Carrot Purple Sun Seeds, average packet contents 300 seeds

General Carrot Growing Tips

Tender carrots pulled straight from the garden and eaten with the tops still attached beat any bought from the supermarket and can get even the most stubborn child to eat his or her veggies.

Before planting, consider where you are going to grow - this will determine the varieties grown. If your soil is light, sandy, and free of stones or if you are growing in raised beds / containers, then varieties with longer roots (Early Nantes, Autumn King, Resistafly) can be grown. But, if the soil has a lot of clay, is shallow or rocky, then carrots with shorter roots (Paris Market Atlas, Chatenay) do better.
Carrots prefer a light, sandy soil with a pH between 6.0 to 7.0 and temperatures between 40 to 80 degrees

The first step is preparation of the bed where the carrots seeds will be planted. Prepare the area by mixing in plenty of compost about three weeks prior to planting. Plan to sow a succession of crops, at three-week intervals.

• Sow your carrot seeds in rows about 1cm deep and about 2.5cm apart - row spacing about 25cm apart.
• The ideal soil temperature for carrot seed germination is seventy five degrees Fahrenheit (twenty-four degrees Celsius). They will germinate in temperatures above and below, but for optimal germination, seventy-five will serve you well.
• The seedlings when through are tiny, but will grow fast.
• Make sure your carrots do not dry out, but also do not over water, monitor rainfall and water them first thing in the morning with a deep soaking, every few days.
• Feed the carrots twice, first when they are about 8cm tall and again when they are about 15cm tall.
• When the carrots are around 8-10cm high, thin out the row to leave at 5cm spacing for larger carrots, the carrots you pull up for this thinning can be eaten.
• Plan to harvest before carrots fully mature, as they are more tender when picked earlier. Carrots mature 65 to 85 days after seeds are sown.