the sun bleach the tops, so cover them back up.



If you choose longer varieties for your SFG: you will need to build your square up. See page 61 or http://www.squarefootgardening.com/products/Top-Hat-box-for-Carrots%2CLeeks-%26-Potatoes.html or https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t5273-extra-deep-boxes

http://carrotgardeningtips.com/



All other information obtained in ANSFG book pages 61, 192, 201-202,



See the colors of Carrots: http://www.seedrack.com/carrots.html?gclid=CPy1kdupy60CFUHc4AodeRQ-hw



Other informational sites: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/cultivation.html includes video on how to save seeds, if you’re interested. (Thank You Camprn) and http://carrotgardeningtips.com/



Interesting facts for cow and goat owners: They give more and richer milk when fed on member of the Umbelliferae family. (Umbelliferae - plants having flowers in umbels: parsley; carrot; anise; caraway; celery; dill). Goats with worms may be relieved by feeding them carrots.

Resource: Carrots Love Tomatoes - Louise Riotte page 87,104



Wintering Carrots: Napoli variety work well. Sow those 10-12 weeks before first fall frost. We can place a hoop house over the bed just before the first frost and harvest throughout the winter until ground is frozen solid. This is utilizing cool-soil storage. I’ve done this and it works great.

Resource: The Winter Harvest Handbook Eliot Coleman page 80-81.

that was great thank you.

so they are great for tomatoes. Can you plant in the same square or next square over ?

Tomatoes love carrots but carrots do not love tomatoes??????. I have been researching companion planting on the web and have found a number of sources disagreeing with the "carrots love tomatoes" statment. Apparently tomatoes will stunt the growth of carrots but not change their flavor. Don't know if that is true. I am getting ready to order the book "Great Garden Companions" by Sally Jean Cunningham and also "Carrots Love Tomatoes". So I shall get two different perspectives on companion planting.

yolos wrote:Tomatoes love carrots but carrots do not love tomatoes??????. I have been researching companion planting on the web and have found a number of sources disagreeing with the "carrots love tomatoes" statment. Apparently tomatoes will stunt the growth of carrots but not change their flavor. Don't know if that is true. I am getting ready to order the book "Great Garden Companions" by Sally Jean Cunningham and also "Carrots Love Tomatoes". So I shall get two different perspectives on companion planting.

Curious minds want to know



Kim, I know you've been really busy, so thanks for taking the time to cover and start another great topic for us!!

newstart wrote:that was great thank you.

so they are great for tomatoes. Can you plant in the same square or next square over ?

LOL, No, "Carrots love Tomatoes" is a book about companion planting.

I'm so excited to plant carrots. I need to construct a fence around them to keep my 2 year old out of them though, he'll just pull them up and eat them. Not unlike any other veggie out there, but he loves the carrots.

javaaddict, I know the feeling. Last thanksgiving, I harvested some for dinner and before I knew it, my 4yr old was eating them with dirt and all.

Don't believe all you read in wikipedia have a look in wikileaks & wikirubbish as well...



Here in the UK it is often spouted that the dreaded carrot fly does not fly above 18 inches from the ground ....so put up a 24 inch clear plastic sheet around your carrots.

I can only say I must have some olympic medal contenders here for the top edge of my raised beds are 900 mm high ....thats three feet from the ground folks , yet my carrots got slaughtered before I put some nematode controls in the beds .

Once I discovered I had a prolblem with the carot fly I pulled out all the baby carrots ( then rotted them down in a bucket of water to kill off any eggs or grubs ).

I used the nematodes on the beds and left the beds without carrots for three weeks just incase there were any eggs still in the ground . I ended up sowing the seeds late when according to all the " experts " the carrot fly should have been long gone , then gave the beds two more nematodes doses as the temperatures reached strike temperatures before christmas .

A few weeks ago I cleared the beds which had these over wintered carrots , it didn't look as they had done much growing . Loads of carrots about as long as my little fingeer and just about as fat came out really easily .

On checking these fingerling carrots a good 1/3 were damaged by carrot rootfly maggots.

madnicmom wrote:

newstart wrote:that was great thank you.

so they are great for tomatoes. Can you plant in the same square or next square over ?

LOL, No, "Carrots love Tomatoes" is a book about companion planting.

sorry didnt sleep well lat night I was fearing my dentist appt. now that i REREAD the post i get it lol

Thanks for the great info, I'm a newbie to SFG and vege gardening so I planted a square of carrots last week to have a test run before the challenge and you just answered a bunch of questions that I hadn't gotten around to looking up answers for yet!

Now to find out if we get carrot fly in Australia....

