McKenzie Purple Haze Carrot
McKenzie Carrot Rainbow Mix

Carrots are best grown in the open ground, but can be grown in containers, or even grow-bags. Cut a grow-bag in half to make two square bags out of one oblong bag, then stand each half up on its closed end. Loosen the compost until the bag forms a free-standing round pot shape, otherwise choose deep pots or short rooted carrots.

Before sowing carrots, remove any weeds and dig your soil to a fine tilth, breaking up any large lumps. Soil that has been manured within the last year, or manured and rested without growing a previous crop, is not suitable for growing carrots in. Carrots grow best in light, sandy soil they don’t do well in heavy, clay, stony, chalky conditions. Carrot Atomic Red
Plan to plant seeds outdoors 3 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost date. Find your local frost dates here.
Tip: Plant additional seeds every 3 weeks or so for multiple harvests.
Plant carrot seeds 3 to 4 inches apart in rows. Rows should be at least a foot apart.
Carrots are slow to germinate. They may take 3 or more weeks to show any signs of life, so don’t panic if your carrots don’t appear right away!
Keep the soil moist, not wet, but don’t let it dry out, either.
Carrots are best grown in full sunlight, but can tolerate a moderate amount of shade.
Carrots grow best in sandy or loamy soil (as opposed clayey or silty soil), so supplement your soil as necessary
CARE - GROWING CARROTS
Gently mulch to retain moisture, speed germination, and block the sun from hitting the roots directly.
Once plants are an inch tall, thin so that they stand 3 inches apart. Snip them with scissors instead of pulling them out to prevent damage to the roots of the remaining plants.
Water at least one inch per week. Weed diligently.
Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer 5-6 weeks after sowing.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GROW A CARROT?
Depending on the variety and local growing conditions, carrots may take anywhere from 2 to 4 months to mature.
PESTS/DISEASES
Wireworms
Flea Beetles
Aster Yellow Disease will cause shortened and discolored carrot tops and hairy roots. This disease is spread by pests as they feed from plant to plant. Keep weeds down and invest in a control plan for pests such as leafhoppers. This disease has the ability to overwinter.
HARVEST/STORAGE - HARVESTING CARROTS
Carrots should be mature and ready for harvest after about 2–4 months, or when they reach at least ˝ inch in diameter. You may harvest whenever desired maturity is reached.
If you’re growing carrots in the spring and early summer, harvest before daily temperatures get too hot, as the heat can cause carrot roots to grow fibrous.
Carrots taste much better after a couple of frosts. (A frost encourages the plant to start storing energy—sugars—in its root for later use.) Following the first hard frost in the fall, cover carrot rows with an 18-inch layer of shredded leaves to preserve them for harvesting later.
HOW DO YOU STORE FRESH CARROTS?
To store freshly-harvested carrots, twist off the tops, scrub off the dirt under cold running water, let dry and seal in airtight plastic bags, and refrigerate. If you simply put fresh carrots in the refrigerator, they’ll go limp in a few hours.
You may leave mature carrots in the soil for temporary storage if the ground will not freeze and pests aren’t a problem.
Carrots can be stored in tubs of moist sand for winter use.
Scrub off the dirt and remove the tops before storing carrots!
RECOMMENDED VARIETIES
Nantes varieties are 6 to 7 inches long, cylindrical (not tapered), and entirely edible. They are medium-sized, sweet and mild, and have a crisp texture.
Danvers carrots are a classic heirloom carrot 6–8” long that tapers at the end, with a rich, dark orange color. This variety can handle heavy soil better than most varieties.
‘Little Finger’ is a small Nantes type of carrot only 4 inches long and one inch thick. Great for containers.
‘Bolero’: resists most leaf pests.
‘Thumberline’: round carrot, good for clumpy or clay soil.
WIT & WISDOM
Carrots are biennial plants. If you leave them in the ground, the tops will flower and produce seeds the second year.
Carrots need about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day.
If you're using 12" pots, you only want to do one carrot per. Use a loose garden soil mix, soil from the surrounding area can contain disease and pests. Store bought garden soil is free from these, and there are some available with a fertilizer already mixed in.
companion planting says carrots make peppers taste better. -almanac