Carrots

Our dear friend Nancy Nelson holding up some of the first harvest.

This Valentine's Day, instead of sending a chocolate, we're sending you a carrot.

As reported in earlier blog entries, we've been trying out various vegetables to see which ones work best in our location. I'm happy to report that we've had success with carrots. Other cool-weather crops seem to be doing well too.

At the beginning of November I planted three short rows of carrots. In the area to be planted I worked in extra rice hulls and sand in order to loosen the soil and make it easier for the carrot roots to grow. The seeds are very fine, so after working the soil I made three very shallow rows, sprinkling the seeds on the surface and then sprinkling fine soil on top, pressing it down firmly. They sprouted in a week. I thinned them at three weeks and again at five weeks so that the plants were about three inches apart. We began harvesting carrots at the beginning of February.

The variety we planted are Chantenay. Chantenays are heirloom carrots, originally from the Chantenay region of France. They are shorter and plumper than most carrots, but tend to be sweeter and juicier. They were first mentioned in gardening literature in the 1850s. In the mid-20th Century they fell out of favor with farmers in the U.S. because they are more susceptible to damage when harvested mechanically. They have come back in favor with organic farmers in recent years.

We think ours are delicious and we're delighted they do well here.

Happy gardening!