Wednesday, July 1, 2009

About my Carrots

I planted Royal Chantenay, which are supposed to be good for clay soils, and Carnival Blend, multiple colored carrots this year. I did some thinning early on, but a few days ago, decided I should thin some more. These are what I pulled. I will keep picking some every few days, to look for signs of insects eating on them. At that point, I'll pull them all.

Normally, I put them in a bag, or rinse them first, and put them in the refrigerator. But, then, I don't always get them eaten before they lose their crispness. This year, I cut the tops and bottoms off, rinsed them in a bowl, then scrubbed the carrots with the brush on the sink in the photo. I have been eating the carrots without peeling them. I'm pleased they won't end up on the compost pile.




Most of the thicker ones are the Chantenays. Some thought the white ones were parsnips. I haven't grown parsnips for a long time. I don't remember if they grew well for me.


9 comments:

  1. Hi Sue~~ Have a carrot for me, would you? They look so delicious I can practically taste them. You've definitely found the right varieties for your soil type. Way to go.

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  2. I've never had luck growing carrots. They look so good!

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  3. Those carrots look delicious - mine were all eaten to the ground and croaked out by rabbits. Lol**

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  4. They actually look pretty tasty. I always buy carrot seeds, and forget to plant them. Is it too late to stick them in?
    After you eat your carrots, you will see better in the dark. At least that is what I tell my kids.
    Rosey

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  5. That's great for thinning, huh? I didn't know there was a better carrot for that soil. Thanks for the tip. Keep up the good work.
    SG

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  6. I'll remember your tips if I can find some extra space next spring. I'd like to try the different colored ones;)
    Marnie

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  7. i so like a good crisp carrot. your crop looks mighty nice.
    have a wonderful day sue.

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  8. Hi! I think carrots can be planted all summer, but I've found that they need to be kept moist, so they don't do well if the soil is hot and dry. You can actually look at the number of days to maturity on the package, and plant them that number of days from your average first frost date. They can tolerate cold nights. Some people keep them in the ground with straw on them, and go out and pick them. I think once the ground freezes they're done, though. Is there anyone out there who knows more about that?

    The carrot seeds I used were from Botanical Interests.

    Have a great holiday weekend!

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  9. They look crisp and tasty.

    I was thinking about carrot tops the other day, how we used to cut them off and place in a little saucer of water to grow 'tops' in the winter just for greenery, or whatever entertains kids. What I was wondering was, if you did that and then planted the piece of carrot when the top sprouted, would you grow another carrot clone? (Do I really need something more adult to ponder upon?)

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