Kim,
Thanks for all the great info! This will be my first try with carrots. Just hoping my 2y/o seed (Nantes Coreless) will produce.
Lee

Windsor.Parker wrote:Kim,
Thanks for all the great info! This will be my first try with carrots. Just hoping my 2y/o seed (Nantes Coreless) will produce.
Lee

That shouldn't be a problem. Just remember they are slow to germinate.

I'm not a very precise carrot seed planter: thinning with scissors is a must for me. I wait until the plant is two inches tall to thin. That makes it much easier to distinguish which leaves belong to which plant.

Carrots are one of those veggies that get sweeter after a frost or two.

Carrot seeds are so small, at one time I thought about putting them on seed tape. Then it occurred to me that if I could place the tiny seeds on tape, I could just as easily place them in the ground

Boffer, have you tried any of the colored varieties that you are particularly impressed with?

Words of wisdom admin! with you! I want to talk about my carrot "plan" but I can't stop .

Carrot fly - Carrot flies do not fly above 24 inches, so carrots in a table top are immune from them.

i want to believe. i was not paying attention and planted peppers in my carrot squares guess I'll replant.

shannon1 wrote:Carrot fly - Carrot flies do not fly above 24 inches, so carrots in a table top are immune from them.

i want to believe. i was not paying attention and planted peppers in my carrot squares guess I'll replant.

OOPS!

nKedrOoStEr wrote:Carrot seeds are so small, at one time I thought about putting them on seed tape. Then it occurred to me that if I could place the tiny seeds on tape, I could just as easily place them in the ground

The biggest difference (for me) in placing those tiny seeds on tapes or directly outside, is if you are making seed tapes, you are usually indoors with no wind to blow them around before you get them placed and covered.

Furbalsmom wrote:

nKedrOoStEr wrote:Carrot seeds are so small, at one time I thought about putting them on seed tape. Then it occurred to me that if I could place the tiny seeds on tape, I could just as easily place them in the ground

The biggest difference (for me) in placing those tiny seeds on tapes or directly outside, is if you are making seed tapes, you are usually indoors with no wind to blow them around before you get them placed and covered.

True. True.

As I've already said I had a major loss of my sense of humour when my 36 inch high raised brick bed got ripped off by the dreaded carrot fly .

A few seconds ago I did a search for something else and found a decent list of supposedly useable companion plants to use along side your veg etc to help ward off pests .



Amazingly in it is something for carrot root fly which did surprise me for I have always been told nothing that's legally available/ approved for use by the private citizen will stop them.

(Unless you have a farming chemicals purchase licence etc. & use farming chemicals on them ).

Anyway here is the list ..it might be worth making a note of some things on it.



Using Herbs As Companion Plants to Deter Pests

• Aphids - Chives, Coriander, Nasturtium
  
  
• Ants - Tansy
  
  
• Asparagus Beetle - Pot Marigold
  
  
• Bean Beetle - Marigold, Nasturtium, Rosemary
  
  
• Cabbage Moth - Hyssop, Mint (also clothes moths), Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Southernwood, Tansy, Thyme
  
  
• Carrot Fly - Rosemary, Sage
  
  
• Flea Beetle - Catmint (Contains nepetalactone, an insect repellent. Steep in water and spray on plants.), Mint
  
  
• Flies - Basil, Rue
  
  
• Fruit Tree Moths - Southernwood
  
  
• Japanese Beetles - Garlic & Rue (When used near roses and raspberries), Tansy
  
  
• Potato Bugs - Horseradish
  
  
• Mosquitoes - Basil, Rosemary
  
  
• Moths - Santolina
  
  
• Nematodes - Marigold (Marigolds should be established for at least 1 year before their nematode deterring properties will take effect.)
  
  
• Savory, Winter - Some insect repelling qualities
  
  
• Squash Bugs & Beetles - Nasturtium, Tansy
  
  
• Ticks - Lavender (Also thought to repel mice and moths.)
  
  
• Tomato Horn Worm - Borage, Pot Marigold
  

Plantoid, you had me worried there for a minute, I have that companion planting suggestion listed. LOL

plantoid wrote: I have always been told nothing that's legally available/ approved for use by the private citizen will stop them.

One thing that will stop them for sure is super light insect barrier.

Nice job on carrots! I always have a problem with a few not germinating when I plant single seeds, maybe I will try the boffer method....

We love carrots and a lot of the compainion plantings but lose all of the above ground greenery to butterfly larvea. Tough problem, because we also love the butterflies. Does anyone know if the herb companion plants to deter moths will help?

CiderSapling wrote:We love carrots and a lot of the compainion plantings but lose all of the above ground greenery to butterfly larvea. Tough problem, because we also love the butterflies. Does anyone know if the herb companion plants to deter moths will help?

I do not but you could plant some dill in a pot and relocate the butterfly larva there. The ones that like carrots also like dill. I plant extra every summer just for them.