Yum! Its carrot season. I harvest a few a day and we munch on them raw before dinner. I probably still have a million out there in the dirt. I am going to see how they overwinter. I have read that carrots will keep in the garden until used without splits or loss of flavor. I’d like to mulch with some hay, if I can find a bale. Preferably salt marsh hay.
FYI: These are Red Core Chantenay carrots (Daucus carota var. sativus), a common home garden carrot variety since 1929. Often judged a best tasting carrot. Its a stocky, tapered, rich orange-colored variety that is good for rocky New England soils since it is short rooted (5-7 inches). I think I’ll grow some of these again next year.
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I still have quite a few carrots left in my garden. I went a bit wild when planting them.
Carrots are biennials, so they will go to seed in the spring. If they survive that long, you can eat them until then. If you are growing any heirloom varieties, you can save seeds from them if you protect them from cross polinating with other carrots or Queen Anne’s Lace. To prevent cross pollination, you have to distroy the other plants that may be near your garden. I don’t know if this is practical in your case, or if you are growing heirloom varieties.
I plan to try to save some carrot seed for the first time this spring.
Great idea. I’d like to try that as I am thinking I will plant some heirloom carrots next year. No Queen Anne’s Lace (or other gardens even) near mine. Does that mean you can only save one type of carrot seed? Another issue of mine is space.
I just stumbled across this again, sorry I didn’t answer it before. Yes, indeed, carrots will cross pollinate so you can only save seeds from one type. It doesn’t mean you can’t grow more than one type, you just can’t let more than one bloom at the same time.
I like eating carrots raw! they tastes like apple when eaten with salt. by the way, i haven't tasted this kind of carrot. I want to try someday.